{"id":37555,"date":"2020-12-08T06:30:35","date_gmt":"2020-12-07T21:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/?p=37555"},"modified":"2021-07-28T21:11:00","modified_gmt":"2021-07-28T12:11:00","slug":"wrx-sti-testdrive-porscheowner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/en\/entry\/wrx-sti-testdrive-porscheowner\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does a Porsche Owner Think of the Subaru WRX STI?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The other day, I wrote an article about riding a Subaru WRX STI owned by one of my blog readers<\/a>, and this time my husband has shared his impressions. Please have a look if you\u2019re interested. <\/p>\n

Memories of the First-Generation Subaru Impreza<\/h3>\n

I wonder how many years it\u2019s been since I last drove an STI. When I was younger, I often rode in a friend\u2019s Impreza. I believe it was the first-generation Impreza 2-door WRX typeR STI Version<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

When I had just started working, every Friday night I would finish work early and speed off with friends to ski resorts in Gifu, racing along highways and snowy roads. The Impreza STI was truly a quick machine for those ski trips. <\/p>\n

\"Subaru

A photo from back then. We often went skiing in this car.<\/p><\/div>\n

I still vividly remember the thrill of driving it for the first time. The low-geared ratios combined with a 280ps turbo engine delivered intense acceleration<\/strong>. Even cruising at 5th gear, the acceleration when overtaking on the highway was so sharp I felt like I might crash into the car ahead. The overwhelming stability made me feel like I could easily take any highway curve at 180 km\/h. <\/p>\n

I still clearly recall being amazed at how fast and comfortable this car was.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

At one point, a friend installed aftermarket lowering springs, a reinforced clutch, and a loud muffler, which threw off the balance and made the ride terrible and the car difficult to handle. But until then, it was truly a car I loved and have fond memories of. <\/p>\n

Test Driving the Subaru WRX STI<\/h3>\n

Right in front of me now is the latest STI\u2014nearly 20 years after that first one\u2014the Subaru WRX STI. <\/p>\n

\"WRX <\/p>\n

The traditional EJ20 engine uses port injection rather than the now-rare direct injection, and extracts 308ps and 43 kgf\u00b7m from its horizontally opposed 4-cylinder layout.<\/strong> The peak power comes at 6400 rpm, and maximum torque at 4400 rpm, making it a high-revving turbo engine that\u2019s rare these days. <\/p>\n

The cabin, equipped with Recaro seats, is very comfortable.<\/strong> It gently wraps your body and makes it easy to find the correct driving position. <\/p>\n

\"Shift <\/p>\n

I shift into first gear. The throw is a bit long, and it\u2019s not the crisp \u201cclick-in\u201d type. Rather, it feels somewhat soft and rubbery\u2014more like a regular manual car than a high-performance sports car. <\/p>\n

The clutch isn\u2019t very heavy and feels surprisingly easy to operate.<\/strong> The engagement point is a bit narrow and seems slightly closer to the pedal, but I quickly got used to it and started driving without any discomfort. <\/p>\n

\"Subaru <\/p>\n

My first impression when driving off was that it felt \u201clight.\u201d \u201cLight\u201d can mean many things, but here it means that it doesn\u2019t have the solid body feel or planted sensation typical of a high-performance sports car. Instead, it feels more like an easygoing, everyday car that moves along effortlessly. <\/p>\n

Though my memory is a bit vague, compared to the first-generation STI, this car feels much more friendly and approachable.<\/strong> I tried taking a curve slowly. When I gently steer, the nose turns quite quickly. <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, this is the feeling of an STI,<\/strong>\u201d I thought, getting used to the engine\u2019s character and the shifting feel. <\/p>\n

\"Subaru <\/p>\n

The engine has relatively thin low-end torque and is fairly quiet.<\/strong> Compared to the 2.0-liter flat-four in the Porsche 718 Cayman, it feels much more subdued overall. <\/p>\n

When I rev it a bit more, power definitely comes on strongly around mid-range. Thick torque surges, and the car accelerates sharply. Even at high revs, it doesn\u2019t feel like the typical turbo lag or power drop-off.<\/strong> That\u2019s the hallmark of a high-revving engine. <\/p>\n

With 308ps, it\u2019s not brutally fast, but it\u2019s certainly quick. <\/p>\n

When accelerating, there\u2019s a brief sensation of losing contact with the road, but control quickly kicks in and the car grips firmly as it accelerates. Approaching a corner, I brake. The brake pedal has a somewhat long stroke and doesn\u2019t require much force.<\/strong> It\u2019s not weak, but since I\u2019m not used to it, speed modulation felt a bit tricky. <\/p>\n

Compared to the 718, the brake\u2019s firmness and controllability are honestly not quite as refined. <\/p>\n

\"Subaru <\/p>\n

Downshifting is easy\u2014just blip the throttle lightly and release the clutch to match revs. Some cars require precise rev matching to avoid shocks, but this one isn\u2019t so fussy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next page \u2192 Differences and overall impressions between Porsche 718 and WRX STI (VAB)<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

Pushing the STI Harder<\/h3>\n

Once I got comfortable with the car, I raised the pace and took some corners faster. Indeed, the initial turn-in is sharp and aggressive, very different from a typical passenger car.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

The nose bites in firmly, and there\u2019s a solid grip feeling, but as I steer further, the body rolls noticeably. Here, I thought I\u2019d like to see a stiffer stabilizer bar.<\/strong> Then, for a brief moment, the tires squealed and understeer appeared. <\/p>\n

The tires are ADVAN Sport V105. These aren\u2019t fragile tires that would scream at this level of cornering, so perhaps the tire pressures weren\u2019t ideal. <\/p>\n

The body leans heavily outward and compresses, but from there it stabilizes and carries through the corner smoothly. Under moderate G-forces, it seems to keep the tires firmly planted. <\/p>\n

\"Subaru <\/p>\n

The four-wheel-drive system\u2019s DCCD (Driver Controlled Center Differential) was set to AUTO, but whether through torque distribution control or ESP intervention, the car\u2019s behavior changes somewhat from the start to the end of a corner, which takes some getting used to.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

Later, I learned from the owner that the car is equipped with the following STI parts, which might affect its behavior: <\/p>\n

    \n
  • Flexible Front Tower Bar<\/li>\n
  • Flexible Front Draw Stiffener<\/li>\n
  • Front Support Kit<\/li>\n
  • Flexible Rear Subframe Support<\/li>\n
  • Flexible Rear Draw Stiffener<\/li>\n
  • Lateral Link Set<\/li>\n
  • Coil Springs Front + Rear<\/li>\n
  • Exhaust Kit<\/li>\n
  • Air Cleaner Element<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    This might make the car seem difficult to handle, but it\u2019s more like a car for advanced drivers.<\/strong> You need to understand the car\u2019s characteristics, behavior, and engine torque delivery well to drive it properly. Its performance is undoubtedly high, and you have to communicate with the car\u2019s intentions and respond accordingly. That\u2019s the impression I got. <\/p>\n

    \"Subaru <\/p>\n

    If you drive this car without paying attention to weight transfer, with delayed steering inputs, and suddenly turn the wheel at the corner, it would definitely feel scary.<\/strong> The fundamental driving technique required is to steer gently from early on and then turn more sharply as the corner tightens. <\/p>\n

    How Does It Compare to the Porsche 718?<\/h3>\n

    Because it has a horizontally opposed engine, it\u2019s often compared to Porsches (especially the 718), and some might consider both. But I think they are quite different in character. <\/p>\n

    Strictly speaking, the 718 feels more solid, rigid, and planted, never losing contact with the road and responding faithfully to the driver\u2019s inputs,<\/strong> whereas the WRX feels lighter and more nimble.<\/strong> It corners lightly and delivers turbo boost and acceleration that feel like a push, entertaining the driver. <\/p>\n

    \"Subaru <\/p>\n

    After all, its roots lie in rally racing. It might be odd to compare it to the STI from over 20 years ago since the model name itself has changed, but I imagine it would be a lot of fun to drive this car on snowy roads to the ski resort like before. <\/p>\n

    The turbo response and handling tuning carry that spirit, making it one of the few modern cars that still have a bit of the \u201cmischievousness\u201d lost in recent models. <\/p>\n

    Thank you very much to the owner who kindly lent me this precious car.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The other day, I wrote an article about riding a Subaru WRX STI owned by one of my blog readers, and this time my husband has shared his impressions. Please have a look if you\u2019re interested. Memories of the First-Generation Subaru Impreza I wonder how many years it\u2019s been since I last drove an STI. When I was younger, I often rode in a friend\u2019s Impreza. 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