First Drive: 2011 Subaru WRX STI

[svgallery name="2011_Subaru_WRX_STI_hirez"] By John LeBlanc CALABOGIE MOTORSPORTS PARK, Ont.—Although the big news for Subaru’s performance flagship WRX STI is the return of a four-door sedan to the former hatchback-only lineup, the more important news for driving enthusiasts is the return of the STI as a pure performance machine, and reduced pricing that makes it an even better performance deal. The 2011 STI (for Subaru Tecnica International, the Japanese automaker’s high-performance and motorsports development division) carries on with the 305 hp and 290 lb.-ft. of torque version of Subaru’s ubiquitous turbocharged 2.5-litre flat four-cylinder engine, six-speed manual gearbox and all-wheel-drive. The five-passenger sports compact also receives a fully revised suspension that’s been tested at Germany’s Nürburgring racetrack and has Subaru claiming the 2011 models are the “fastest” and “best-handling” STIs ever. New, lighter 18-inch wheels, enlarged quad exhaust pipes, and a revised audio system with integrated voice-activated Bluetooth and iPod/USB integration are also new. At $37,995 for the STI sedan (the five-door is $1,000 more) the 2011 pricing is $2,000 less than 2010, and $7,000 less than a 2009 model. Speaking of which, the last STI I drove was an ’09, right here at Calabogie Motorsports Park. In a comparison, it finished a woeful third, barely beating an Audi A3 3.2 Quattro, and well behind a BMW 135i and Subaru’s main showroom rival: the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. With an inaccurate six-speed manual gearbox, 24-7 understeer, tentative clutch and “wait . . . wait, for it” turbo boost, getting the most from the ’09 Subaru’s high-tech sports compact on the Calabogie track was a challenge, making Subaru’s so-called “performance flagship” a tough choice over the better driving, yet less costly, Impreza WRX. Not for 2011. Subaru’s engineers have sharpened the STI’s responses measurably, especially at the font end of the car. With the goal of more grip, better steering accuracy, and lessening body roll and understeer, the STI gets a lowered suspension, with new bushings, springs, thicker stabilizer bars and 245/40R 18 tires. And it works. Compared to the last STI, the car bites more into corners, is flatter in the turns, and changing its gears no longer feels like a taffy pull. More importantly, for those who demand the most performance — and appreciate the STI-exclusive structural reinforcements and more-advanced AWD system with an electronically adjustable centre differential — the STI’s price difference over a cooking WRX is easier to justify.

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