Jalopnik
I drove the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI backwards. Not in the reverse gear sense, but leaving Palm Springs it's only a very short climb up a straight, steep highway before you get to the kind of roads we car guys can usually only dream about. As state route 74 climbs up to Pinyon Crest, overlooking the Anza-Borrego state park, the road twists and turns, looping back on itself over and over again as it forms tight hairpins. Cliffs rise dramatically on one side and drop thousands of feet on the other.
Palm Springs is kind of like Las Vegas without the seediness. A desert oasis that attracts people looking for golf and happy-ending-free massages rather than poker and hookers. It's still the kind of town where every fourth car costs more than your typical friendly, deprecating hotel staffer will earn in a lifetime of fluffing pillows and decanting fruity cocktails. Up here, on 74, where the views are beautiful and the driving better, the cars that the citizens of Palm Springs own are out in force, ferrying their over-the-hill occupants up and over the long way out of town.
But today, the STI and I don't have time for old men possessing Ferraris or driving their Porsches badly. Today, we've got ground to cover and the tools to make it happen. Quickly.
When I say I drove the STI backwards, what I mean is that pulling out of the hotel parking lot, I switched the throttle mapping into Sport Sharp, the differential to max, the traction control off and gunned it. By the time we reached the first hairpin, the STI and I had already found the rev-limiter and arrived at an agreement. I was going to drive it hard, and it was going to let me.
At about 4,000rpm, the turbo starts spooling up and the STI begins to make real power. Its mad rush forward is accompanied by a roar from the intakes in front of you and a scream from the four exhausts behind. But up here, with the throttle to the floor, there's not time to appreciate the 2.5L boxer's glorious howl. Hairpins arrive sooner than expected, demanding hard braking. The rev-limiter arrives faster—once the engine gets going, get ready to shift. Heel and toe, normally blunted by the decay caused by lack of practice, falls into place, of necessity.
Ten minutes in and the frustration I've felt driving slower cars through New York City or the cramped confines of the Catskills is completely gone. Reawakened are the reasons I do this, and the reasons I don't. Rounding a fast right-hander in third, then fourth gear, pushing all four wheels to hold the line, I pass an unexpected overlook on the left. Gathered are at least a dozen motorcycle cops, stopping for an afternoon coffee. Speed allows only a glance, but it's long enough to see heads turn in the kind of synchronicity usually reserved for Wimbledon. My mind's eye pictures sprayed coffee as well, but the rest of me is already at the next corner, struggling to hold the throttle steady to the apex. Speed is my friend, keeping me safe from whatever lies behind. Far behind.
Turn right off route 74, and 234 will take you through Idyllwild and back down to I-10, scarcely pausing for a straight along the way. You come out about 20 miles from Palm Springs, about an hour later. Making this either the slowest, or fastest trip I've ever taken.
Onto Los Angeles' main east-west thoroughfare and into plain old Sport mode, the differential adjusted for straight-line stability. The sat/nav reads 99 miles and nearly two hours to go. It takes me four.
Enraged by the six or so hours they spend in a car every day, LA's population doesn't much like being held up at much below 80 once the snarls and bottlenecks clear. Traffic flows fast out here, requiring a readjustment from the East Coast's overbearing slowness. Back home, driving something this red with this many bulges at anything near 80 mph would be unthinkable, a literal beacon for every state trooper lurking by the roadside. But, speed is still speed and red is still red, even in California. I take it relatively easy; my self-imposed speed limiter is set at 85.
That's not much slower than I was taking those hairpins on 74, but there I was focusing on the road. Here, stuck in traffic I'm focusing on the car. The wide, grippy tires snare every ripple and rut, pulling the car along with them. The suspension bounces and crashes along those same imperfections. Keeping the STI in a straight line requires a firm hand and quick reactions.
Apparent now too is the engine noise. On the highway it's an ever present grumbling, adding to the road noise emanating from all four tires.
Evaluated subjectively in this environment, the STI would fair poorly. The engine's too peaky for easy speed changes, the ride is just plain awful, and you can't hold a cup of coffee with one hand and steer with the other. A pot hole could send you off the road. But, I drove the car backwards, getting the opportunity to see it in its most favorable environment - the mountain road - first. Right here, on the highway, in traffic, the STI sucks, but overriding every bad input is the memory of the magic this car is capable of. Every jolt, every groan, every floored throttle with no acceleration just serves to remind me of what the STI can do when its in its element, and for that I love it.
Part Two will appear on Monday, stay tuned.
Photography: Grant Ray
Comments
I drove one of these a while ago. Jeremy Clarkson is a Big Fat Idiot.
Meh. Make mine an Evo proto.
So with the power arriving so far up the rev band, how is it on exit through the corners? I wonder how this engine would be with a supercharger rather than the turbo? Good start, can't wait 'til Monday.
Since the STI is out of my price range, how much of this fun can I get in a regular WRX?
Nice imagery. Oh, and LA traffic for a rally bred car is like feeding a lumberjack Ensure through a straw. No one is gonna be happy.
The Palms to Pines Hwy is indeed awesome, unless you get stuck behind some old fart in an Eldorado like I did the last time I drove out there.
By the Way, The 2008 Subaru Impreza is mostly Subaru Legacy Parts, from the Plastic Manifold, to the Turbo. Its all Legacy, but it has the Bilstein Suspension which fixes the harsh ride.
'08 Subaru Imprexa STI: "When I grow up, I want to be a Legacy Spec B"
'07 Subaru Legacy spec B: "Maybe someday, when you lose the Hatch, and the gold wheel, but you can keep the interior"
If you want to "Test" drive the '07 Subaru Legacy spec B, you can test my car in the great Austin Hill country/Traffic. A hell of a lot better.
can't wait to see every enviro-green loving hippie in vermont cruising around in one of these.
I know this car is extremely popular on this site...
But, God. That's an ugly and boring looking car.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it's fast and nimble. But they couldn't do anything else with the exterior?
** DUSTYBUTT STEPS BACK TO FEEL THE FANBOY ONSLAUGHT **
It's amazing how a car can change depending on it's environment.
@B: Some. The new WRX is very much an Impreza GT. For Hoonage, you've got to go Mazdaspeed.
However, your other option is to get a new WRX with some aftermarket swaybars and exhaust work. The car will be immediately transformed.
For all those complaining about the high-up powerband, just go check out Perrin's STI project, or ride in an STI that's been tweaked. Part of the beauty of these cars is that you can basically tailor them to your drivng needs given the HUGE aftermarket.
@DustyButt: Subaru only builds one good-looking car per decade. Maybe.
@DustyButt: I thought so too, but the STi (not the sad-sack wrx) looks better in person than pictures.
@strife1012: I'm a big fan of the Leggy. Spec B or no, it's a great looking car.
Actually, I think the '05 and '06 sedans are LIGHTER than the WRXs.
Spending $35K (base) for a car like this makes no sense to me. At the end of the day, it's a souped up $17K economy car.
Imagine this conversation.
What do you drive?
A Subaru WRX STI.
What's that?
It's a souped up Impreza. It's got a hot 4 banger than sucks gas like a truck.
Oh. What does it cost? $25K?
No. It's $35K, but it's rally bred!
Ha ha ha ha.
Hey. You don't get it.
No. I DO get it. Ha ha ha!
i used to love subies, then subaru came out with a wrx that looked like a daiwoo that put in an ice crusher.
oh subaru, god hath wrought the ultimate punishment about you,
thou who was once hooned by colin the great
is now dwelling in the deepest depths of mordar and shall never be returned to the promised land of great tsubuka until thou createth a car worth giving a crap!
And though you rest easy, give haste to a new halo car or
hellfire shall engulf your company forever!!
Ugliest sportscar ever.
The happy endings are free in Palm Springs?!?!?!
Sign me up!!!
@B: Here's a thread from the USMB by a recent purchaser of an Impreza 2.5i (as close as I could come).
[www.ultimatesubaru.org]
The lady (a true hoon and Subaru enthusiast), loves hers in spite of it's uglyness, and the fact that it looks like a Mazda ... or something.
Personally I (also a true Soobie nut, currently driving 'Roo # 5) wouldn't touch one because it just looks s--o-o-oo- bad. But I do like the four-door OK, unfiortunately I can't live with a four-door, must have pick-up, wagon, or at least a hatch to accommodate the schlep factor in our lives.
@DustyButt: I used to say the same thing even after seeing one at the auto show...then I saw one on the road. Maybe it's just the theory of the ugly girl looking better when there's an even uglier girl standing next to her. It stood out amongst the clones on the road. I'm no fanboy by any means but this car is much better looking than it lets on. If I had the cash, it'd be on my short list for potential ownership.
I hate what they did with the Imprezas. the ugliest thing ever.
Damn, the Caliber SRT4 is a good looking car...
I'm not sure that the price difference between the WRX and the STI is worth the money. I certainly wouldn't drop $35k on an STI. The vanilla WRX is plenty car, and you can soup it to hell for less than what you saved by not buying an STI.
For the price, I almost think that the STI should have a 6 pack. I own a WRX and am psyched over the STI hatch, so don't call me for sacrilege. I just won't ever buy a new STI.
Wes's wordsmithery grammatically molested my perched fatty lobe.
It's too ugly. It's too expensive. They should have made a sedan. It's too rough around the edges. It gets crap mileage.
Blah blah blah.
It goes like stink. It's relatively understated (a 350z is far more flashy). Nobody knows what it is (I like that). It has four doors. It's a hatch so you can put lots of shit in it. It's a driver's car in the truest sense of the word.
Even at $37k (with the BBS wheels, which you pretty much have to get, they're way lighter than the stock ones) it's still a performance bargain. The EVO has gone soft, the 350z/g37 can't keep up, the TT is a joke, the S2000 is ancient, the mustang has a live-axle, the R32 is too slow and too numb, the 135 is too soft. I'm not a fanboy, I drive a VW, but this thing has the sub-$40k market locked up.
Sure, it'll put hair on your chest. Buy a pair of clippers and STFU.
@usa1: All great sports cars a cheap crappy cars with way too much engine. Anything else has too much money or weight dedicated to coddling your ass.
I love my WRX, and I'm pissed at Subaru for what they did with the 08. They really softened up the "normal" WRX to be more civilized and pointed all the enthusiasts to the STI (which is ~10k more). The problem is (as Wes points out), the STI is hard to justify as a daily driver.
I fear this move might've given the Mazda3 the edge from a product cost/placement perspective.
I must be crazy because the design of the STI actually appeals to me and looks nice to me. I hated the look of the 07 STI though so that puts me in the minority. I'm not a fanboy either as my cars so far have gone 89 Escort GT, 2001 Honda Civic LX, 2002 M3.
When I buy my STI later this year it will be my first Subaru and I'm looking forward to the experiment.
@Mad_Science: It takes the same amount of glass, plastic, and metal to make the exterior better looking. They simply aren't doing a good job dressing this thing in the morning.
I think they just really need to upscale the look of the car. With the strong feelings this car generates among those who drive it, just imagine what kind of success it could have if it was an aggressive upscale looking car. You can do that without increasing the price or decreasing performance... you just have to design it like you mean it.
It looks too much like a Lexus RX330, which is also ugly.
@Mad_Science: It's okay, you can just un-soften it again.
FWIW, my poky little 2.0 litre bugeye wagon makes full boost by 2900 rpm, peak torque at 3500 rpm and >300hp at 5750 rpm.
It's like a BMW Isetta compared to any of the lightly tuned STIs I've sat in.
@DokterDitka: I gotta say, that's really leapfrogging up the ride scale.
@Mad_Science: The softening of the stock WRX is indeed a shame. Subaru isn't going to have a real competitor for the EVO Ralliart when it arrives.
@DustyButt: Designers aren't free. Pinnafarina (sp?) doesn't even make real cars, but they have an entire company dedicated to beautiful sheetmetal. I'd imagine Fuji Heavy Industries doesn't hire million-dollar designers to dictate the shape of their cars. More to the point, every time the WRX gets a redesign, people freak out and decry it as the ugliest thing ever. It tends to grow on the public for ~2 years, and when they do the next redesign people are clamoring for styling they were decrying not so long ago.
I really disagree that WRX should go up-market. It was and should remain an Impreza with too much engine. If they want up-market with good looks, comfy leather and high end interior materials, they should make that a different car.
As a 06 WRX owner, I am half-pissed and half-reluctantly-accepting of the 08. I hate that they didn't take this opportunity ( the major makeover) to make the base WRX something less-boring-looking and with stiffer suspension. As for STI, it's out of my price range.
Having said that, I love the fact that they come in hatchback, especially the STI, so I can still haul stuff while hauling ass. The refinement they made in the interior is a welcome improvement. In a couple of years, I might be able to overlook the exterior design given the fact that there might be a used 08 floating around in my price range by then.
All they had to do was to make the base WRX tailored more for the enthusiasts. Hopefully Subaru will see that majority of the potential WRX customers are disappointed with what they did with the base WRX and refine it for the next upgrade.
I know, it's been said by so many, and so many times over and over, but I had to say my peace.
I don't find it particularly attractive either. Fortunately I don't get all hung up on looks. As a relatively ugly human, I can work with what's under the hood. Sounds like fun but I ain't got the coin. Advantage ugly Dodge.
@Mad_Science: They have an entire section in-house devoted to styling the vehicle. They don't hire off site as far as I know. I'm not saying add creature comforts and the like... I'm just saying make it look better.
Talking about Subaru styling (or lack thereof) is like a broken pencil.
Pointless.
I never thought I'd say this, but monday can't come too soon. Nice post.
And this is why:
+ Watch video
I'm getting it. And my weekend driver is a 911.
Why? Echoing everyone else, subdued (read: no huge wing) styling, hatchback funtionality, goes like stink, and is a subaru, which has one of the best relablity reputations.
My wife's car is an 03 Outback, I've owned an 02 bug eye, this is a natural progression.
Not a fan boy, but a driver that is exactly the demographic Subaru is aiming for.
@usa1: Buy another Impala.
@Mad_Science: I agree with you in that Impreza WRX should have stayed where they were in the market. There is a model called Legacy to fill the up-market niche. If anything, they should make a bare-bones model with STI engine for less than 30k.
A vision of what could have been...
[www.scoobyblog.com]
@akirachan:
the barebones WRX is coming
it'll be called the Toyota Celica
the bloggers have spoken, subaru shall die at the arRival of the son of evo ,so it written ,so it is done
the ralliart is christ!!, the ralliart is christ!!
Nice writeup...
I'm glad to see Jalop actually uses the cars as intended (see SRT4 write-up) not as a 50-yr-old-editor wants to.
Now, I'm jonesing for some salt-free sweepers and mountain twisties...
you can keepthe traffic though...
who the hell is porschephile?
@jakay11: That's exactly why I was out there, needed a break from winter and bad roads.
Blasting past a dozen motorcycle cops? That's material for a dozen nightmares.
@ihatecorollas: A dragon who likes Porches.
@13oostedwgn: 89 escort was my high school ride, got the civic when I went to collge and then foolishly bought the m3 at auction when I became gainfully employed and it was a fantastic lemon, but I just had to sell it to avoid the neurosis of constantly fearing another 3000 dollar repair. Lesson learned - buy new if buying german performance
@johnnyangel: more like a dream, they were on Harleys.
@13oostedwgn: jesus christ, is their magazine this boring?
@camp6ell: No, it's actually quite good.
I think TG has pretty much ruined clips like this. Even 5th gear's a yawner. However, the content was the important bit, not the presentation.