I'm pretty sure the reason they're called a boxer engine is because they're a horizontally opposed piston configuration and if you could see the pistons when the car was running, they would look like two hands punching back and forth. No?
+Scott Sawyer You don't say? I was simply using the above statement to make the point that boxer engines are NOT called boxer engines because they are shaped like a box, because IF that were the case, then an inline would also fit into the category of looking like a "box". I am aware that a boxer engine is a completely different layout.
Awesome history - Great explanation on the boxer engine! I tell you this, I never appreciated the engineering, design and ingenuity of different car manufacturers until listening to your reviews!
I mean... absolutely amazing. I really felt like I was in the passenger of the this stunning 2018 Subaru WRX STi. 20 minutes of pure joy. thank you for enlightening the people.
Thank you for touching on reliability. I’ve been reading about poor reliability but was wondering how much of that is modding and tuning incorrectly. Looking into the 2019 but I’ll probably leave it stock for the most part as I want that raw performance but also want reliability.
Love your videos man. You know what you're talking about and your love for cars is what makes your videos great. I respect your opinions. One question: Do you know if you can add the fog lights to the STi? Seems like the vents/housings are the same size. Thanks Raiti
You have such a good command of the Subaru Brand and the STI to be specific. I feel like I did not know anything about the Subaru brand. This is how a car review should be done. Keep up and do more reviews.
I love my 2015 wrx I’ve owned 4 Subaru’s from 2000 never had any problems They a the best what you get in these cars you have to pay more in any other cars Everything you have said absolutely perfect
I miss my STI sooo damn much. I owned a 17’ limited pure red for a little while. Unfortunately I had to sell and now own a 2019 WRX. Great car too.. but it’s not an STI. I feel if I decide to buy and STI again I will get criticized for buying and selling so many cars and my family will think I am stupid financially (Mom thinks I should invest in a house, but geez, house prices in CA are insane) The struggle is real! I drive a lot so I would take a hit in gas and maintenance. I am waiting for the new gen STI, when do you think that will be? 2020? Edit: It’s funny seeing this post of mine again. Shortly after I posted this comment, I could not resist and bought myself a 2019 STI for the 4th of July weekend sale. It looks exactly like this one! How times change suddenly specially when you’re really into something like cars 🚙 😂
Demosceles congrats! I know that feeling of waiting. The worst is when it’s at the shipyard and you have to wait to get it to the dealer. What color did you get?
Demosceles I actually love that color! Especially the way it pops in the sun. The hardest part is be patient waiting for the teamsters to put it on the truck.
What a wonderfully informative video! Thank you. I recently upgraded from a 2016 WRX BASE model to the 2018 WRX STI Limited and its night and day as far as features and performance. One thing I have noticed if you use either of these cars for a commuter, expect to get 25% less gas mileage with the STI vs the WRX, which makes sense due to the 2.0 vs 2.5 turbo. But adding onto that I would note that although you are going up only 0.5 liter engine, the standard WRX engine is a lot more efficient since its a newer design. I was able to get 28 mpg on average over 42k with an 80 mile round trip per day (mostly highway), where the STI seems like I may be lucky to get 22. The turbo is also very different on the WRX compared to the STI, where the WRX's turbo kicks in around 2500 RPM, and the STI is a bit higher closer to 3k or 3500. Another thing to note is the difference in price and insurance costs for each car, meaning I am now paying $40 more in WA state for insurance, mostly due to increase of cost of the new vehicle and increase in engine size. If you want the best without regard to cost, the STI is the obvious choice. But if you want a wonderful performance car that wont break your bank as far as commuting, cost, and insurance, I would choose the WRX. Just my 2 cents!
Raiti's Rides so if I still prefer the 2018 Subaru wrx because it’s more affordable, is it still a good car to tune for more power like the sti? I’m debating which one to get this year.
Hi Joe. I’m negotiations with dealer for a 2018 same blue sti with low profile wing with 33,970 miles. Listed for 36k is that a reasonable starting price? Should I take it or negotiate down?
Well, yes the engine is the same. It's been the same for more then 10 years. There is the revised nose, 19 in wheels, 6 piston calipers, updated interior, and updated diffs
Went and test drove the STI today and the thing that really struck me is how much better the gear box is than my wife’s WRX , can’t wait to have this car in my garage
I want to get one but I keep getting denied from dealerships! I've seen a couple 25-30k STIs with reasonable miles (20k-30k).....idk where to get one honestly. My credit is around 620....ive even offered 2-3k dowbpayment. I might just have to wait and try paying 5-8k downpayment? Any advice? They told me to get a cosigner but can't find any
It's nice to learn about a different type of car. Really informative. Also becasue of you I see Walker Ford ads often when I'm watching other youtubers. I try to click the like button , I hope it helps you out . You should receive a percentage of their car sales .
Great video! Pretty solid engine. I got a Porsche Boxster too which is a 6 cylinder but underperforms the WRX STI. Personally I love the “vortex” option on the top of this car. The only thing that blows this car is buying one from autonation and having the technicians there install the wrong oil filter. Truly an engineering marvel! The gearbox on the STI is a lot more confident than the WRX as well as so many other features.
subaru is the best car and i love subaru subaru is fast and conferteble and for sporting and for rally and race and drag also for drifting and the forester is the samething subaru is the best car ever subaru is my gold and the key subaru wrx sti impreza is the best
you know one thing i love about subaru is that the company have every thing that subaru fans need like JDM style and drag for racing and for rally right now subaru is the best brand now because they do rally and they fast and them can JDM the forester can JMD and the wrx sti impreza can JDM and the next thing too it is a awd drive awd drive cars is faster than rwd and fwd subaru cars is the best every subaru cars is awsome i love subau and i like subaru you enytime i see them on the road i all ways smile and happy becasue i know subaru is a rally car and one fast car the stock subaru is fast and the modefied subaru is fast
i will say subaru and the evo is twin and the subaru is more perfect than the evo but the evo is rally and the subaru is rally so both of them is twin but subaru is the gold and the key but dont mest with subaru cars
Mitsubishi need to bring back the EVO in the same kinda styling at the 10 but with modernized dash + interior. I like Subaru but they don't sound anywhere close to as good as an EVO sounds stock.
The dark ash gray and black one. It's tempting as hell,but I live in Quebec,Canada and I don't dare taking such a legendary car,the last of it's kind,only 1500 produced for North America,out in the winter,too much risks. I'll stick to my regular Lancer during winter for the moment and eventually get a WRX for winter and the Evo for summer!
Another reason I believe Subaru doesn't need/want to add more power because the rally cars cannot compete with more power. I might be mistaken but I am pretty sure there is a power limit to compete in WRC.
Young padawan you are learning well seriously you are, there are power limits in WRC and there are displacement limits as well, but youre also correct rally has at many times had cars that were "too fast" if you really are interested there was a group of rally in the late 80s called "group B" group b was actually cancelled for this reason drivers died/spectators died too, there is documentary on this called "too fast to rally" and thus why Group B and cars with over 500WHP are not allowed in many WRC competitions the only area where you will see cars with this insane amount of horsepower is generally in "pikes peak" which is a rally event of a HUGE uphill climb in which some cars have way more ponies than an STI that all compete to climb the hill the fastest. if youd like there is a devastating video of a EVO going off the side of the cliff but the drivers thankfully live that's a good short video to watch
Tyler Farrow you have some great information. It is excruciating to see amazing rally cars come and go because of the rules changing by the organizing bodies. I really miss the days that Mitsubishi, Subaru, Hyundai, Toyota, Seat, Pugeot, Citroen, and Ford used to go up against each other.
Gone are the days of rally brands participating for the pride and now its all about money and how they can sell to the people.... the 80s and 70s for rally were truly a different time when the Lancia stratos came out it was a PURE dominator and filled all the other brands with hate and lots of discrimination and hate for a car that was "too good" almost to the point where multiple rulings had been made and the lancia stratos was a car not allowed to rally at a certain point until changes were made, after that audi drove for the same solution but less to do with HP and more to do with corner times and good consistent speed Thus the AWD system was stamped by audi into rally for forever in the Quattro newly redesigned and Subaru would soon follow suite same with many other brands, interesting highlight to also note that audi was the only brand to have a WRC successful female driver who won back to back rallies when the AWD Quattro debuted ever since then sadly no one of the female gender has been as good as her blanking on her name but yes rally is much different now than it was before
Very good points! I couldn't even begin to imagine driving a Lancia Stratos at full tilt with it being only rewar drive down an rally stage, unless it was tarmac!
Raiti's Rides ya, cause you look like a dude that only goes for a cruise. I doubt you actually really ever push the engine. Lmao, these cars haven't changed for years
Thanks for the feedback! I'm not here to prove anything to anybody. I'm simply trying to share my love of cars. I love Subarus as I do all types of cars. If you read my bio I used to race cars so I think I know how to push an engine to it's limits. Thanks for watching!
Big thank you for this review Joe. Your analysis prompted me to go drive one and compare it to my '16 WRX. As much as I've loved my 30k miles in the WRX - the looks of the WRX and STI are where the similarities begin and end. A completely different driving experience. So good that I worked out a smokin deal on trading the WRX for the STI. I was initially waiting on the next gen but I decided life is too short. I'll do the next gen in year 2 after the first yr wrinkles are ironed out. My STI is being delivered in about 1 to 2 weeks. Can't wait. Btw I also got a test drive in the RS. I understand why you're in love. For me I fell in love with Subaru later in life - and the affair isn't over yet.
myvalium1 congrats on finding the car you really wanted. Life is to short and I wouldn’t want to be the guinea pig when the next generation WRX STI comes out. I love the STI always and forever. Who knows where I will go next. So what color did you get?
Raiti's Rides if I was 20 years younger it would have been WRBlue. I'm not so I'm going dark gray. It will be hard enough to endure my wife's jokes about the wing - I wasn't willing to delete that😉
I love watching your vids that i want to get a wrx sti. I live in australia and wondering if there is a specific year that i should be looking at buying? Dont think price is too much of a big deal but brand new 2019 wrx sti are round $60k to $65 so maybe a 2018 might be better to have i dont no. Any thoughts?
The engine/headers while unique and sounds great is very long in the tooth and not as reliable as the rest of the car. Totally disagree with 300 hp being enough now. Subaru SHOULD have added more power and reinforcements to keep up with competitors and the suspension tweaks. However, the 6-speed is beefy and overall the car is ultra-reliable if you don't mod too far on stock engine. I'm still on my original clutch in my 05 STi and it's been Stage 2 since 05. Only problems were radiator replacement at 100k and valve rocker cover gaskets leaking some oil @ 120k.
Hey R, It's the Metallic Silver color with the silver BBS wheels. I do like the new gauge cluster. My boost gauge is the old school option from Subaru and is the gauge attached to the left of the steering column. Been running a tuned Stage 2 since I got the car and has been very reliable.
I love that color combo and you ave a great setup under the hood. That is really cool that you have an original turbo gauge. I remember I had one in my 2007. Funny to think that it was an option.
It was 282 whp and the max is 18psi (Pro-tuned) on 91 octane. Can't really compare cars from different dynos and such, but the car felt much stronger/more torque after these simple bolt-ons and tune. The boost came on earlier after the tune and 5th and even 6th gears had much better passing power. If you factor in the say 20 percent drivetrain loss on these cars it's about 350 crank hp. That matches up pretty well to what COBB advertises.
The answer is dont buy it, wait for 2020 STI where Subaru will supposedly replace the 10+ year old 2.5 liter V4. An engine that has gained an astounding 5 HP in the past 10 years. In comparison the Mustang Ecoboost which makes 310 HP out of 2.3 liter V4 gets 5.3 seconds to 60 mph and 13.9 seconds in the quarter at 97.2 mph. The STI 5.7-second 0-60 and a 14.1-second quarter mile at 98.5 mph. Its slower than a fucking Ecoboost Mustang. Oh and about 10k more expensive. Its also slower than the Focus RS and Civic Type R.
I daily a 15 STi and I can assure you that it is much quicker than 5.7 to 60. Maybe in intelligent mode with all aids on. Turn on trac mode and put it in S# and it will around 5 flat.
You lost me at "this engine is bulletproof" the 2jz and 4g63 with their iron blocks and strong internals are bulletproof. The EJ motors are notorious for the 3rd piston failure even when bone stock. Part of it is weak internals and the UEL headers actually. Yes the boxer rumble sounds great but the UEL headers causes the 3rd cylinder to get too hot and cause ring failure. I'm not hating here it's just the way it is. BTW I have an EVO IX, 17 STI, and GT-R so I'm not baised.
I totally understand what you are saying. There were problems with some of the factory tunes. I have had may STIs with various levels of modifications and never had an issue. EVOs have there issues and so do GTRs. It is impossible to dodge issues.
Raiti's Rides ya some people never have problems but motor issues are a problem with subies. I've built 3 of them ranging from 300whp to 600whp and I've blown 3 motors. Subarus have weaker engines mainly due to heat issues. Evo's big problem is the transfer case (I've rebuilt twice), and GT-R has given me tons of different transmission issues. Not hating on any of my cars but that's the way it is every car has strong points and their weak points. I still love them and will continue buying more STI's in the future.
So for blown motors or engines. Is this cause you guys floor the gas all the time? I just want wrx sti for show and to get through winter. especially canada winter -.-
Calvin Wong if you are going to keep in stock you are very safe to drive as you please. Since 2004 I've only seen 2 documented ringland failures on 100% stock STI's. The engine problems occur when you start modding and tuning the car and reaching 350+ wtq. So if you plan to modify just makes sure you have the bankroll to pay for anything that might break. If you can't afford major repairs than stay stock and keep your factory warranty. Remember with modding cars you have to pay to play.
After seeing the new Subaru Impreza, Crosstrek, Forester, etc. models with the new Global Architecture platform, I anticipate the new WRX/STI to see what it brings. Aside from whatever aesthetic/aerodynamic and mechanical or other changes and additions already slated, I imagine the new platform brings improved structural rigidity, handling, and noise and vibration control. But as you stated, the new WRX/STI is worth getting right now, to me for 2019 with the radio refreshed I mentioned. The car is pretty perfect for it's type as is, but just updated with the rest if the lineup for the new platform. The STI is worth the money, and you can afford it over the WRX if that's what you want, and especially if you are a diehard tuner enthusiast that wants to mod it. I like the Impreza Sport Hatchback and the others because the lack of the turbo tends to have more reliability and longevity and needs less TLC warning up and cooling down after hot runs, albeit less HP. I prefer the WRX spoiler, which I believe is optional on the STI, but I know it has a functions purpose, like on the Honda Civic Type R my friend FlyinGato has. He also has a blue Bugeye STI and just got a nice blue Chevy Colorado ZR2 pickup truck. I also like the Honda Civic Sport Hatchback for the design, performance and price, but I wish the Si we're made in a hatchback to have all those goodies fir a little more with that body style and more cargo utility. The Civic Sport Touring Hatchback has more bells and whistles, but I think Subaru has more value for what it has in all its models. Especially the CD player and Aux audio input jack in the Subarus. I've been raised with GM muscle cars and always liked bigger cars until recently. I like all kinds if cars but only specific ones for my personal consideration and scrutiny if what I would get. My top performance pick would be a blue Chevy Camaro ZL1, and fir bigger daily driver, the Buick Regal GS, which would be a new version if my 1884 Buick GN I had. Fir a Truck it would be the Honda Ridgeline Black Edition, it a Chevy Colorado Z71 if I lived somewhere or did things I needed the off road capability and cargo capacity, but keeping it roughly around $35K or do, the WRX, Forester Sport, Crosstrek or Impreza Sport would be my serious picks. I always wanted heavy duty police vehicle based cars like the 2000 Chevy Impala LS and 2006 Impala SS w/ Flowmaster mufflers I had, so I strongly believe and understand the need fir a solid drivetrain/transmission/shifter, brakes, etc., such as the WRX performance package and STI. And always wanted Recaro seats. The ones in the WRX would be perfect for me. My Buick GN was the only year they had similar beautiful Lear Siegler multi adjustable seats. They look and felt great, and made all the GN owners I knew wish they had those instead if the ugly, unsupportive seats they had, even in the expensive limited edition GNX. I wish the Impreza had at least as much HP as the Honda Civic Sport Hatchback, but I still think it's a fair trade off for what it has, that I mentioned previously. The Honda Civic Si is great fir the price, but between the Civic Type R and the STU, I would go with the STI.
Evolved IX21 transmission have been proven to withstand high hp/tq upwards to the 600whp and up without any modifications! Now the engine...well that's another story lol
Quick answer to this title is "You want to Blow 10K on a engine build once you get rod knock or ring land failure." There fun until you blow your first or second engine then you hate them LOL!
Blake's Garage I have experienced this first hand my car has been at the dealership since August having a new motor put in it because the rod bearings failed. It should be done in the next week or so finally but I am not buying another WRX until they put a new motor design in the STI.... The rod bearings and ring land failure issues are extremely annoying and big problem areas on a vehicle at this price. I have a 2013 WRX and it only had 51,000 miles when it locked up
Blake's Garage if you are talking engine builds on this kind of car. You probably should of invest in upgrading the bearings and rods as well to handle that kind of performance. The orginal oem cannot handle it.
Dafuk? The front end of the 18` looks like Subie wanted to draft some popularity from the new Honda Type R front end. Massive, non-functional plastic fake vent openings. Subaru doesn't change much year to year. This 2018 is no different. Bland.
I totally understand what you are saying. They could of done something a little better. The center of the grill is cleaner though. We will se what 2020 brings for us.
We'll have to. The 2018 is slower and handles worse than the 2015 when this body style debuted. That's track tested. They are discontinuing the STI in the UK altogether. They gotta put up or shut it down..this car is getting more dated with every release.
Yeah I just couldn't justify spending that much on a Subaru that just isn't THAT different from the standard STI. It's like the UK's FQ430 Evo X...$70k for an Evo? oh hell no. I love my Evo but that's batshit crazy. You could buy two GSR's and tune both to 400HP for that amount.
I've always wanted one ever since the bug eye days. I fell in love with the sti in gran turismo 3 when they had the rally car version in the game. Ever since then I've been a fan. I agree that the engine is decent when its stock but ring land failure has been a known issue for years. These motors unfortunately don't like high horsepower. If you keep it under 400whp you should be okay.
"because if you take it out..... it looks like a box" hahahahaha. Great review but the lack of technical knowledge shows. I personally own a 2016 WRX and LOVE it. Full TBE, Intake + tune and it really drives like a Subaru should. I would encourage anybody who is considering to test drive one.
Thanks bro! learned alot about these that I never knew.....Never driven one, they seem so tame in the vids like this, though I know u arent getting on it hard... it cant be slow with 305hp..probably just have to experience it from the drivers seat!
Hi can you do a review on the Subarus Rival, even though they do not make the Mitsubishi Evo anymore but the Evo X the last Instalmen of the vehicle was a awesome car
