Vehicle: 2015 Subaru WRX STI Launch Edition Host: Charlie Romero & Emme Hall Color: World Rally Blue Venue: Carmel Valley & Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, CA
Not to be overly critical, but saying that Subaru has been active in rally since 2006 is just a little bit incorrect, only by about 2 and a half decades. Subaru entered their first World Rally Championship race in 1980, and Subaru Technica International (STi) was founded in 1988. Just thought that was worth noting.
I totally agree. I've read and watched just about all of the reviews of the new STi that have been posted so far, and this one is by far the most complete and informative. Good stuff!!!
Great review, and I totally agree. I just got my 2016 STI and it has 500 miles so no racing yet but what a pleasure to drive this car. More fun than a human being should be allowed to have. Just a Blast and the short shifter is a bit tricky but once I got used to it, it's fantastic.
Still not crazy about the looks but it seems to retain the STI fun. Glad to see you guys back in action. Oh and the dunlops ...hope anyone doesn't get a flat for a few months after release. I bet stock will be very limited.
gawd. i want this car and want to move up north. i live in florida and its flat down here but watching this thing on dirt roads in the mountains is heavenly. and just think how fun it would be to drive it in the snow
Isnt the wing suppose to provide high speed stability. Anyways im a big fan of bolder spoiler because they make a car stand out. I despise the lip spoilers cause you kind of have to point them out to people. Really dig the big wing on the sti. These cars are meant to stand out.
I wonder if the WRX wouldn't be the better choice for a DD street car? It seems like the WRX has received a lot of accolades on it's handling so far. I'm not a fan of the wing personally. I will also be doing 99% of my driving on the road. Spirited back roads and maybe an occasional track day are what I'm looking for. As far as power goes, I'm sure it will be a lot less expensive to turn up the boost on the 2.0 and equal or surpass the 2.5 than shelling out the extra coin for the STI. My biggest concern is ride quality. I need a DD that does everything. I'll drive both next year and probably the Golf R and GTI as well, but I like the styling of the Subies better. Which I can't believe I'm saying as I was really disappointed when the production cars were shown and they were so different from the EPIC concept car. Still, it has grown on me.
The EJ25 motor is tried & true, but like others stated, it's starting to date by modern standards. Also, the STI just keeps getting heavier per redesign; recall the 1998 STI weigh a scant ~1200kg. 280hp back then in a flyweight car gave it wings. I also want to note hot hatches then only made 200~180hp generally. The new STI is ~1540kg, but only marginally more powerful than before. Hot hatches not easily reach the 250hp mark, meaning a Mazdaspeed 3 and Focus ST can actually keep up with the STI. After nearly 20 years, I think the EJ is ready for retirement. Plus, the FA20 DIT motor in the WRX seems to fit the bill well.
@Charlie, You should stop calling it Impreza, it is WRX branch (Subaru WRX, Subaru WRX STi) since 5 years, they have made so many changes it has nothing to do with Impreza any longer.
easy to choose between the two.. if you want to do motor sport get the sti if you plan to thrash it around the streets, have fun, really nice daily the wrx seeing as its torque band is waaay better (peaks at 2000 rpm) due to twin scroll, gear ratios, fuel economy...
Have always lived this car since I first saw one in 2004 but I heard that the STI team changed the exhaust headers so that it takes away that famous STI grumble that it's had for over a decade. That kinda sucks. But , there is always aftermarket and change that baby back. Now STI says that gives it more power using a traditional header but I don't care , gotta have that sound ,baby!
People complaining about looks and how they canceled hatch blah blah blah... It was same as 2008 when hatch came out , everybody hated it , and look whats happening now ? I personally like the new looks and i think its the best looking model since hawkeye. Subaru just made a really better car , people just need some time to realize it. Peace!
"Has been involved in rally since 2006" haha I laughed. But other then that great review don't care what people say think the car looks great obviously not as good as the concept but still great.
Great Review. I'm really trying to decide if I should go for a good deal on a 14 or wait for the 15? I really like the new interior but am worried about the stiff ass drive for a DD. Is my wife going to kill me for buying a 15 STI?
The Sti is wonderful for every one that says they need more power. The close ratio box and brakes are wonderful. 3 locking difs is something almost no modern SUVs have. The sti is a gas hog. In the past turbo lag has been a problem. For me I would rather go with the more efficient and lighter wrx. It's 2.0 should have less lag and be about 40% more efficient in the real world. Not to mention the $8000 to $10000 savings. If you want a track machine 8k is a bargain for the extra performance of the sti. If you are willing to give up some engine life. Adding 50 or so hp is not very expensive.
Is it me or do these new models resemble the Mitsubishi Evo series ?? As someone who owns a 2007 Subaru Forester XT with a manual, I'm glad to see they kept the 2.5 liter mill in the STI ! These 2.5 liter engines, when dyno tuned appropriately, make great power. Great review!!
The headlights look similar to the EVO headlights, but other than that I see no resemblance. Either way, the 15 WRX looks a hell of a lot better than the outgoing model.
Like i stated before, Subaru made a mistake dumping the EJ in this and putting the FA in the WRX. FA has proven to be a stronger boost happy motor than the EJ series not to mention they KEPT the unequal length header in the STi and threw a proper equal length header on the WRX. With a simple tune im sure the WRX will be much more impressive and for 10k extra I wouldnt think to buy a STi. On a side note... Screw Launch Edition. That White STi with the Blacked out BBS looks sooooo much better.
nice, looks damn fast i was reading the regular wrx out corners/out handles the previous gen sti/evo x and the new sti handles even better/takes turns better
Someone should tell "Emmie" to never do another voiceover. And get your facts straight subaru hasn't been rallying since 06 they've been rallying since the early 90s . Thats a "big ass " difference
Instead of saving the rotors are a little bit bigger on the WRX tell the actual rotor size in millimeters. People that love car may want to know those things.
societykrew I agree, but still would of bee nice with a 5hp bump every year or somethng.. or a 350hp version 400hp version..etc.. BUT with that price they cant upgrade the motor that much.
The motor is good. They are really easy too get 50 hp and 85 of torque. The problem I think is the STi is gaining weight over the years, bigger overall and slower in some test.. The new ones evolve in the steering sharpnest and coefficient drag and some suspension etc etc..
It isn't good by today's standard. And tuning it is a risky endeavor if you're serious about tracking. Subaru H engines suffer from lubrication issues at the end of the cylinders. Higher rpms, higher boost, only increases the risk. There's a reason it hasn't gone past 305hp... it can't. Not reliably. Think there's no risk to adding 50hp from a little stage 1 tune? Read up on the issues, like increased knock. Something has to change. It's been 8 years and the engine hasn't gained 5hp. What other manufacturer can say they have been so opposed to progress that 5hp couldn't be squeaked out each generation?
There is a reason they stayed with the EJ. In a STI they wanted to provide you with an engine racing teams / tuners could take to instantly, not wait for the aftermarket to catch up. As well as saving R&D costs on a brand new motor. from the C&D Article c&d dot com /reviews/2015-subaru-wrx-sti-first-drive-review And so, upon alighting in Eastwood Central, we cornered Masuo Takatsu, the program manager for both the WRX and STI. Said he: “I felt the STI’s weaker area was the handling side. If we didn’t have the chassis, why add more power to overwhelm it? Also, this EJ engine has proved itself in competition. It’s an engine we confidently bring to the track, [whereas] the new FA-series in the WRX has not been proven in motorsports. Plus, we knew the aftermarket could supply more power to those STI owners who demanded it.”
how come review videos hardly ever compare the 2014 sti to the 2015 sti? instead they compare the 2015 wrx and the 2015 sti. just saying cause i really wanna know the difference of the 2014 sti and the 2015...
All these reviewers keep saying impreza, even though Subaru made the WRX/STi their own name now. (and yes, I know it's still technically based on the impreza but I figured of anyone, auto journalists should do their homework and get this right)
Yeah talk about not doing their homework. She claims subaru has been active in rally since 2006....Subaru has over 15 years of racing in the WRC starting in the early 90's I have no idea what she is talking about
well damn you're trying awfully hard to make it sound like that's a big deal when it obviously isn't. How long have those two cars been known as imprezas the world over? The new WRX debuted less than 3 months ago at the L.A. Autoshow, it's gonna take a whole lot longer than that to shake off the impreza name. Even if it was accidental, what were they going to do? take the video down and edit it again just for that? Not worth it.
Torque vectoring???? Will be standard in all cars sold in the USA just like ABS and it's not a new technology because many non sport cars have it all really basically if you car has electronically control thotalplate you will have this feature
The new model Sti is starting to grow on me a little bit but I just cant see anyone who already has a 2011-14 Sti willing to trade to this new body especially seeing as it still has the same power/torque from the factory(give or take a couple hp). Am I the only who thinks thats just inexcusable ? Subaru couldnt up the power to not even 340hp? Thats a big reason I just cant see myself parting with my Subie for this one.
Yeah, I have a '13 sedan. it looks more modern and the interior and especially seats are nicer. Would probably lose $10K over here in Canada so it's not worth all that. For better handling anti-sway bars and end links do the job.
***** I assure you somebody is going to trade in their older Sti for this new one. Not because it looks better but because its the latest model but it certainly wont be me.
who buys a sti to care about the comfort of their rear seat passsengers.....besides this is a based on a cheap economy compact, most cars in this class aren't available with rear seat vents
i'd still prefer the wrx if ur a middle class kinda person lyk me. think about insurance and the warranty when ur still leasing the car, that shit can be really expensive every month for the sti. i wonder whether this new subie style has kinda pumped up mistsubishi, they r letting down the evo, we need a newer style for the evo too
Not gonna lie, it seemed like Charlie was really having an off day lmao (notice how at 8:25, he just flat out gives up in trying to even explain the locking/torque vectoring diff.) ... But in his defense, he's done much better reviews (and certainly driving), such as when he reviewed the '08 GT500, Z, and CTS lol
It would look better without that wing...but every guy I know who has removed the wing on their current sti sedan regretted it. You lose sooo much grip in the rear end... fhi engineering put it there for a reason.
Sorry doll, but more linear throttle? That's not even close to accurate. I've owned that 2.5L for more than 3 years and in stock form the motor makes peak torque at close to 4000rpms. It has literally zero go until it starts to spool around 3000rpms or so, while the new wrx with its new twin-scroll turbo gets full torque at only 2000rpms, making it Much more responsive and giving a sense of less turbo lag.
get your facts straight on how diff. actually work and what different settings do to the car handling. You reviewed it as if it was another mellow commuter
Subaru did not spend enough money on this new model, they used cheap shortcuts, the evo has real torque vectoring since the early models, and subaru just managed a brake initiated torque vectoring system similar to esp, that is just lame, the evo x was far superior back in 2008, in 2014 I would expect some serious high tech, the engine should be like the 45amg as far as power output and fuel economy, they just use a 10 year old engine, same that the first bug eye 2.5 used.
