2008 STi Test-Drive

[entirelyturbo]

Okay, I need to come clean. We've had the new STi in for quite a while, and I actually got to drive a black one last week...

... and have been slacking in writing a review on it.

Here's the one that managed to escape straight onto the platform right after PDI before I could get a hold of it :




Looks: Okay, I honestly think, save for the taillights, it's a good-looking car, especially with the pictured wheels. The fender flares work well, and the body-colored strip on the hatch instead of the chrome one makes a big difference.

I'll have to look, but I don't think there's even an option for foglights, so that's my other disappointment. But it looks good, especially in black.

Drive: I didn't beat the crap out of it, but I did flog it a bit. As you all know, I lay all the cards on the table, so the test-drive I did was right after PDI, and the car had 7 miles on it with the fuel light on. So it definitely wasn't broken in yet.

As far as power goes, it feels about the same as the old STi. Understand that I'm a bit jaded, so it didn't feel ridiculously fast to me, but it's still a quick car. I do have to say that the turbo lag seemed a little more pronounced, not only over the WRX, but even the old STi. Again, that may be a break-in thing.

Now... what impressed me the most was the handling. The body roll is significantly, noticeably less than the WRX, and with the good rubber, I did a fairly judicious turnaround in a cul-de-sac without even making the tires squeal. My favorite part of the car is the handling by far.

But the ultimate question is... could I have FUN in the car? You all know how picky I am, and the fastest car in the world does nothing for me if I don't find some sort of aesthetic pleasure in it. As far as this car goes...

... the answer is yes.

Blah blah blah framed windows something blah blah no parking light switch something blah something... yeah, I still miss that stuff. I can't ignore that, and I can't help not being able to ignore that. Sorry.

But at the very least, this car is enjoyable enough that I can outweigh that stuff and still have fun.

Now if only I could get past that $36k starting price

[SubaruNation]

ok wait a second.. i don't know if it was you but someone on here kept writing reviews about how bad and shitty this car is. i think it was you, wtf?!

so now you come clean?

has it grown on you?
because subaru is notorious for changing body styles, and im ok with it b/c it makes wagons more cool

, i haven't read the article yet but i will

[James614]

Good to hear that the STI is at least as fast and fun as the old one. But I do believe that Subaru should make the STI in both sedan and 5 door body styles, simply because I believe the sedan profile looks more racy with it's big rear wing and such. My other big quip is that Subaru is something like 15 years late to the clear tail light craze, although they don't look too terrible. That shape of tail light would'nt have looked great in solid red, so it may be for the better.

[SubaruNation]

ok just read it, glad you changed your mind

im just worried about the person that buys it after you drove it
the first 1000 miles determine the life of a car correct?

not to be a duche but if i was going to buy one of these i wouldn't want anybody to have even touched it

other than that yeah it's a cool car

[Subtle]

Thanks for the brief description.

I llike the car, but I should add--Tires don't "squeel", or "howl"-- the road does.

[evolutionmovement]

I've never heard a road make any noise. They don't talk to you, do they?

[Subtle]

I sort of had an image of the road being beat up by sticky tires

Roads and fast cars: moguls and skiis; white-water boulder gardens and a kayak; mountain bike and single track.

Great sports--all involve turning left and turning right. --and beating the H.... out of the surface.

[evolutionmovement]

Oh, OK. I was worried the roads were talking to you. Everybody knows asphalt and concrete don't talk and if this damn coffee table would shut up I could get back to my books.

I think the STI version looks much better than the regular WRX. Still no beauty, but not hideous. That price, on the other hand, is Italian exotica territory. No thanks.

[entirelyturbo]

ok wait a second.. i don't know if it was you but someone on here kept writing reviews about how bad and shitty this car is. i think it was you, wtf?!

Hold on a second. Don't put words in my mouth.

I never said the new Impreza was 'bad' or 'shitty' or anything like that. Objectively, there are one or two drawbacks as opposed to the GD chassis, namely the increased body roll and the retarded exhaust setup on the hatchback. But it's not an inferior car necessarily. Remember, I said the new car still outperforms the old car on paper. Statistics don't lie.

My complaint was that it didn't feel like a Subaru.

Yes, there are some changes made that I acted ridiculously melodramatic about when I first learned of them. I understand in the grand scheme of the universe, those changes really don't matter much.

Still, they bug me, because they take away some of the Subaru-ness to me. Sorry. That's how I feel.

But... I said the new GR STi (my guess is because of the wide-body, the chassis code differs from the regular GH hatch) gives back enough of the enjoyment of the driving experience to make up for those things that bother me.

I could find other things to complain about, such as the hideous steering wheel or the SI-Drive garbage that deafeningly screams how bad Subaru wants to be like BMW.

Or how it's WAAAAAAAAAAY too quiet!

But instead of pissing and moaning about every little thing, I'll just say the new STi is fun enough to drive to make me not notice those things as bad.

Only the STi though.

[evolutionmovement]

Actually statistics do lie. They can be used to say whatever people want them to say. Not that I'm implying anything.

[SubaruNation]

Actually statistics do lie. They can be used to say whatever people want them to say. Not that I'm implying anything.

well if you're not going to imply anything than i will

yeah i gotcha about the car, i just thought it was funny how bi-polar your opinions are about the two cars.

[evolutionmovement]

My opinions on a car are far from the only thing that's bi-polar about me. And I prefer manic-depressive. Bi-polar is that pussy PC name for it.

[SubaruNation]

My opinions on a car are far from the only thing that's bi-polar about me. And I prefer manic-depressive. Bi-polar is that pussy PC name for it.

pffffsh ha ha seriously.
i'll try to use my prescription terms more then..