As you've no doubt seen on the IL homepage (you do refresh it hourly, right?), our time with the 2008 Subaru WRX STI has come to an end. You're also aware of The Board we use to dole out cars daily. A solid black line through a long-term car's row is usually how editors first find out a car has departed. (It's impossible to track via looking in our garage.) Here's how it goes: Mike (one of them), "A car, sir/madam?" Editor1, "Oh man, the XXX's gone? When did that happen?" Mike: "This afternoon." Editor2, "Did I just hear the XXX's left?!" Editor3 "Good, I hated it." Editor4 "No way, it was great! Moron." And then everyone gets in on the action for a good refresher on why a long term car rocked or sucked. It's a shame you can't be there to see it.
So in order to give you another peek behind the curtain here at Inside Line, we've started a new segment, "Parting Shots" where we'll gather, record and report to you the final--unedited-- word of our staff each time a long term car leaves our stable.
I get this question almost daily from somebody, and my answer usually blows their mind. I say, "Well, everyday this guy Mike walks up to me with a clipboard that contains a list of 15 to 30 cars ranging from a Smart to a GT-R and he says, 'Scott, what do you want to drive home tonight.'"
Ever lose a bill in the couch cushions, or your homework in a pile or random notes? Well that's the sort of thing I've done with the track test information for our 2008 Subaru WRX STI.
Sorry, folks. We tested this thing almost as soon as the break-in process was completed and it never made it onto the net.
Follow the jump for the full results of our track testing done some 19,000-miles ago.
That last STI blog entry reminded me of the hatchback versus sedan debate that some of us car geeks have had. Most compact hatches tend to give off an "econobox" vibe, even when they're a high-performance car that lists for $35,000. Yes, a hatchback body style provides more cargo capacity than an equivalently-sized sedan and thus more useful. It's amazing what you can take home from Ikea in a compact hatch. But let's face it, most of the time the sedan version is better looking.
I submit that is the case with the Impreza. Oddly, the STI is only available as a hatchback, while the "lesser", standard WRX is offered in both hatch and sedan body styles. And it also stickers for 10 grand less.
...so I'm not going to spend this blog post comparing our 2008 Impreza WRX STI to either our Evo MR or our crack infused Evo GSR. I didn't drive it at some race track, nor did I risk life, limb and career driving it at 11/10ths on one of the widely available, nearby curvy mountain roads. Instead, I slogged it to work in traffic. I cruised it to the donut store and I raced it home to make it to the bathroom in time. Normal. Everyday. Driving.
This just in: the ride quality, as sampled from the back seat of the WRX STI, borders on nausiating. I discovered this when three of us went to pick up the two short-term Genesis Coupes last week and only now has my stomach settled. While the rebound damping wasn't quite as shallow as it was on our departed BMW X5, the STI's ride obviously was optimized for front-seat occupants. Glurg.
Chris Walton, Chief Road Test Editor @ 20,220 miles
More than once you've accused us of abusing our long-term test cars. To which we plead not guilty. There's a difference between testing and abusing.
Take our long-term Subaru WRX STI. It's been tested. More than once. But abused? Not from where we sit. And we're the guys that included it in a six-car week long flog that included our normal testing, a day at a racetrack and a day of racing up a closed mountain road. We called it the Ultimate Performance Car Test: 2009 Nissan GT-R vs. The World, and the STI was put up against its all-wheel drive rival the Mitsubishi Evo X, as well as the GT-R, the Audi R8, the Lotus Elise and the Porsche 911.
Some say the competition was stacked against it (that is quite a gathering of great machines), but the STI held its own. Well, sorta, it finished in the 6th spot.
I've been meaning to fire off a screed about our long-term STI's unacceptable footrest for awhile now, but other things got in the way. Like the steering, and the body roll, and the road noise, and the stereo that's so bad I've stopped using it for anything other than talk radio, and...yeah. Suffice it to say I'm not the STI's biggest fan. But now, at long last, its dumbfounding dead pedal's day in the sun has arrived.
First of all, it's too short, as you can see in the picture. Way too short. That's my size-12 sneaker; what's the dead pedal, size 6? But this wouldn't necessarily be an issue if the area above the pedal were flat. It's not. Instead, it's all lumpy and obtrusive, especially underneath the left half of my forefoot. Which prevents me from resting my foot flat on the pedal. Which is, you know, kind of why they invented these pedals in the first place.
The STI isn't alone here. A Legacy GT I drove recently had the same issue, and as I mentioned on Monday, so does our long-term Hyundai Genesis [clarification: the Hyundai's footrest is similarly disappointing, but for different reasons -- JS]. Hey, at least these guys are trying; American cars frequently don't have dead pedals at all. Like I said in that Genesis post, the Germans usually nail the dead pedal, and Honda's pretty reliable as well. Everyone else, please, contact BMW or Porsche/Audi/VW or Honda or Benz and ask 'em how to do a dead pedal right. Much obliged.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 20,176 miles
The guesses were almost unanimous in the last STI post. Loose, or completely separated, TPMS sensor.
Not to spoil the results which are posted after the jump, but you did well. Next time we do a guessing game, just to make it harder, you're getting a lot less real information and a lot more vague onomatopoeias and illogical trigger events. (Like the guy I saw at the Ford dealer last week, said his car was "doing a BZZZZ thing when the wheel goes like this" -- at this point he made a gesture with his hand that looked like a salmon jumping up a waterfall. I really want to know what was going on with that Stang).
Follow the jump for pictures, a slightly more detailed explanation and a surprise failure with the STI!
We swapped tires on the STI at a local Subaru dealer two weeks ago. Days later the tire pressure warning lit up. A check of tire pressures confirmed they were to spec. We checked the tires regularly for several days. No change. TPMS light still on. Meanwhile, we made arrangements to get it back to the dealer.
Today, while driving around town with the windows down, we heard a noise. Clap-clap. We could not reproduce the sound consistently. It seemed to originate near the rear wheel and was most common from 5-15 mph. We heard it in a straight line. We heard it while turning.
There were never more than three claps at a time, but the silence between them ranged from seconds to minutes. One editor described the noise as dropping a marble on concrete. Another thought it sounded like a valve stem cap falling on the driveway. Then we realized what was happening.
We understand its not easy to diagnose from words alone, but can you figure out our problem? Conclusion to follow....
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 20,045 miles
I parked our 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI at the airport for two days this week while I flew to Miami to attend a Kia Soul event. Just after landing back at LAX, I got a call from Editor in Chief Scott Oldham, asking what the mileage was on the STI. Getting on the 405 freeway, I looked at the odometer and reported, "19,988."
"Good," he said. "It's a milestone. Take a photo."
When the time was right, I jumped off the freeway and snapped a close-up of the IP. Crawling back onto the 405, I realized that the STI had been with us for nearly 12 months, and yet I hadn't spent much time in it. I've driven it, but I never really sought it out.
I've spent much more time behind the wheel of our long-term Mitsubishi Evo X, and I've come to prefer it over the STI.
That's a big thing for me to admit, having worked for Subaru years ago.
In the past couple of weeks we've had a lot of turnover in our long-term fleet. Some cars have gone bye-bye and we've gotten a couple of newbies. I thought you'd want an update.
Gone are the BMW X5, Audi R8 and Dodge Grand Caravan. There will be no more blogs on these cars, but look for an in depth wrap-up on each in the next few weeks, just like the one we published on our Mercedes C300 today. All three are already missed. The X5 and R8 were staff favorites, and the minivan proved to be great at moving people and things, even if we didn't always shower it with praise.
Our Subie has a lot going for it -- tons of power, excellent mid-corner grip and lots of interior space. But what bugged me (and my passenger) all weekend was the whip-snap caused by too much driveline lash. I've always thought of myself as a pretty decent stick-shifter but the STI had me struggling to execute smooth launches and upshifts. My compardres have blogged about this in previous posts, and they chock it up to a finicky clutch uptake. I however, have a different take...
Steering feel is one of those character traits that separate great cars from good ones. It's hard to define, but when you drive a car with dialed-in steering, you know it. By the same token, when you drive a car with subpar steering, it's painfully obvious. You, Mr. STI, have subpar steering.
To be fair, many AWD cars have relatively numb steering feel, at least until you get up into the GT-R/R8 price brackets (wonderful steering both). But numbness isn't the only thing wrong with the STI's rack. I do what I call the "wiggle test" at speed (cue obscene wisecracks from the peanut gallery) with the steering wheel of each car I drive, and the STI disappoints me every time with the amount of dead-zone wiggle room it allows before responding. Same goes for the "gooey steering" Legacy GT that stopped by a couple weeks ago. If I wiggled the 135i's or Evo's wheel to the same degree, I'd sideswipe everything within ten feet.
I've never cared much for the new STI's styling -- in spite of the flared fenders and scooped hood, it strikes me as generic and kind of awkward. Specifically, the stock grille looks like it could be any econo-car's, and the "tinfoil under glass" taillights strike me as too juvenile. So I did a little research and saw a couple of nice aftermarket pieces that I'd get, were our LT STI my own car...
Just before Mike Magrath handed me the key to our 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, he pulled the key back and said, "There's a string attached to this." "Ok. Let's hear it," I said. "We think one of the tire pressure sensors might be malfunctioning, but we don't know. Could you check the tire pressures before you leave?" "Sure," I nodded. "Great. Let me know if there's a blow out and you're killed." "You got it," I smirked.
Happily, I didn't have to call Magrath and tell him I'd been killed. After checking pressures before leaving last night and after I got home and checking them again before leaving this morning and after I got to work, it's safe to say one of the tire pressure sensors was damaged or was not reset when two of the tires were recently replaced.
My mission to destroy all the radial tires in the world progressed one victim further on Friday night when I ran over some road debris while driving through a night construction zone on the 60 freeway in our long-term 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI.
For 2 seconds, I thought everything was OK. Then, the tire pressure warning light came on, and 2 seconds after that, I felt the telltale lumpiness of a blowout brewing at the right rear. Unfortunately, I was coming up on the East LA interchange (a delightful Zen place where the 60 meets I-10, U.S. 101 and I-5), so exiting onto a surface street wasn't an option. When the STI began to lose directional stability, I pulled over really quickly onto the shoulder.
Clean up that road. It looks like a pig sti. (greenpony) LAPPED HIM! (Car_stalker) Officer, I'm hunting a Wabbit. Have you seen it? (wetwilly) GTI and STI, defeated by a Crown Victoria. (redliner) Got a two-fer. (mangoon) Ummmmm...do I just put your ticket in the mail slot here in the front? (mangoon) Stuck between a cop and a fast pace (tinyelvis)
I really like this one by firstwagon but it was too long: Welcome to Hell For your crimes on Earth, I sentence you to forever drive an STI on an incredible road .... escorted by a slow moving Police Car! Ha Ha Ha
I like the feel of our 2008 Subaru WRX STI's non-Recaro sport seats for normal around-town and highway driving. Whenever I take the car through turns, though, I really wish it had the Japanese-spec Recaros, which I sampled in a JDM 2008 WRX STI 2.0 at Fuji Speedway -- yes, they are perfect.
Now, I wish it had the Recaros for a different reason: The driver seat in our long-term Impreza WRX STI has loosened up over the months. Under all but the lightest braking, the seat rocks forward slightly as weight transfers to the front of the car. Then, when the suspension rebounds, the seat rocks back and you hear a thud as it resettles into its moorings. It is annoying.
I don't have a mount for my camera so I wasn't able to get footage of the seat in action. I did, however, record this short clip of me pushing on the seat so you can get a rough idea of the amount of movement.
If you look back at recent STI blog entries, you'll get the idea that our 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI feels older than the 19,000 miles on its odometer. Its worn Dunlop SP Sport 600 245/40R18 93W tires are creating all kinds of road noise, and a few editors have complained that the STI feels sloppier on lumpy pavement and that rattles now plague its hatchback body.
Yet, the basic elements that make this car likeable remain intact. Even without an aggressive clutch dump, acceleration is still brutal off the line. As quick as our Evo GSR has become, its turbocharged 2.0-liter never quite feels as (delightfully) abusive or sounds as distinctive as Subaru's 2.5-liter turbo four (305 hp at 6,000 rpm, 290 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm) does in standard tune.
Also, our long-term WRX STI still feels light -- in a good way. It doesn't weigh that much for a powerful, all-wheel-drive car; we've never tested a current-generation STI that came in more than a pound over 3,350 lbs. I like the feeling of driving a (relatively) unencumbered car, and I'm willing to give up some things to get that feeling. Which means I'm willing to put up with the STI's overly isolated steering.
Of course, any discussion about the STI always comes back to our long-termer's optimistic $39,678 price tag. Who would pay that, everyone wants to know. So just to see, I priced out a 2009 Subaru WRX STI...
I never really noticed the pipes on our STI before this weekend. They're sort of buried and not particularly eye catching. Upon closer inspection, however, it was clear that Subaru deserves a little credit for getting the STI's pipes right.
Given exhaust tip disasters like the Lexus IS-F, Ferrari California and even the Audi R8, the STI is a design masterpiece. It uses no trickery, just straight cut chrome tips that are actually attached to exhaust pipes.
Is that so hard?
Sure, they're artificially split into four, but we can't blame Subaru for wanting to mimic AMG or BMW's Motorsport cars. And come to think of it, I haven't checked one of those in awhile, these days I'm not so sure they're not cheating too.
Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor, Inside Line @ 18,853 miles
Turning a compact hatchback from a dainty grocery getter into a butch rally racer isn't easy. Adding a 305hp engine certainly helps the STI, but Subaru couldn't stop there of course. It had to have a wing, or a spoiler, or a downforce device - whatever you want to call it.
It's a particularly odd addition when it comes to hatchbacks. The STI pulls it off about as well as anything, but it still doesn't look particularly slick. More like something an overzealous dealer tacked on to make its parts quota for the month. Not something I would want on my $40K car.
Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor, Inside Line @ 18,792 miles
I really like the WRX's hard rubber cargo mat for it's durability. If I were putting muddy hiking boots or some other dirt crusted item in there I would love the mat even more for it's ability to be hosed off.
I don't like it for its inability to hold anything in place. There is no grip whatsoever. My groceries slammed from side to side on my drive back home. Good thing I didn't have any eggs this time.
Traditionally we wait for a maintenance reminder to flash before we perform routine maintenance. It's the way most (non car folks) play the game-- and they're not dealing with 30-something cars. There are certain exceptions to the rule; cars without electronic service reminders, and cars that are oft-flogged spring to mind immediately. This past Thursday I had the pleasure of wheeling the STI and its non-linear, springy clutch and bog-happy engine through heavy traffic. The bright "YOU'RE OUT OF GAS. PANIC NOW!" light was a welcome relief from having to commute with this thing.
While at the gas station I noted that nobody had checked the Oil in a couple of weeks. Hooray! More time I'd get to spend out of the car. Tires were all in good shape and spot-on for pressure. Oil was a different story. It was about a quart low. No real surprise there. It's what these cars do. But then, when writing down the odometer reading for the fuel log, I noticed we were pretty close to needing a routine maintenance. We could have let it go another day and waited for the light, but I was already with the car, so what the heck.
I called Subaru of Santa Monica--a new dealership under the umbrella of Santa Monica Ford-- and they said they could take me later that morning. The appointment making process was the first, last and only positive of this dealer run.
Over on the Edmunds Daily blog, we pitted our long-term Mitsubishi Evo MR against its arch nemesis, the long-term Subaru STI. Unlike the past Evo-STI comparo on Inside Line, this one focuses more on every-day use with these vehicles. Will the outcome be any different?
"Hey, could you change the channel? This is the fifth time in a half-hour I've heard that damned Offspring song."
"Nope, sure can't."
That's because when the light hits just right, the STI's nav screen disappears worse than most others. Credit the black/navy blue background. All those finger prints don't help either.
I also discovered another in the endless list of Subaru quirks when I got into the STI this morning (and it wasn't that I left the lights on). I immediately put the car into reverse and before leaving tried to switch the stereo from AUX to FM 97.1.
"Nope, sure can't."
The physical and touchscreen buttons did nothing. I thought the system was frozen so I turned the car off and on (the age-old electronics trick). That didn't work either. Then I thought maybe the thing wouldn't let you do anything with the nav system while in reverse. Sure enough, that was it. I guess it's to prevent you from backing over a Girl Scout while changing a radio station, but I don't recall experiencing this feature before. Is it common?
I've said on many occasions that I think the EVO MR is a better car than the STI in many respects - but there's one exception and a fairly significant exception at that. I really wish the Mitsu's interior was as nice as the Subaru's. EVO lovers can kid themselves all they want about how the interior is "More fucntional" or "Intentionally bare bones to keep its economy car roots blah blah blah." Truth is, the STI is nicer and more comfortable - the kind of car you'd much rather have, say on a date (calm down EVO owners, you don't really have to go on a date, it's just an example).
Here's the thing though - I say a nice interior is more important than razor sharp performance. As an owner, I will have to see and use the interior every single day - the need for razor sharp handling and grin inducing acceleration just doesn't come up as often as most of us would like. Sure, there are those who drive like a horses you-know-what on public roads and risk our lives everyday but I'm talking about adults who pay for their own stuff and actually have something to live for. Am I missing the point or do most agree?
Brian Moody, Senior Automotive Editor @ 18,033 miles
It's time to change brake pads on our 2008 Subaru WRX STI. Thickness-wise, they might have squeaked-by for another 2,000 miles, but the low grumbling/grinding noise they've been making for the last month has been grating on us. Needless to say, they've had a hard life to this point.
Mike Magrath came over with a set of genuine replacement front brake pads for the Brembo 4-piston brakes found on our Subie. They'd cost $299.95 at our local Subaru dealer. Total damage with tax was $324.70.
As reported earlier, the rotors didn't appear to be in bad shape. Had the price been reasonable, we might have changed them anyway; they're a simple "hat" design and would have been easy to swap. But a price of $458 for just one rotor made us forget that idea in a hurry. Had we gone ahead with it, our total parts cost would have topped $1,300 before we ever turned a wrench. And that's just the front.
But the only wrenches we would turn were those needed to remove the tires. Changing pads on the STI's 4-piston fixed-caliper brakes is about as easy as it gets.
My esteemed colleague Ms Riches recently mentioned that she thought our long-term 2008 Subaru STI rode better than our long-term Evo MR. When we first pitted the two cars up against each other in our comparison test, the Subaru did indeed have an edge in overall ride comfort.
Fast forward to today. The STI has around 17,000 miles on it, and the suspension feels crashier than I remember it being when new. Sure, it never absorbed lumpy pavement with the crisp, controlled--if firm--response of the Evo, but the STI feels sloppier and more disconnected than it used to.
I submit that this impression might be amplified by the STI's chorus of creaks, rattles and road noise. But then, why so creaky and rattly (new tires might ameliorate the road noise) already?
It's possible that all of these phenomena stem from another observation made during said comparison test--the STI's chassis, being a hatchback, is more willowy than the previous-generation's sedan bodyshell.
No doubt some Subaru aficionado will cite documentation claiming vastly improved torsional and bending modes for the new car. In which case, go figure.
Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor @ 17,580 miles.
Recently, I got back into our 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI for a night. It felt like forever since I'd driven it. Somehow how this car always gets picked before both of our Lancer Evolutions. I can understand not wanting to commute in the GSR, but the MR? That's supposed to be the GT of Evos, and it basically has an automatic transmission.
Whether it's our STI's more compliant suspension, its roomy hatch area (unobstructed by subwoofers), its less confining front seats or its better fuel range, this car is a favorite among the parents on staff, particularly now that we have fewer SUVs in the fleet. I found a booster seat installed in the backseat.
I hopped on the freeway, and the ride quality does feel more relaxed than even our 2008 Mitsubishi Evolution MR. The STI feels a little less reactive to steering inputs, too. This can make it less exciting to drive, but it also makes it easier to settle back and cruise to your destination -- a terrible thing to suggest, but everybody gets tired now and then.
Still, there's a solidity that comes with the MR's porkiness (3,658 pounds) that I sort of miss in the Subaru, which weighs 300 lbs less. But I don't want to be an advocate for ballooning curb weights, so forget I said that.
I'm also not sure the STI is any quieter than the MR. There's still plenty of road noise, an assortment of driveline sounds and at least one rattle coming from the open hatch area.
For my personal use, I don't think the STI has an advantage over the MR as a daily driver. But I can certainly understand why others would prefer the Subie.
No, that's a town in Oregon. Of course the STI isn't boring -- taken on its own merits, at least. But compared to its ostensibly lesser sibling, the refreshed 2009 WRX, the STI's performance edge is pretty boring. Boring enough that if you're not a professional rally driver, you should save your money and buy the WRX instead.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems the only really significant STI feature that the '09 WRX lacks is front and rear limited-slip differentials, which "give [the] driver even more control at corner exit," in Mr. Jacquot's words. Other than that, the '09 WRX's sharpened underpinnings and considerable power bump have brought it uncomfortably close to the STI's level. A WRX that came through the office recently blasted to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds -- just 0.4 seconds behind our best STI time -- and the gap is basically imperceptible in real-world driving. As far as handling goes, skilled drivers will appreciate the STI's trick differentials, but otherwise these Subies behave quite similarly on serpentine roads.
The '09 WRX starts at $25,495. The '09 STI starts at (gulp) $34,995. Unless Subaru's offering screaming deals on '09 STIs like they were on '08 models, stick with the WRX -- and save the surplus for post-warranty modifications.
Our 2008 Subaru WRX STI has massive 4-piston fixed calipers that really get the job done. No fade, no drama. They just work.
But they are starting to emit a rough growl in certain conditions, specifically the last few feet before a complete stop. It's not the fingernails-on-chalkboard "squeeeeeeee" that indicates the wear indiator has introduced itself to the rotors, mind you. It's something else.
Eleven may be good enough for a Marshall stack, but the stereo in our 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI needs a little more volume to come good. While Mr. Sadlier is busy fiddling with "equalizers" and reading "manuals", I just grabbed a fistful of volume.
Not only does the sound quality improve when the volume readout hovers near 50, but all the rearview mirrors vibrate too. Find that in your "manual".
Some of you might remember that I dropped $44.34 on a new cabin air filter for our 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI at its last service visit. The manual conservatively suggests replacing it every 7,500 miles or every 12 months (whichever comes first), but some of you called no way on this recommendation.
Well, the new filter is nonrefundable, so I figured I might as well install it, especially since the original one might be kind of gross now after all the fires last month in Southern California.
Naturally, I leapt for joy at the opportunity to RTFM. Read on for a step-by-step photographic account.
With one exception, I can't find fault in Sadlier's thorough Roadtrippin' take on our long-term Subaru STI. However, after two nights driving it home, I have to admit I still like it despite the many faults. One of the main reasons is that one exception. I love the seats in the STI, which isn't surprising since Mr. Sadlier and I often disagree about such things. He likes sitting as if there were a towel stuck behind his back while I'd prefer a seatback that resembles a cave. I also love the driving position, which is miraculous given the manual seats, its Japanese origins and how comically awful the Suby Tribeca is. These factors alone are usually enough to make me happy about a car in the short-term.
Things I also like: The turbocharged engine isn't crazy boosty like the Evo MR, rather there's an ample bit of controllable torque low in the tach range, which is nice in traffic. When I want to really get going, the boost comes in nice and strong. The shifter is solid and direct with very short throws. The steering is also nicely communicative and the ride is acceptable for around town.
But then again, all the points about road noise, range, the interior plastics, the door whack, the uglified styling, the crappo stereo and the eye-popping price add up to a car I like to drive, but would never consider buying. I'm with Sadlier -- Bimmer all the way.
Alright, I'm exaggerating. It could have been worse. When I requested wheels for my Thanksgiving trip to Portland, Oregon (that's Mount Hood in the picture), I could have ended up with the keys to the Smart. Or the Grand Caravan. Or the Scion xB. Or the Civic GX.
But let's review the STI's road-tripping credentials, shall we?
It's probably a safe bet that our 2008 Subaru WRX STI's trip computer has never displayed this number before. But then, our Subie had never gone 331.8 miles on a single tank, either.
I recently ran a tank of premium through our 2008 Subaru STI. It was a 50/50 mix of highway and city driving and I averaged 16.5 mpg as you can see by the top photo.
A week later I drove through a tank in our long-term 2009 Nissan GT-R. It was also a 50/50 mix of city and highway. But check the number. It wasted the STI, averaging almost 20 mpg.
Now, this is not a scientific comparison. In fact, the EPA says the Subie should get the better mileage. It's rated at 17 city/23 hwy, while the GT-R is rated at 16 city and 21 hwy. But it doesn't change the fact that in the real world, the wicked quick GT-R gets better mileage than the STI. At least when I'm driving.
A few weeks ago I used this blog to dump on the instrument panel of the new Mitsubishi Evo. I called the car's dials lame during an obvious spell of extreme creativity and made the point that the Evo's lack of a real temp gauge or oil pressure gauge was a joke.
Now me and my nearly senseless point are back and I'm going to use the gauges of our long-term 2008 Subaru STI and long-term 2009 Nissan GT-R the further illustrate the impotence of the Evo's IP. Sure, neither pack a well placed oil pressure gauge (the GT-R's can be called up on its nav screen) as they should, but notice how the Subie and the Nissan prioritize the tachometer, placing it dead center ahead of the driver, while the Evo's cluster does not. Please also take note that the STI and the GT-R have permanent water temperature gauges as any high performance car should.
Which of the three sets of gauges do you like best? A, B, or C? I vote C. The GT-R's cluster offers the most info and the most style of the three.
You see, there's this place I like to visit from time-to-time called the real world. I know, I know, here in SoCal where there are the same number of plastic surgery doctors as there are canyon roads, "real world" is a bit of a stretch. But bear with me, I swear there's a point somewhere here.
In the real world there are things like potholes and speedbumps and there are times when, believe it or not, I don't want to be in a racecar. The EVO X MR is quick and agile and the accelerator pedal may as well be connected directly to my adrenal gland, milking out every drop of that precious hormone any time my foot goes down. It's that driver interaction that has built the Evo a cult following, and it's that level of work required that would keep me out of the Evo as my daily driver. The Subi is vastly more livable and only a hair less capable. Oh, and the Subi can also fit my snowboard, bike or even suitcase in the hatch. I like hatches.
That said, if the decision was for a second car, it would be the Evolution and the magic SST dual-clutch all the way. Am I right here, or have I just gotten old and soft?
Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant @ 6,035 miles
I had a fun weekend in our black 2008 Subaru STI. No surprise there, I signed up for it because I was in need of a little raw speed to get my mind off of a bad week at the office. And my self-prescribed turbocharged therapy did turn my frown upsidedown. But it came with a cost.
I'm always surprised by the STI's considerable thirst. I shouldn't be. It's turbocharged engine is large at 2.5-liters, cranks out 305 hp and is bolted to a short ratioed 6-speed transmission. Subaru even rates the car at 17 mpg city and 23 mpg, so there should be no reason for me to be surprised when I averaged 16.5 mpg over my three-day weekend.
Still, after I drove the car just 200 miles, almost exactly half of it on the highway, it was asking for a fill up and I found myself surprised. Not to mention that the little wagon runs on premium.
I'm not complaining. Any car this quick is going to drink like a Ivy League frat boy after midterms, I'm just sayin...
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 18,299 miles
I was supposed to take the R8 to Vegas this week but the locks puked, so I was relegated to the STI. I wasn't looking forward to it, as I didn't think it would be a good highway cruiser. Although you'd never confuse the ride and engine smoothness with that of an LS460, I was pleasantly surprised: it was pretty comfortable crossing the Mojave Desert at high speed. I thought I'd have to do a lot of downshifting to keep the engine in the power band, but the STI made good power even in 6th gear. Passing and climbing moderate grades in 6th were effortless. Engine revs were about 3250 rpm going 80 and approximately 3600 at 90 in top gear. And not too loud either. I got about 19.8 mpg in just under 600 mi on premium fuel. Below is a view of SEMA as you exit the monorail.
Albert Austria, Sr Vehicle Evaluation Engineer @ 13,100 mi
Walking back to the car from the grocery store on Halloween night a light glinted off the engine from inside the scoop. I had forgotten that the scoop on this thing is actually functional.
The more I looked at it, I noticed is was sans any kind of protective mesh on its face. It had the potential of gulping small birds or children that had gotten in its way.
One long overdue complaint from my road trip to the Sierras in our long-term 2008 Subaru WRX STI: Though the car itself is great to drive, the factory navigation system is really disappointing.
It's not that the touchscreen-style nav is hard to understand or use. It's the fact that it simply doesn't work properly. If you enter an address -- say "205 Main Street" in Bridgeport, CA -- that the system doesn't like, it freezes up as shown above.
Pressing the "back" button (or any of the on-screen buttons) does nothing. To bring it back to life, you must press one of the hard keys surrounding the screen.
Last time I blogged on our long-term STI, I was trying to figure out what was going on with the head unit's "SUB WOOFER LEVEL" setting. I had it bumped up to 10 -- the maximum level -- yet there still wasn't any bass response. "I seriously wonder," I wrote, "if they forgot to put a subwoofer in our car."
Our man Bob Holland circulated my post over at NASIOC, where an STI owner offered the following words of wisdom: "The subwoofer adjustment on the head unit doesn't do anything. There are knobs on the sub itself that do. Tell your guy to try that."
Trouble was, I couldn't find the sub. I poked around in the spare tire well and under the front seats...nothing. So I decided to engage in the time-honored practice of RTFM. The text in the above photo is from page 160 of the nav system's instruction manual. Hmmmmm.
Meanwhile, our resident Subarophile, Loren Wong, had checked our STI's equipment list. He confirmed my suspicion -- there's no sub in our Subie. Nav-equipped STIs come standard with the subwoofer adjustment function, but the sub itself is an extra-cost option.
And believe you me, the STI's stereo sounds godawful without it.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 12,281 miles
I had the STI over the weekend and tried to mess around with the SI-Drive and center differential control. The SI-Drive allows the driver to adjust the electronic throttle control with three modes: Intelligent, Sport, and Sport Sharp (sharp is Janglish for our "pound sign," #).
It effectively has three different mappings for the throttle gain. If you select Intelligent mode, the media guide says "the system reduces engine torque and maximum power and switches to a more relaxed throttle response curve." Uh, let's skip that setting altogther.
The Sport mode is the default condition and used for most everyday driving conditions. The Sport # is what's preferred by most Edmunds staffers and gives super-quick throttle response. It's like having an electronic NOS switch: the car feels quick. The only downside is that 1st gear starts can be a bit brutal -- you can't just dump the clutch -- like I do.
Some months ago I suggested that it takes some concentration (perhaps too much) to get a smooth shift (up or down) with the six-speed manual transmission in our long-term 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. But now I want to retract that statement, at least partly.
Familiarity makes a big difference in this car, more so than in perhaps any other car I've ever driven. The upshot is that I now I find it nearly impossible not to get a smooth shift in the STI. As such, I now find the car incredibly endearing and even just driving it to the car wash is cause for joy.
My road trip to the Sierras was a factor at the car wash. Although the salt from the snow plow doesn't seem to have caused any lasting damage, the temperature extremes cemented thousands of bug corpses to the STI's mug.
After two washes, it still looked dirty. I frowned at it, and scrubbed at it a bit side-by-side with a car wash employee. Finally, he hit it again the pressure washer hose. That took care of about 85-90 percent of the corpses. Black is so not a forgiving color. (By the way, the little STI badge in the photo lights up in red at night. It's cool.)
Erin Riches, Inside Line Senior Editor @ 11,987 miles
After spending all day Tuesday bombing around Willow Springs, getting the keys to the STI is like handing a gun to a kid who's just watched The Matrix. My usual granny-like driving (at least in comparison to some of my comrades) was replaced by blasting past dawdling drivers and changing lanes with frequency. The STI makes the world a race track and basically, I became a jerk (aka typical STI/Evo owner).
Thankfully, Los Angeles did its best to retard my jerkdom. A few accidents here and there and the Google Traffic map was mostly red with a few spots featuring the black snake of traffic death. That left me sitting in horrible traffic with arguably the most ThighMaster-like clutch in our fleet. Not a good a time, but at least the seats and driving position are just about perfect for me.
Although that did a lot to quell my track-bred aggression, the STI's agility and raucous power was too much to quell as I was running late to my softball game later in the night. I guess there's just no escaping the car's hooligan nature -- or my own.
California Highway 120, also known as Tioga Pass Road, is the northern entrance into Yosemite National Park, and if you look at a map, it looks like just the sort of road you'd want to be on with our long-term 2008 Subaru WRX STI.
Except when it's closed, which is six months out of the year; May 21 was the first day in 2008 you could drive on it. The STI and I were locked out over the weekend, but on Sunday it reopened and off we went.
For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to stay in Bridgeport, CA with our long-term 2008 Subaru WRX STI, when all the hotels in Yosemite were booked up for the long weekend. Bridgeport may be way up in the Eastern Sierras, but it's only 40 miles or so from the Tioga Pass (Hwy 120) entrance to the park, you see.
However, I did not quite grasp the significance of the altitude (6,772 ft) when planning the trip. Not only did it snow several inches, but it got very, very cold, with temps dropping to the teens at night.
Which brings me to the topic of tire pressure. The STI's low pressure warning lamp was triggered on one 24-degree afternoon. But when I checked the tires, they were at the proper 33-psi front, 32-psi rear specs. What to do? How about a little RTFM?
Sticking to the 3,750-mile severe-duty service intervals has been tricky on our 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, given how rapidly we've accumulated miles. So we're late again. Discuss.
Yesterday I made an appointment for 9:15 this morning at Subaru of Santa Monica. Last time I visited this dealership, it was Lincoln-Mercury-Mazda-Subaru and the service department was chaotic. I serviced several of our long-term Mazdas here, and it was often a hassle. Now, however, it's all Subaru (with a side helping of Ford), and it's a lot calmer.
As soon as I pulled in, Dan, the Subaru service advisor, came up to my window and greeted me. Then, we discussed service options and I indicated I wanted to pay for the following three items a la carte: an oil change, a tire rotation, and a cabin air filter replacement. And since the wheels are off, the dealer throws in a brake inspection.
Our long-term STI sounds great when you put your foot in it. As I've said before, I love the STI's aural cocktail of turbo whine and boxer rumble -- this soundtrack alone is a good reason to forego the Evo and its Hoover-like engine note. But once you're done dusting off Tough Guy X in his hopped-up Civic, you might want to sit back and enjoy some tunes from the speakers instead of the engine bay.
Unfortunately, this Subie has possibly the worst "upgraded" audio system I've ever encountered.
Look at the subwoofer setting in the above photo. It's maxed out. Yet the STI's system still sounds like the stock setup in my '95 Integra (read: historically awful). There's no bass response here -- none. I seriously wonder if they forgot to put a subwoofer in our car.
But there's an X factor at work: people are shaped differently and prefer different things. Take our Accord for instance. Some people (cough, Sadlier, cough) love all that lumbar support digging into your back as if someone dropped a rolled up towel into the seat. Me, not so much.
I'm not sure how others around here find them (what, do you expect me to talk to my co-workers?), but the STI's seats fit me like a glove. Specifically, the seat back, which ever-so gently wraps itself around me while perfectly matching the contours of my back. It's almost as if Fuji Heavy flew me out to Tokyo and dumped me into a vat of plaster to make a mold. I would seriously consider heading out to a junkyard to find an STI that some wannabe racer wrapped around a pole and make his former driver seat my desk chair. It also helps that the driving position is very good, impressive given my tall body and the manual seat adjustment.
I look forward to taking the STI on a longer journey to see if they remain this comfortable after several hours.
I like our Subaru a lot. I love the sound of the boxer engine, the well appointed interior, and the rush of power you get from the turbo. The only think I don't like is that from a red light start, the back really hunkers down when you mash the gas. I thought the suspension was stiffer than that.
We scheduled a service appointment with Timmons Subaru in Long Beach following news that our car was part of a service bulletin (WVE-15) affecting 2008MY Impreza WRX STIs.
In the words of Subaru of America, "Under certain harsh driving patterns, specifically when repeatedly or continuously operating the engine above the red-line (RPM above 6,700), abnormal combustion could occur resulting in serious internal engine damage in the form of broken piston ring lands. This abnormal combustion condition is the result of an over-lean fuel mixture caused by a combination of fuel cut activation and high turbo boost. To prevent this condition from occurring, Subaru has developed a modification to the Engine Control Module software logic that will improve combustion management above red-line engine speed. This revised logic will not adversely affect peak vehicle performance."
The short story: Call a local dealer to determine whether your car is affected. The ECM reflash is quick and covered under warranty. And speaking of warranty, we had the fuel door mechanism repaired at no charge during this visit as well.
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 8,800 miles
I was thinking the other day (always a dangerous proposition, I know) and wondering how all the current (or really, really recently departed) Edmunds/Inside Line long-term vehicles stack up against each other in fuel economy, at least the fuel economy we've been recording during their time with us. So I made a list. For you and for me. In case we were both wondering.
The only current vehicles missing from my list are the Audi R8 and the Dodge Grand Caravan, and that's because no one has entered any fuel data into the tracking spreadsheet for those vehicles yet. The very top and the very bottom of the list aren't going to surprise anybody (I don't think), but the middle is kinda interesting. Seeing the Rondo and the WRX so close to each other made me raise my eyebrows. Ditto the Ford GT's spot above the Veracruz. Ready to check it all out? Follow the jump with me.
One of my colleagues has griped that the STI's clutch is a bit herky-jerky and that the rev-limiter cuts in too early, at 6700 rpm when the car is still pulling hard and smooth.
And though Josh and I tend to agree on many things automotive, I disagree with him on the former. But I'm with him on the latter...
I dig our 2008 Subaru WRX STI and drive it as much as I can. But everytime I do, I'm reminded how much this car doesn't have. It has no sunroof, no range measurement in its trip computer, no iPod integration, no satellite radio and no Bluetooth.
Now I know the STI is about speed and grip and fun and speed, but the STI also costs a crapload of cash. Base price is $35,640 (with destination and delivery) and our car is optioned out to $39,440. And for forty grand I'd like a few more extras.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 8,888 miles
I always feel conflicted when I'm driving our long-term STI. Do I love it because of that heady turbo rush north of 3,000 rpm? Do I admire it for its endearing turbo-whine-enhanced boxer grumble, which sounds so much better than the Evo's blender-like engine note and booming exhaust? Or do I hate it on account of all that excess body roll, not to mention the needlessly herky-jerky clutch takeup? And do I resent Subaru's engineers for arbitrarily cutting off the fuel flow at about 6,500 rpm, where the STI is still pulling like a champ?
Answer: all of the above, hence my inner turmoil. But there is at least one thing that's unequivocally great about the STI -- the placement of the brake and gas pedals. This is the easiest car to heel-and-toe downshift that I've ever driven. As deep as my love for our long-term M3 runs, BMW botched the pedal placement in that car. Not so with the STI; this car was clearly designed with heel-and-toeing in mind, and that's cool.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 8,703 miles
Piloting our 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI this weekend and having just driven our new Evo recently, I find it hard to believe that these two are considered competitors. Really?
Our Evo is soo much nicer and easier to drive. It's more fun and has a lighter, more precise steering feel. It accelerates smoothly and quickly. I want to run errands in it, I want to visit distant relatives, I want to take on twisties.
The Subaru, on the other hand, feels clunky when it shifts, even in Sport Sharp mode. It's quick to get up to speed but not so smooth in the getting there. Its steering is comparatively heavy. Even when driving the Subie on a fairly open 405 freeway with a smattering of traffic, I found myself sticking to one lane and trailing slow drivers. I just wasn't inspired to have fun...IF you know what I mean.
Our Evo costs a mere $2,117 more than our WRX, a pittance when you consider that you're paying the difference between having a ride and having a ride that you love.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 8,681 miles
No, the above image isn't some lame commentary on fuel prices. It shows what I had to do to this morning in order to fuel up our 2008 WRX STI long-termer.
The fuel door refused to pop open, so I propped the release lever up thusly. Then I walked around the car and pried the fuel door open with my fingers.
Drove the STI over the weekend and I couldn't help but notice all the tire noise. Every time I came to a stop it groaned like a zombie. I know it's all-wheel drive and all, but I don't remember it being this loud over the road.
It reminded me of our long-term 350Z from awhile back. It developed tire noise so loud that Nissan agreed to replace the tires after admiting to some incorrect alignment specs on our early build car. I don't think our STI is anywhere near that level, but hopefully it doen't get any worse than it is now.
Five days in the STI have reinforced my assumption that I could own this car. Its combination of just-right speed, do-it-all utility and big-ass fender flares suits me perfectly.
First, the speed. It's quick enough to jump through traffic and has high handling limits which I appreciate every time I enter or exit a freeway. I prefer the EVO in virtually all of these areas, but it doesn't offer the Suby's hatchback practicality. If I could change anything I'd make the default throttle calibration Sport Sharp -- just like Caroline. The other two modes are gimmicks which seem to exist only to offer a few more buttons to push.
Also, for me, the utility of the hatchback is nice. I'm now hauling a child seat, stroller and other baby-related items on any family outing and the large cargo volume is unusual in a car that offers this kind of performance.
And then there's those flares. I love them on the production car, but don't share the same enthusiasm for the looks of the WRC car -- especially in gravel trim. I can't put my finger on it, but something just isn't right. You decide:
I spent $60 to fill the STI yesterday. Got 19 miles per gallon on the last tank. And the way I drive there's just no getting around that pain.
"Oh crap, the tire pressure light is on," I exclaimed as I attempted to leave the parking garage last night in our long-term Suby STI. I quickly reparked the car, grabbed my sorta-trusty Edmunds tire gauge and checked the tires. Turns out each cold tire was between 5 and 6 psi lower than spec.
Now, I was told by John McCain that refilling my tires is silly and doesn't really matter -- sorta like flossing or drilling for oil off Ft Lauderdale. Still, I just can't stand a warning light being on, so I decided to fill'em up anyway. So the light is now off, the tires are full and somewhere the hugest celebrity ever is smuggly satisfied. Jerk.
I wish our 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI could do that! In any case, awesome win by Travis Pastrana in his #199 Subie rally car. Gave me goosebumps.
Unfortunately my ride in our long-term Subie didn't go as smoothly this weekend. I rarely get to spend time behind its wheel so I wasn't used to driving it. And this was apparent in my struggle to shift it smoothly. 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd were always problematic for me. Stop signs weren't my friend and I just got embarrassed having someone else in the car with me, fearing they'd wonder why I suck at driving stick. And maybe I do.
In any case, I started using the Sport Sharp mode which quickens throttle response and I guess that helped a bit. But found it annoying that it had to be clicked on every time I started the car. It would be really great if this was a default feature. Or just a normal mode for the Subaru.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 7,331 miles
While I was in the Subaru STI last night, I noticed the headliner material. Upon closer inspection, I saw that this is the same recycled plastic (I believe soda bottles) material other manufacturers use for their trunkliners. I suppose this would be OK in a Geely or Chery, but our STI lists at $39,700! Cheap.
Albert Austria, Sr Vehicle Evaluation Engineer @ 6914 mi
The Impreza WRX STI has been in our care for a couple of months now. Time to see how it's doing in terms of fuel economy:
Current mileage: 6,754 miles Best tank to date: 30.8 mpg Worst tank to date: 12.8 mpg Overall average: 18.8 mpg Official EPA estimate: 17 mpg city/ 23 mpg highway
As you can see, the mileage figures represent a story of extremes. The difference between our best and worst tanks was striking enough to merit our doing a little research to get the tale behind the numbers.
So here's the scoop: Our best tank reflects primarily highway mileage, logged by a driver who, by his own admission, likes to take a conservative approach when it comes to acceleration. Our worst tank reflects primarily city miles, logged by an editor who was eager to unleash the WRX STI in the canyons.
It all evens out in the wash, though. Our overall average falls within the realm of EPA estimates.
Warren Clarke, Automotive Content Editor @ 6,754 miles
The WRX STi can blow through the slalom at 72 miles per hour, get from a dead stop to 60 in 4.8 seconds and dominate the quarter mile in 13.3 seconds.
Guess what? None of those things come up for me on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis. Sure it's mildly amusing to constantly blow the doors off every lowered Civic and Eclipse with a two-tone paint job and three story tall rear wing but even that gets old after awhile - the drivers look so sad afterward.
However, I did find a great practical use for our Long Term STi. I took it to the supermarket. The STi is so fast; when I got home the ice-cream still had frost on it. This should be a new testing parameter.
More and more cars are making dizzying power numbers these days, yet few stand out in my mind as being really eye-openingly fast. Our long-term BMW 135i is one of those few. I hadn't really put it the car through its paces until last night, when I snagged the keys and headed for the canyons. Quite simply, this is a lot of motor for such a diminutive car...
I took a longer drive through the hills in our 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI this morning. Of course I noticed the softy suspension, and how this car doesn't seem to want to corner as hard as its predecessor. But the drivetrain hasn't changed in character.
The torque comes on abruptly after the turbo gets going...
That would be the STI's name if it had to play a role on Grey's Anatomy. Not McDreamy (that's the M3), and definitely not McSteamy (the Ferrari, in absentia). As much as I enjoy the STI's silly-fast 305-hp turbo four, for me its defining characteristic is excessive body roll. That's because I fully expect an STI to be silly fast; what I don't expect is for it to heel over in turns like a Sunfish under full sail...
If you read our full test on the 2008 Subaru WRX STI, you'll see we list a 0-to-60 mph time of 4.8 seconds. But do you know how that time was achieved? Well, here's the quote from the testing notes:
"The STI's six-speed gearbox isn't the easiest to shift quickly despite its direct linkage. The best launch came by dropping the clutch at about 6,000 rpm."
As impressive as 4.8 seconds is, a 6,000-rpm clutch drop isn't a technique a WRX STI owner is going to be doing on a daily basis. Well, not unless he or she plans on replacing driveline components on a regular basis, that is.
On previous generation Imprezas, an STI badge pretty much meant a suspension tune as hard as an elbow to the jaw and a wing and hood scoop juiced with HGH.
The new Impreza STI, however, is much removed from this description. The ride quality is as comfortable as your average sport sedan's, and the hatchback bodystyle functions as a cloak of invisibility over those 305 horses. The black paint of our test car even hides the car's flared fenders...
A few of us here at the office either grew up or have lived in Colorado. Our 2008 Impreza WRX STI would be great to have in Denver. There's all-wheel drive, of course, but thanks to the turbocharger, the engine wouldn't be losing nearly as much power (if any at all) due to the gain in elevation.
Because the Earth's atmosphere thins out the higher you go, a car simply can't make as much maximum power...
I took our 2008 Impreza WRX STI in for its first scheduled oil change today. Subaru's maintenance schedule requires all turbocharged models to be serviced under the severe-usage schedule, so this means oil changes every 3,750 miles. Umm, so we were a little late on this one.
Herwaldt Subaru in Fresno, Calif., was the dealership of choice. There were no surprises, though the service advisor seemed completely unfamiliar with the car – at one point during the check-in, she asked me if our STI was a four- or six-cylinder...
I just can't warm up to the clear taillights on the new Impreza WRX STI. Clear lamps might have been cool to put on your 1998 Honda Accord coupe, but they seem out of place on a car that's matured in so many other ways.
Apparently, some new STI owners are already ditching the clear lenses in favor of traditional red ones.
(Thanks to SubyTrojan for the photo.)
Meanwhile, I've booked an appointment next week to get our WRX's oil changed...
This morning our long term 2008 Subaru WRX STI had quite a thirst. First it drank down 11.775 gallons of 91 octane gasoline (premium is required), for which it provided 221.3 miles of transport. And then it asked for oil. Sucker gulped down half a quart of 5W-30 conventional...
So here's something we're yet to figure out about our STI: Periodically, let's say maybe 70 percent of the time, this is the first screen we see when we fire up the STI's navigation system. It appears before the "caution" screen which must be agreed to before using the system. Basically, it's one more step to take before getting on with your business. And it's annoying...
In our last episode, I'd loaded seven bulky items in the back of our 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI for a trip to WIllow Springs Raceway for a test. The seven items fit with ease with the seats flopped down in the Subie, and it took about a minute to load or unload the stuff. The outgoing Impreza WRX STI had a trunk that wasn't expandable because the rear seats didn't fold. Score one for the new STI and its controversial 5-door hatchback body style.
But some of the feedback I got doubted a regular trunk would have a problem swallowing the same stuff. We don't have an EVO handy for another vs. STI shoot-out, but our 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS makes a fine trunk double. Without folding the seats, I could only fit 3 of the 7 items. I tried different combinations, but 3 was all she wrote.
The strangest thing happened to me when I was driving our 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI on the 405 during an unusually traffic-free afternoon. I was enjoying the Subie's 305 horsepower, changing lanes when I looked up at the rearview mirror and noticed a car following behind me a bit too close for comfort. I sped up a little to see if he was tailing me and sure enough he stuck with me. Then I noticed it was an old Subaru wagon...
I drove our 2008 Subaru WRX STI up to Willow Springs International Raceway and back with a load of equipment for our second-ever consumer comparison test. It handled the following test props and equipment without breaking a sweat:
Not sure what you're looking at? I recently discovered the trick to unlocking all of the navigation system menus while our 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI is moving.
I find it extremely frustrating that some navigation systems, like the one found in our Subaru, will lock out 90% of the menu functions once the vehicle is in motion. Want to program in a new destination? Pull over and stop. Want to change the route from "quickest" to something more scenic? Pull over and stop. What if you're mired in traffic, late, on a highway with no shoulder, or simply want to keep going? Tough.
And this remains the case whether you have a perfectly capable passenger riding shotgun next to you to press the buttons or not. A passenger can read regular maps while underway, and AAA gives them away to members for free. Tell me why I should pay one or two grand for one of these, again?
Our 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI has fairly effective xenon HID (high intensity discharge) headlights. Just about every high-end car with such lights have auto-levelling systems to re-aim the headlights slightly so oncoming drivers won't be blinded when the rear seats or trunk are loaded-down. The STI has a manual headlight adjustment wheel for this purpose, with six positions if you count zero (and you should.)
The zero setting is the highest one, and is the normal setting for everyday use. When you load up the back, you can crank the lights down to avoid blinding others. But the available range of adjustment is significantly greater than the body angle could ever change with load. You probably won't need anything more than position 1 for your most-laden condition, so there has to be at least one other use for this feature...
Some pundits have expressed disappointment with the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, singling-out its softer suspension as evidence of weakness. But the WRX STI model exists partly for FIA-homologation for rally competition, so performance on dirt matters, too. A more compliant suspension helps improve mechanical grip on rough roads and washboard dirt and gravel surfaces, so this might be a case of "I meant to do that" on Subaru's part.
The Subie and I are in Las Vegas this weekend. A good-sized dry lake sits about 5 miles south of Interstate 15, so I made a detour to try out the STI on a bit of dirt.
This weekend our new 2008 Subaru WRX STI did little more than daddy duty. Hate to say it, but our black STI spent its 72 hours with the Oldham's without once laying rubber on a curving mountain road, a dedicated racetrack, or gravel covered fire road. Instead we used it like a car. Just a car...
A new STI? We wanted nothing more than to drive it to the nearest canyon road and push it to the limit. Then our conscience spoke up and ruined everything.
Our WRX STI has 305 horsepower, a six-speed transmission, three limited-slip differentials and enough adjustable driver aids to impress the late Colin McRae...
