Speedzone

Dec 23, 2007 - 08 Subaru Impreza STi First Drive

Ok, so I finally am able to sit back, relax, and give you guys my impressions of the 08 STi, first hand, non journalist view, non professional view of it....

 

Let me preface my write-up in that I've been a Subaru fan for years, starting in the late 80s when my cousin bought a 1988 XT6.  I bought my first Subaru in 1997, a 1988 XT6.  It wasn't perfect, the air-suspension needed replacement after some time, and this started my work on Subarus.  Since then I've been working on them in my spare time and even grew a small side business out of it.  My Subaru resume includes the 1988 XT6 Automatic, a 1991 XT6 Manual, a 1992 SVX AWD, 1996 Impreza L AT, 1994 Legacy Turbo Sedan 5MT, and now daily drive a 2005 Legacy Turbo Wagon 5MT.  I also have been road racing and track instructing since 2002 and auto crossing since 2000. 

 

Enough of my Subaru background, as I could write for hours about my Subarus and the good fun I've had working on and driving them.  You are reading this for the '08 STi info!  So it was a fairly cool evening here in the Northeast, a few friends got together for dinner in NJ.  Chatted about Subarus and reminisced about the past, past Auto-Xing and the future of where Subaru will be heading too.  After dinner, we headed out to the parking lot, very similar to the old days in the late 90s when we would meet in parking lots and look at our cars and talk for hours about Subarus.  The 2008 STi was parked right next to my 2005 LGT Wagon, interesting how similar in stance these cars both have. 

 

I sit down and begin to explore the car, the legend, the car that has grasped us since time began!  This was my first time getting a close up look at a car long before the general public would even be able to order it! Could this be?  I guess after being a loyal fan for so many years I finally got a peek at the future :)

 

Ok, so I sit down and immediately I feel that the seats are a tad wider than my Legacy GT seats.  The elbow room in the driver's seat is also a bit more, allowing my ample 300lb frame a comfortable seating position.  Forward visibility was superior to that of the previous STi due to a more elegant and slender intercooler scoop, slightly larger than the scoop on my LGT but subtle.  The dash was well laid out with the GPS/stereo unit placed high on the dash, something that I have missed since my 1997 Isuzu rodeo which placed the stereo at the top of the dash, above the HVAC controls, and above the air vents.  Being a driver, this is very important to me because when I drive, I like to drive, and controlling the stereo atop the dash like that makes it much easier while keeping your eyes and senses on the road. Footwell lighting matching the dash lights gave a great accent as well.  Closing the door was with a nice thud, and without the frameless windows closed better than all the other Subarus with the exception of my SVX.

 

The feel was that of my Legacy in terms of the fit and finish, light years ahead of the previous generation.  Not quite up to SVX levels, but the SVX cost almost the same amount, in 1992 as the STi costs in 2007. Other similarities to the SVX include struts under the hood to hold it up and a subtle rear spoiler.  SI-drive is included on the STi, which allows for 60% max throttle and boost levels to provide a more economical drive, which the Sport Sharp mode allows increased throttle response and boost levels above the standard levels.  This is a very nice feature because most of us will be driving this car on a daily basis and could use the fuel-savings mode often.  Other interesting interior items include VDC that has 3 modes.  Mode 1 is standard VDC, Mode 2 allows the brakes to interact, but doesn't allow the fuel cutting of the standard VDC mode.  Mode 3 is completely off mode with no fuel or brake interaction.  The center differential also is interactive with the usual STi setup where you can vary the initial torque split F/R and lock it at 50/50.  Interestingly there is another setting which allows for "tarmac" or "dirt" mode.  In Tarmac mode, the diffy will be a bit looser varying the power F/R more so, in Dirt mode, the diffy will be tighter to a 50/50 split.  Pretty nifty and useful for those folks who will and should be tracking this car.

 

Visually, the car is very aggressive with wide fenders in both the front and rear.  This is very reminiscent of the 22b where the rear fenders/quarter panels incorporate a wider stance.  This makes a very strong statement, since in the past to go from a WRX to an STi one could theoretically bolt everything onto a WRX and get an STi.  With this new/old setup, you can't simply bolt on parts to get to an STi.  These wider fenders allow for 245 tires as stock, and one can fit up to a 275 width tires in stock format with no other modifications. 

 

So we started to roll out of the parking lot and bam the car takes off.  Significantly smoother throttle and turbo engagement than the previous STi with the turbo kicking in at lower RPMs as well.  The next thing you feel is the ride, firm, yet smooth.  I would say it's 95% as good a ride as my 05 LGT but the performance is about 30% better than that of my LGT.  Handling through the twisties was outstanding you could feel the diffys moving the power around but it was all done in a smooth and un-abrupt manner.  Stopping was outstanding with the 4-pots F and 2 Pots rear, no wheel locking or chattering or uncontrollable stopping power. 

 

Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to track it or take it for too much of a wild ride.  Weaving through traffic was settling and nothing un-expected came out of it.  Ride was quiet and just amazing for the performance levels.  I think they have really taken this to a new level in terms of performance and comfort.  This is the grown-up version of the STi with all the trackable items you could want.

 

Missing in this version is the IC sprayer which was pretty useless, because when you needed it sprayed you'd most likely be in the middle of a turn or shifting!

 

Quick Positive Points:

o Great dash layout with the stereo/GPS up high.

o Interior is quiet and up to Legacy Levels

o Struts under the hood

o Wide fenders and quarter panels

o Cabin room is larger than that of the LGT, especially the front passenger.

o With seats down the storage is very close to that of the LGT Wagon, slightly smaller

o S-drive very strong point

o Center diffy control will no doubt make this very popular with the track/rally crowd

o Quad exhaust outlets and exhaust note very nice and classy

o Linear power coupled with a ride quality far beyond that of the previous gen.

o Black Brakes, no more glitzy Gold

o Buttery soft shifter and clutch mechanism

o Tilt/Telescopic wheel

 

The low points:

o Rear roof antenna is a bit old and could be incorporated in the quarter windows

o Rear window switches are un-lit

o Bluetooth is an option, even with Navi

o No boost gauge incorporated in the cluster

o Manual seats and no heated seats

o No moonroof option

o No memory Tilt/Telescopic wheel

 

I expect that once the Legacy Spec B and the whole Legacy line grows in size in 2 model years that we will see a lot of the features in the Spec B get incorporated in the STi as the premium Impreza trim level, the next legacy will have a 3.6L H6 w/6speed and around 300hp.  I also expect that in the 2nd or 3rd year the STi will gain power levels as well, since the power levels in this model are on par with the outgoing STi model.  On the gauges I prefer the white lettering luminous ones with red needles on my LGT over the red lettered w/white needles on this new model.  Look for SPT Boost gauge to have matched font unlike previous gauges, it also has PSi instead of Bars so you can actually understand it.

 

In conclusion, after having been a Subaru fan for over 10 years this has become one of my all time favorite Subies.  I would say that the only one I like more would have to be my 92 SVX, which a lot of the items have been brought over to this latest iteration of the Impreza Supercar.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the 08 Impreza STi and look forward to tracking this car this summer.  In 2 years when the new Legacy comes out I will be taking a hard look at the 2010 STi, the 2010 Legacy and decide which one I will upgrade my 2005 Legacy GT Wagon in for.

 

-mike

11:13 am | Categories: subaru, sti, 2008, impreza, new, all-new, legacy, soa, lgt Permalink | Alert Administrator

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