Subaru wrx sti 2016 review

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks.

No gold wheels, though. I love the Subaru brand: the quirkiness, the independence, the engineering; that badge, based on the Pleiades star cluster. Hard on the brakes into a corner, pitch the nose in forcefully, brutally almost, and then, when you reach the apex, get on the gas, foot to the floor, and the four-wheel-drive grip would just dig in and catapult the car down the next straight. Worst thing is the ride. Forget potholes — just a slightly irregular surface will have you jiggling around so much your head bobbles on your shoulders. Yes, there are advantages when it comes to body control on a late-night thrash, but the cost is too high in day-to-day use. Likewise the low-rev grunt — this engine really comes alive in the top rpm of its rev range, but in traffic at lower speeds the response is laggy and often frustrating.

Subaru wrx sti 2016 review

By Ben Barry. America suffered sizeable turbo lag with its launch of the Subaru Impreza Turbo. While the Japanese performance saloon first appeared in , America had to wait for 15 years and the third generation for it to arrive. The rally championships that built the brand seem about as relevant to modern-day Subaru as they are to Audi. It was a surprisingly enjoyable car to use around Berkeley, California, even at slow speed: that burbly flat-four turbo engine, the surprisingly meaty hydraulically assisted steering, and the closely stacked gears, all of it gelled to deliver that unmistakeable Subaru DNA. Sure, the doors and boot clang emptily when you shut them, and this is a very easy car to stall when you combine first gear with steering lock, but the STI feels as usable on the daily grind as it does exciting and characterful. Urban pootling was never the plan. So early one Friday we set off towards Stinson Beach, plotting a route north up the famous Highway 1 a few miles beyond the Golden Gate Bridge, which would then loop right back round and further inland on the Panoramic Highway. Highway 1 bucks and coils and drops rapidly downhill towards the Pacific in a flurry of gear shifts, throttle and brake jabs and steering inputs. Its firm steering is laser accurate, plenty quick enough and full of feedback to let you know just how hard you can push the Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres. The body is very tightly tied down, so none of the left-right flicks throw it off-balance, and you quickly gain confidence to attack the corners hard. The brakes make the biggest impression. The stats say bhp at rpm, with lb ft at rpm.

Keep it in Auto for daily driving, or switch to Auto Plus to tighten up the limited slip differential, improving traction on slippery surfaces like snow or gravel. Subaru wrx sti 2016 review comfortable seats help, but you'll have to get used to feeling every bump and divot in the road. Owner Review 1 Oct

Yes, I know the rocking-on-its-mounts lawn tractor engine is part of the Subaru experience, and all the fanboys relish it, but for the rest of us, Subie's big turbo H4 feels slow to rev and coarse at lower rpm. Keep it around 3K, right on the edge of boost, though, and there's plenty of thrust on tap. It's just not as immediate or as fierce as the late Mitsubishi Evo , nor is it as refined as the Golf R. The upcoming arrival of the Ford Focus RS will be the big test for Subaru's rally rocket and its ability to trade on brand loyalty and proven tech. Our STI's shifter, brakes and steering require no such asterisks, delivering lovely, direct feedback and control at all speeds I was able to explore on my pockmarked-pavement routes around Detroit.

No gold wheels, though. I love the Subaru brand: the quirkiness, the independence, the engineering; that badge, based on the Pleiades star cluster. Hard on the brakes into a corner, pitch the nose in forcefully, brutally almost, and then, when you reach the apex, get on the gas, foot to the floor, and the four-wheel-drive grip would just dig in and catapult the car down the next straight. Worst thing is the ride. Forget potholes — just a slightly irregular surface will have you jiggling around so much your head bobbles on your shoulders. Yes, there are advantages when it comes to body control on a late-night thrash, but the cost is too high in day-to-day use. Likewise the low-rev grunt — this engine really comes alive in the top rpm of its rev range, but in traffic at lower speeds the response is laggy and often frustrating. The clutch can be tricky and the gearchange is notchy. Flat out, the WRX makes you feel like a titan, but around town it can make you feel like a chump.

Subaru wrx sti 2016 review

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement. If you don't mind the ride, the STI is a properly fun sport sedan. It takes a while to get used to the massive wing fixed to the rear of this little speed demon. In fact, there is a lot to get used to in the STI, but when it all comes together, the aggressive Subie, with its serious rally racing technology, is a kick and a half.

Tie fighter lego helmet

Drive Journalists. While many cars now sport electric power steering, including the venerable Mazda Miata and even the Porsche , the STI still gets the job done with a hydraulic set up. Car Guides. Likewise the low-rev grunt — this engine really comes alive in the top rpm of its rev range, but in traffic at lower speeds the response is laggy and often frustrating. It feels and sounds like a race car. Read more Subaru reviews. It also is a giant billboard saying Give Me a Ticket, Officer. The all-wheel drive system inspires much confidence when the road goes bendy, enough that I found myself carrying a near ludicrous amount of speed through the turns. At full bore, shifting is easy and throws from the six-speed are short. The upcoming arrival of the Ford Focus RS will be the big test for Subaru's rally rocket and its ability to trade on brand loyalty and proven tech. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. Gosnells, WA. The brakes make the biggest impression.

By Ben Barry. America suffered sizeable turbo lag with its launch of the Subaru Impreza Turbo.

When I eventually pulled over, I was expecting to find gore, but apart from a bit of brown fluff there was no sign of the poor animal. Having said all that, I kept the car in Sport Sharp with the diff control at Auto Minus while on the track. Then the cars would return through Kielder to East Anglia; a few laps of Snetterton, then back to London. Our ratings explained. Some might sneer at its humble origins, but it does make the car easier to live with than, say, its BRZ coupe cousin. Subaru doesn't offer an automatic, as God intended. Driving up here to this isolated spot, and imagining what it would be like to be here in the dark and the snow waiting for the Group B cars to come through flat-out, spitting fire, is a reminder that rallying was so popular then because it felt dangerous, like an adventure. Power gets to the pavement through a six speed manual gearbox. While many cars now sport electric power steering, including the venerable Mazda Miata and even the Porsche , the STI still gets the job done with a hydraulic set up. It also is a giant billboard saying Give Me a Ticket, Officer. Electric Car Finder.