Here's Why the 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Is an Icon 

16-year-old Doug was very, very excited to make this video.

Subaru: uses stickers instead of badges on STi Doug: look at this cost cutting! Porsche: uses stickers instead of badges on GT3 Doug: look at this weight saving!

They made the steering wheel cover plastic so it didn't kill people when the airbag went off.

No matter how much criticism it gets from a lot of car enthusiasts, it still turns heads from 90% of road users in 2020 wherever it's driven... Amazing 🏆

no luxury but only performance, this car is perfect for me

Ok, I bought one of these new in 2004, and it's still my daily driver 350+K miles later. Still insanely fun to drive, and say what you want about the cheap interior, it doesn't rattle.

4 STI badges is honestly enough and today’s car overdo it

I’m not a car expert, but this car stuck with me. As a kid I’d see one of these maybe once a year and it stayed with you, you never forgot the blue/gold colour way. Iconic.

Talks about how cool and legendary it was; Cool Factor: 6/10 🤷

Doug be like “This is the greatest car in the history of automobile transportation. Doug score: 36/100”

This particular car is perhaps my favorite car of all time. 2004, Blue paint, huge wing, huge hood scoop, gold wheels. Wow! Such a cool car. I agree that the gold wheels on the WRX are indeed the best use of gold wheels on any car, ever. But I disagree about the headlights; I love that design.

I love Doug's enthusiasm in this video. I did some street racing back when this car was new and the STi was one of the most feared cars on the street.

Special Edition cars Doug: "Cars with badges everywhere are stupid" Also Doug: "Cars with only a few badges are cheap"

"An exhaust that makes it sound like a damaged trombone" Subie fans: *Heavy Breathing*

Owned one since 2005, love this damn car. 191k miles and it still runs like new!

This car is so special to me because I’m born the same year as it (2004). It my dream car and I’m finally old enough to drive. Lamb is and Ferraris are cool but I want one of these

Doug: Still feels Fast, still feels.... Everyone: *SAY FURIOUS* Doug: nimble

Doug ''I'd like to have a metal airbag cover'' DeMuro.

The knob for the headlights angle is not for fog areas. It's for the moment when you have luggage and the body it's not level anymore. That's when you lower your headlights (to see in front and not blind the others)

Doug: "This STi was kept completely bone stock" Me: What about those *hella horns*

Doug: don’t expect to use this car for family transportation. Me: umm I don’t think most kids are 6’4 Doug...

Doug the type of guy to get into a car accident just to give the airbags a doug score

This car is amazing. At some point in my life I am going to have one of these. So simple yet it works better than anything else. They really focused on how it drives vs how it looks and sells

"the steering wheel isn't metal!" For Christ's sake, it blows up in your face.

You've never been so exited on a review before. You really love this car, it shows. It was the sensation I felt. You missed the STI exhaust note though, absolutely unique

It's fine to have problems with a reviewers critique. Everybody has different tastes and experience after all. But y'all should remember Doug reviews these older cars by modern standards and in comparison to exotics, so of course it's going to be lower than you expect. It's over 16 years later. That being said...This car deserves a higher score. 😂

Loved mine, drove it hard and crashed it....

I salute the owner for leaving his WRX stock!

“It’s was hard to find ones that are stock and not crashed” *hellcat flashbacks*

Doug Demuro: Makes video on blob eye STI Me: God Damn it!! I was waiting till they dropped in price more!

"This is an exceptionally cool car" 6/10 A Doug "6" is like a normal person's "9"

Smiles like a child as I sit in my 04 STI watching this

"is there a second cup holder? no... but there is a second cup holder" get it together douglas

One of the things that makes the '04/'05 STi feel faster than what came after, is the gearing. I owned an '05 and '08 and the gearing difference was very noticeable. Some people didn't like the shorter gearing but on tight-twisty roads or the race track it was *fantastic*. You could pull out of a corner in 3rd like most cars pull in 2nd. Yeah, the shorter gearing hurt the 0-60 (which everyone was obsessed about) and you were almost always working the gearbox, but it really helped make use of the engine's powerband and give it a bit more kick. I still miss my '05 STi...it had numerous improvements over the '04 while still being "raw" and it was just a blast to drive.

Those “cheap” and “crappy” plastics hold up pretty well in comparison to some luxury car interiors

Such an iconic car. I've been looking for years to find an unmodified one of these and it's just so difficult, to be honest its practically impossible. Literally every listing ever on these is like "garage kept, great condition, perfect paint, perfect interior, oh and a blown motor and 62 mods-15 grand" lol

the “THHHIISSS” gets more and more aggressive

I had an '05 STi. I absolutely loved that car. I didn't mod it, mine was bone stock, but it was so much fun. I autocrossed it and ice raced it on weekends. I wasn't that good of a driver, but it was a blast. It was the best 3 years of owning a car I ever had. I wish I had never sold the thing.

Doug: “this is my wife who was born in 1985, impressively she attended the most prestigious college where she met me.”

The dial to angle headlights is typically meant to compensate body angle when car is loaded differently (as far as I have seen typically 0 is for driver and front passenger, 1 - 4 passengers, 2 - 4 passengers + loaded trunk, 3 - driver and loaded trunk).

Brands slogans Citroen: "Creative technology" Honda: "The power of dreams" BMW: "Sheer driving pleasure" Mercedes-benz: "The best or nothing" Volkswagen: "Das auto" Meanwhile, Subaru: "Always wear your seatbelt" 9:46

The "dial" for the head light angle is not for foggy weather. It should be set at 0. But when you load the car with weight (or hook on a trailer) and the rear starts to sink down, you level the headlights so they point DOWN by turning the knob up (to 1, 2, 3), so you don't blind oncoming cars with your lights. Very common in Europe. In newer cars the headlights have an automatic function for that.

Great video, my favourite car from my younger times. Small correction though: at 10:25 it is not about "adjusting your headlights in the fog", but about lowering the beam (the complete headlight mirror unit), when you are carrying passengers on the rear bench and/or heavy load in the trunk. Due to load on the rear suspension, the car sags and tilts upwards, so the next thing is that you will be painfully pointing your headlights into the eyes of the drivers ahead and making them not only temporarily blind, but mad. This especially applies to sedans, combis (wagons) and longer cars, which are more prone to shifting their center of gravity. Such an adjustment, or headlight regulator is a norm in most EU countries and in some (like in mine) it is mandatory to have some sort of manual headlight adjuster in the cabin, an automatic levelling system, or at least a manual peg directly at the bottom of the headlights, to temporarily tilt them down right at their mounts. Doug made the same assumption in his video about Mercedes-Benz G500 Cabriolet (at 20m:50s there). Some of you will surely say, as usual, that it is "blah..blah..blah.." and I should generally "shut up" - but it is actually a serious security hazard, especially in the rain and in foggy, dark winter situations, when you have reflections from the wet road in front.. We should not mislead people, that it is some sort of "foglight replacement" or that you can "lit the road in front of you better". It is not true. But, as usual, it is your right to criticise this comment if - for whatever reason - it is not useful for you, or you simply do not like it. I don't care. Enjoy life.

“It looks like he’s escaping the trunk of a sombrero”

As soon as I read '2004' and not '2020' I knew I was in for a quirky treat.

This one belongs in a museum with such low mileage!!!! Great review of an icon!!! It definitely deserves a higher score all around.

Literally perfect, was hoping to see this video when I woke up this morning

Doug is like my dad reviewing sports cars: ‘THIS IMPREZA IS WORTHLESS BECAUSE THERES NO DOOR BIN IN THE BACK’

10:42 the headlight adjuster were used to correct the height of the beam, they don't move as far to "replace" a fog light. In fact fog lenses spread differently from main or high beam

I worked as a porter for a car dealership in the early 2000s and I remember getting an STI in on trade. I LOVED driving it for daily errands and whatnot. To this day, still one of my favorite cars.

the "fog light replacement" feature is incorrect Doug. it's actually to adjust the beam in case you have high stress on the rear axle (towing, a lot of weight in the trunk) so that the beam doesn't blind upcoming drivers.

That’s what real joy looks like. Someone get this man an unmodded Evo for a comparison.

The hood scoop doesn’t pull air into the engine, it’s used to route air directly to the intercooler

This car came out when I was 4-5 years old. Ever since I laid my eyes on one, I knew this was my dream car. I'm 21 now and still want this car or the 05.

Guaranteed this video leads to an increase in price for this STI’s Lol.

*one problem with this video* Doug wasn’t wearing a flat-brimmed “Monster” hat

Doug on his deathbed: T H I S is the 2020 gold covered wooden coffin that i am going to be.....*dies*

"he moded the hell out of it and blew the motor" sounds like a subie

I love when Doug gets really excited about a car, and this is one of those videos.

Would agree with some others that a lot that “cost cutting” could be consider weight savings as well.

I bought one of these when I was 19. It here 4032 miles on it and was a fresh trade in. I got it December 14 2005. All these dates and numbers are burned into my memory, that’s how awesome this car was. It was a big deal to me though, 660 a month car payment, 242 a month insurance, it got sub 20 mpg and seen over 100 mph nearly every time I drove it. Every time the guys at the dealership see me to this day they all bring up how I left the dealership sideways and how they all took bets at how long until it was wrecked. Mine had the factory radio delete, wrb with gold wheels. Such a fun car. Sold it just over a year later with 60k miles on it. Paid 32 With an extra set of winter wheels and tires. it was over new sticker and due to their guaranteed credit program I paid like 12% interest. Sold it for 24k. Still to this day it was my favorite car I’ve owned and I currently have a pulleyed e85 ctsv2 in the garage and a 9 second drag truck. December 20 2020 I purchased a 2020 Honda Odyssey elite from the same salesman that sold me the sti, my how times change.

had an impreza for 5 years absolutely loved it,getting another soon

"Nobody liked the Hawkeye", I cry at this statement

My science/math teacher in middle school had one of these he was already a cool dude but this made him all that much more badass

Doug, you cant put metal with rivets in the steering wheel. When the air bag goes off, those will be projectiles.

Doug is the kind of guy to lick his finger while flipping a page, on an “iPad”.

when doug started driving, i was just blown away by the sound. I can't wait to get mine, there's still a few in the market where I am. Gotta finish up my studies and get that loan for the subaru

Doug, that dial is for when you load stuff in the trunk. So your headlights won't shine upwards. It's not for adjusting for fog.

Demuro: “nobody liked the hawk eye front end” DING DONG DEMURO IS WRONG

What an icon. This is the exact car I (and every other kid my age) lusted after as a teenager, and my car of choice for literally every driving video game between 2000 and 2010. I had posters of it on my wall.

I bought a lightly used 04' STI in 2005 when I was in my mid twenties. That car was sooo fun! 2 speeding tickets and one crash in 10 months. It was worth it!

“Only found sti in 4 places” *proceeds to list 5 places*

The 04-05 headlights were literally the best headlights Imprezas ever had!

If I was in my early to late 20’s when this came out I would’ve bought it in a heartbeat. It’s everything I’ve ever looked for in a car. I’m 18 now but I’m gonna try as hard as I can to find a close to stock one in the future if I have the money. They’ll probably be so expensive by then... I’ve been trying to mod my regular Mazda 3 2.0 to be like a Mazdaspeed 3, only to realize that the WRX STi is everything the Mazdaspeed is and way more. The simple blue interior, relative practicality of a 4 door, manual, turbo sound, wheels, spoiler, body style... Everything is perfect

Doug “looks like the trunk of a sombrero” Demuro

Doug, The STi didn’t come with floor mats- those were added by the owner. I ordered my non-Noth American market mats from the web. Additionally, there was no stereo provided from the factory- the owner of your car had the WRX factory system put in (by the previous owner, since he didn’t let you know). I had to go to a stereo shop and get a system installed when I bought mine new back on the day. Also, don’t forget the Brembo brakes were exotic back in 2004. Only Ferraris and Porsches came with Brembo brakes until the 350Z, Evo and STi brought them to the masses. The 6 speed transmission was also super rare in those days- anyone that got in my car was blown away by the extra gear. The headlight adjustment isn’t for fog, it’s for when there is excess weight in the truck or rear seats which would cause the nose to tip up and the lights would blind oncoming traffic. You could turn them down. I sold my STi in 2012, and I still miss it.....

Doug be like "handling is amazing and precise, much better than any other car I've ever driven before, and it gets 2/10"

Got a third gen STI as my first car and I'm loving it! This video is just so on point, incredible.

When Porsches use stickers for their emblem----- weight savings. When Subaru uses decals------ CHEAAAP!!!!

"Is there at least a second cup holder somewhere else? The answer is NO! But there is a second cup holder.." hahahahahha classic Doug

I’m kinda surprised there was no mention of the Brembo brakes.

this will forever be my dream car no matter what

The STI exhaust note is my favorite exhaust note of any car. That even includes exotics. That STI gurgle just sounds amazing.

that very small cup holder is a normal cup holder for non Americans.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! I still have my 05' STi! It's fun to drive still. I wished Subaru would up the f'ing power after 10+ years which is just silly now, but back in 04-05' I remember it was crazy to have 300hp in a 4 door sedan that was considered an econo box.

finding this video years later.. i'd like to add a note. This car also performs like this on gravel, or in the snow. The joy of driving a performance car, off-road, is thrilling.

CNC motors: finally! Doug isnt taking our cars!

I really don't see the "Terrible interior". It's pretty normal and standard for the era. Most American cars were worse in this department

I absolutely was in love with this car when it was new when I was in HS! Still just the best looking WRX/STI model ever made...give me the white one with gold rims and blue interior!

Wanted a STI ever since I was 14. Turned 25 recently and just bought a 2021 STI. Finally got my dream car at the end of their life.

Doug is the type of guy who introduces his wife as "this is my wife"

“Not modified” Of course it has hella horns tho

10:20 that function is not a fog light replacement. In case of heavy load in the back lol you dip your short beams accordingly thus you dont dazzle other cars 🤷🏻‍♂️

4 wheel drive+ high horse power+ 4 door sedan+ easily modified+ cheap+ boxer+ fucking good exhaust sound+ you can Rallye it+ looks= Subaru Impreza WRX STI is everything you need

"Cost cutting cheap interior" You just described every car maker during that period

"This one has never been modified". Shows hella horns in the front grill.

Doug, the type of guy that wants metal covering an explosive airbag. Just what you want in a collision.

The first one I ever saw was at a Subaru meet in NJ. The owner backed it in next to my sleepy Legacy. It still had the paper registration on the windshield. When he offered me the keys, I couldn't say no.

6:27 Doug : everything in this car is blue Eiffel 65: this guys on to something

Well to be fair the last thing I want on my steering wheel is a metal cover over my airbag.