Tasty Track-tion!
New WRX carves up new South Okanagan super circuit
Everyone loves a bargain, right? From grocery coupons to mega sales to the ubiquitous Canadian Tire money, we all like to feel we walked away paying less than we should. It’s just so satisfying. It’s so Canadian.
And so it is with car shopping, even with performance cars.
Sure, there will be those who will pay the money for that Porsche 911, the idea being that fulfilling a dream is priceless (Of course, Porsche knows that, too). But what if you wanted some real thrills on a track without the supercar price tag? There are options, including the latest incarnation of the allwheel-drive Subaru WRX and its more hardcore sibling, the STi.
The mildly updated 2018 WRX is a good deal, as touted by Subaru executives on this launch in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. And to be fair, they have a point; at just $29,995, you get a sport-oriented sedan with 268 horsepower that combines practicality with good performance for under thirty large (of course, taxes and other fees blow that out of the water). But that’s not really the better deal here, especially if you are a real performance enthusiast, and more so if you partake in time trials, parking lot autocross or full-on track days. No, if that’s the case, then the WRX STi is your Walmart “value of the day.”
Both cars are updated, not fully changed, for the 2018 model year.
There are a few cosmetic changes: front fascia, interior bits, revised instrument cluster.
And there are a few equipment additions, too, such as LED headlamps and LED fog lamps (optional on WRX, standard on STi), optional steering-responsive headlamps, an integrated roof-rack carrier, a rearseat armrest and optional Recaro ultrasuede-and-leather front seats.
Even Subaru’s EyeSight package (which includes pre-collision braking, adaptive cruise control, reverse automatic braking and other safety features) is available for the first time, albeit only on the WRX with a CVT.
The electric steering on the WRX has been changed for weight savings, and both cars get a revised suspension with slightly thinner rear sway bar and different damping and spring rates. Both cars also get an updated clutch and shifter for better feel and smoother operation, while the six-speed manual’s gears get three-cone synchros.
But wait. This is a review of a performance sedan, right?
Why the focus on pricing, when it should be on horsepower, zeroto-100 times and g forces around a track? This isn’t some tin econobox, after all, so how does it drive?
Fortunately, dear reader, it’s not entirely about dollars or features. Yes, these are not your average compact sedans.
The WRX is a comfortable ride around town, yet punch the throttle and its 2.0-litre turbocharged boxer four will have the tach banging off the rev limiter in no time, which is good because it feels like there’s almost no torque below 3,000 rpm, even though it’s listed a 258 poundfeet from 2,000 rpm to 5,200 rpm.
Apparently, it will get to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds. Steering is sharp and light, the car stays relatively flat in the corners, while the all-wheel drive keeps things sure-footed.
But it’s when you compare what you get vs. competition from the likes of the Volkswagen GTI or the Ford Focus ST that you find there’s more horsepower and that famous all-wheel drive for the same money. There’s your value for the WRX.
The real value for enthusiasts is the STi. Sure, it starts at just under $40k, a full ten grand over the base WRX and not a small sum for a compact four door. But oh, what you get: six-piston Brembo front brakes, 305 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 290 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm (and a full second faster than the WRX to 100 km/h).
You’ll also get a revised Driver-Controlled Centre Differential that adjusts the torque bias front to back, and perhaps best of all: standard red seat belts. Seriously, the STi also has driver modes for different torque mapping (smooth and silky or full-on bucking and jerking). The hydraulic steering is slightly heavier than the electric system in the WRX but also very direct with a defined on-centre feel.
On the new Area 27 racetrack near Penticton — full of long straights, sweeping fast corners and blind hills — with the STi, there is no thought of value or saving money, but there was plenty of blowing cash on the Yokohama tires and gallons of gasoline. Like the WRX, this 2.5-L turbo boxer likes to be kept singing, and it’s all too happy (as is the driver) on this fast course. What’s better is that there is very little understeer, and those new Brembos haul the car down almost violently, without appreciable fade.
The shifter isn’t as smooth as you’d like, though, and it takes some heft in notching it into each gear. You get the feel that the car is much more capable than what the constantly shrieking tires can do. In fact, the chassis could probably handle more power, considering how settled and composed it is, even at high speeds and in hard braking. On the road, the STi is stiffer than the WRX but still manageable enough as a daily driver, especially if the torque mapping is kept gentle. The optional Recaro seats are comfy and offer plenty of bolstering, though not as much as other sporty cars such as the Ford Focus RS.
But here’s where the value part comes into play; for all of this performance, power and technology, some direct competitors, such as the Focus RS, are another ten grand on top of the STi’s base price.
AnotherAWDpowerhatch,theVWGolfR, is about the same price but slightly down on power compared with the STi.
Look at any other cars in this price range and you’re giving away the all-wheel drive, the horsepower or the handling, while other comparable cars are thousands of dollars more. So, stick that in your coupon wallet.
Sure, the Subarus still have that slight look of a “boy racer,” especially with that giant rear wing on the STi (thankfully, there’s now an option for a subtle trunk lip). Can you get over that? Maybe the money left in your wallet will help.