Back in the early 2000s, if you wanted a car with 300 horsepower and four-wheel drive. But that was still
affordable for the everyman, you really only had a choice of 2 cars: the Subaru Impreza WRX STi and the Mitsubishi Evo.
Nowadays, it says a lot about how far things have come that the Evo is no longer available, and that you can get a Golf or a Focus
with as much power, and four-wheel drive for roundabout the same price. As a
result, the market for cars like the STi has significantly dwindled and many now
see it as a bit of a dinosaur in an era of new four-wheel drive mega hatch competitors.
But has the last rally refugee still got that magic? Where better to take it than to
the iconic Sweetlamb complex here in Wales, just before the start of Rally GB
to truly find out?
The WRX STi still follows the same blueprint set down by the original Impreza Turbos of the
90s; that's four-wheel drive, high horsepower, big, big wing. These days it stops a little short of going
the full McRae, so you will have to get your own gold wheels. But apart from that it’s more or less the
same as it’s ever been.
Power still comes from the same 2.5-litre turbocharged boxer engine that Subaru's been using
more or less for the past 8 years, it's had a couple of minor tweaks in that time, but it still
makes 296bhp and a full fat 407Nm of torque. Peak power kicks in at a fairly lofty 6,000
rpm, 0-62mph takes 5.2 seconds though you’ll have to be pretty hard on the driveline to
match that figure, while top speed – if you're brave enough to reach it – is 152mph.
Yeah, there is a bit more turbo lag than you might expect in this day and age. But to be
honest I kind of like that boosty feeling. There's a real sort of sense of drama and anticipation
whenever you put your foot down. And then it just sort of explodes off the mark whenever it comes on boost.
It's so fantastically aggressive as well with tiny gear ratio's and huge acceleration.
Even in this day and age this car is such an event to drive. To me its the sheer tactility of the car
that really makes it. Yeah, its a bit clunky, and a little bit rattley, and the gear shifts a bit heavy on it
but it just feels so alive. Like there's just cogs and oil down there
rather than anything designed to massage out its imperfections.
There’s four-wheel drive, as standard of course, and no fewer than three differentials including an
adjustable centre differential to send more power to the front for more grip, or a bit more
to the rear for, er, well, you know. New to this model is a revised chassis
that’s a full 140% stiffer than its predecessor, so it’s probably fair to say that it's not quite S-Class comfortable.
At the same time it’s not the boneshaker that some people seem to make it out to be. And I reckon anybody interested in this car - truly interested
in this car – isn't going to mind.
Grip is mighty too, with unshakeable traction, while there's also a quickened steering ratio for a pointier turn-in,
along with torque vectoring and big Brembo brakes to scrub off all that speed. Yes, there are cars
that are faster, that accelerate harder, cars with better engines,
and better refinement too. But the STi is still hugely quick and hugely exciting. Plus you've got that
boxer engine which is dirtier than a teenage boys search history.
Inescapably, the biggest let down of the WRX STi is the cabin.
In fairness, nobodies has ever bought an STi and marvelled at the quality of its interior,
but given that this car costs about as much as a Golf R the grey plastics and mock-carbon
inserts do seem cheap in comparison.
It does benefit from these comfortable STi badge sports seats and plenty of kit at least, including
Sat Nav, cruise control and dual-zone climate control. No parking sensors or
reversing camera though, so be careful where you point that wing.
To its credit, the driving position is good and visibility is also excellent, particularly when
you’re checking over your shoulders for your blind spots. Be aware of the Alpine infotainment system too.
in fairness it is quite easy to use and its also miles ahead of the head units
in Imprezas of old, but still compared to today’s sleek touchscreens. It does seem like a bit of an antique.
Compared to many hot hatches the STi is also very practical, with four doors for easy access to the
rear, very spacious rear seats. Its also got a 460 litre boot – that’s 40 litres more
than it used to have. So, rally car for the road, rally car for the Tesco trip.
Priced from £28,995, it’s around two grand cheaper than rivals like the Focus RS and
the Golf R, but that said, it’s no longer the performance bargain it used to be.
Running costs are poor, too. Claimed economy is 27.2mpg and to be fair we have actually beaten that. We've recorded
29.5mpg. But all the same, that's not amazing. Worst of all CO2 emissions of 242g/km
will cost you £870 in tax for the first year and £500 for each year thereafter.
Would it put me off buying one? Well…
The thing is, driving a performance car used to come with a certain amount of sacrifice,
particularly cars like the STi because they were as close to their rally counterparts as was
permissible. That didn’t matter, because the people that bought them cared that much
about driving them.
There are plenty of good reasons why you’d snub the STi in favour of something like an Audi S3,
or a Golf R, but without sounding like the ultimate hipster,
it’s almost like the difference between MP3 and vinyl – after all, nobody buys a record for
its modernity or for its convenience, but for that richness, for that tangible physicality.
Is the WRX STi still worthy of its World Rally eXperience nameplate? I’d argue yes.
But what do you think? Let us know what you think in the comments section below,
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