We are moving quickly, the car dancing about with balanced hints of pushing under brakes and slipping under load. The turbocharged rally rocket is set to move to an all-new platform next year, so how does the last analogue WRX STI hold up in today's digital world? Unless otherwise stated, all prices are shown as Manufacturer's Revolutionary, not quite.Even when new, the VA STI was still running the venerable EJ25.7 2.5-litre motor that debuted back in 2005. Not obsolete.If I could, I would just have one of these to keep and enjoy. Lots, nothing, loootts, nothing, looooottts – no 48-volt electric boost-builders here, just an old, successful and hugely enjoyable formula.Fuel consumption is simply an output of how much fun you're having, but it's only a 2.5-litre engine, so even after three days of blasting about, I was averaging around 11L/100km – a match for the factory In the Subaru, you are driving every inch of the road. The Wilderness edition of the Crosstrek will enter production shortly afterwards, also in early 2023. To attempt the same on tarmac, though, requires heroic levels of corner entry speed, as regardless of differential setting, the STI has grip for days.Which reminds me, I’m still pushing hard along the C151 in the Otway Ranges, and the core strengths of the WRX still transcend all tactile components of modernisation. I back off and shake my head to clear my mind of memories past, but the environment doesn’t change.You see, this may be a brand-new, range-topping, current model, Offered exclusively in a four-door sedan body style for the first time, it heralded a sharper steering rack and an updated interior among the highlight features. The sensory experience is the same I recall from I reach for fourth and note my companion, photographer Mitchell, is looking pale and holding on tight.
Just like the GR, GD and GC did before.What was it that Arnold taught us? Here's what we know.
The manual shift is nice and engaging, but in traffic the take-up point and the amount of revs needed for smooth changes seem to be different every single light change.It’s hard to say this, but driving this every day is a bit of a chore.
Note that there is no full-house EyeSight system on the STI due to the manual transmission.There’s a decent amount of room inside, too, the leather-accented Recaros in the spec.R offering great support without the ‘you’ve had too many pies’ judgement of some other heavily bolstered seats. The boot offers You get dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and plenty of storage around the cabin, which are all good features, but in terms of modern implementation, it all falls short of the current market expectation. The WR Blue pearl paint (one of seven choices), fluoro-yellow callipers, 19-inch wheels and, of course, the giant rear wing still give the STI a ton of road presence.Driver-assistance tech comes by way of a litany of acronyms: BSM (blind-spot monitor), FVM (front-view monitor), HBA (high-beam assist), LCA (lane-change assist), SVM (side-view monitor) and RCTA (rear cross-traffic alert) fill the spec sheet and beep and flash as required.
Impressive, definitely. The new Subaru-Toyota co-designed 2022 Subaru BRZ is an open secret at this point, as we've already seen spy shots of it running around in If there's one thing that's far more enjoyable than it has any right to be, it's seeing The next Crosstrek will be completely new from the ground up, with production starting in early 2023 alongside the new Impreza.
The car moves and slides to tell you how much grip there is, the ultra-short gear ratios keep you informed of your potential speed envelope, and even under heavy braking, the WRX adjusts position in a way that clearly lets you know what’s going on underneath.A tremendous linear experience, unless you are my passenger (sorry Mitchell) and a technical marvel for its time, but in the company of infinitely configurable hot hatches and hyper-sport sedans that do much more, more easily, the WRX’s time has come.This is the last year we’ll see ‘this’ STI made available. The boxer’s exhaust buzzing between thump and gargle as you push ever harder.As this is an old-school turbocharged machine, slip below 4000rpm and you need to work to get things moving again.
Shake it any way you like, the STI is still a wickedly fast car.Sure, the suspension thumps, the steering rack forcibly bashes at the wheel in your hands, and things rattle around the cabin, but there’s an element of communication from the road through the tyres and into the wheel that is all but lost on more modern cars.Modulate throttle and steering through a corner and punch through the apex, where all 407Nm of the EJ25 are yours from 4000rpm. Per the information on this slide, the next WRX STI is expected to enter production in Fall 2022, right before that new Impreza goes into production in early 2023. The boxer-four now offers The core mechanical nature of the WRX hasn’t been altered much at all either. I’m having a blast, reliving cheeky hill runs from my less-responsibility-filled years, and for its part, the I’m taken back over a decade in this car. I can feel your keyboards warming up already. I’m near flat in second, feathering the throttle to keep the engine spinning above 5000rpm. Peak power of 221kW is higher, at 6000rpm, and on winding roads like this, swapping regularly from second to third and back again, you’ll see all of those thousands, all of the time. Just lift your Subaru and climb some rocks.Are the Next Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ Getting A Turbo or Not?Reports from Japan claim one thing, while domestic sources say another. The clutch is heavy all the time. The laggy response hole is there, almost goading you into keeping the EJ buzzing.
The 22B was used to commemorate both Subaru's 40th anniversary as well as the third consecutive manufacturer's title for Subaru in the FIA World Rally Championship.