2008 Impreza STI - first drive

Iain Litchfield describes his drive in the new STI at the Tokyo Launch

Much has been made of Subaru's attempts to move the Impreza into a more mainstream market but it was the STI model that represented the true test of this new strategy and I was really looking forward to seeing how Subaru would apply this approach to their Iconic model.

The car Subaru supplied for our drive was fitted with the new Recaro seats and Gold BBS alloy wheels. This combined with the traditional WR Blue paint made for the perfect introduction to the new Impreza STI experience.

  

Having had the S-GT model for a number of months now the interior on getting into the car feels familiar in general shape but all the details now seem different with the quality much improved.

The 6-speed gearbox is surrounded by a new silver centre console with unique heater controls. It also has the controls to the revised DCCD. Subaru have changed from their traditional roller dial (first seen on the 1997 STI3 Coupe) and replaced it with a neat button and bar combination. When you press the button to shift the DCCD from auto to manual modes the LCD display on the dash changes. Nudging the bar up and down changes the number of lines displayed on the screen. Just above the DCCD controls is the new Si-Drive dial which I switched to intelligent mode to begin while car warmed up.

Pulling away the car already felt completely different to the outgoing standard STI model. One of the last Imprezas I had driven prior to this trip was the special edition S204 model which Subaru designed to be the ultimate luxury incarnation of the previous Impreza. The new STI was similar in feel to this but quieter and more refined. I think much of this perceived refinement is the new exhaust layout and in particular the large transverse rear silencer which makes it significantly quieter than the last straight through system.

  

The new STI's Recaro seats were also very similar in support but thankfully they were slightly wider than the VERY narrow Carbon backed S204 versions. However larger customers might feel more comfortable in the standard sports seats as the Recaro's supportive sides are quite pronounced. Needless to say they pin you into the seat under hard cornering and the soft base maintains good comfort. Once away from the traffic and with the engine warm I did rotate the Si-Drive to the right to select Sport # and with accompanying beep the engine was transformed. Instantly sharper and more responsive than the Intelligent modes' reduced torque and dampened throttle movement. Now we could really see what the new STI's engine was like.

As promised, power is developed extremely low in the rev range thanks to the new Dual AVCS and Twin-scroll turbo. Flooring the throttle from 2,000rpm gives an instant pick up from the engine and in real world terms probably brings peak torque in a useful 500-700rpm earlier in the power band. Clearly STI have spent a lot of time optimising this low down power delivery as the car responds just as well at low rpm as the smaller turbo S-GT yet the engine still pulls strongly all the way to the 8,000rpm redline. This wide and linear power delivery really impressed especially with this car being so new and relatively tight.

  

The new JDM STI also maintains the superb 13.1 Quick steering rack and coupled with the wider 18" tyres the steering felt very direct with plenty of weight. At higher speeds there was plenty of steering feel allowing you to understand exactly what the road surface was like and how hard you could push the tyres. The quick rack meant that turn-in was razor sharp and the new cars revised suspension and wheel base helped it change direction instantly without ever losing its composure.

Coming away from Japan I'm really excited about the new STI and fully understand what Subaru have been aiming for. Here is a car with all the excitement and simple fun of previous models but now with a much greater level of refinement. This massive change to the Impreza's design has only enhanced its general appeal and I can't wait to start work on developing even quicker versions...

Iain Litchfield
Director