2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI tS - First Drive Review

More initials mean less weight and more good for the Impreza WRX STI.

June 2011

Specifications

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

ESTIMATED BASE PRICE: $42,000

ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve flat-4, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection

Displacement: 122 cu in, 1994 cc
Power (SAE net): 304 hp @ 6400 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 317 lb-ft @ 3200 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 103.3 in Length: 180.3 in
Width: 70.7 in Height: 57.7 in
Curb weight (C/D est): 3250 lb

PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 4.9 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 13.4 sec
Top speed (mfr’s claim): 155 mph

To most people, the Subaru Impreza is a practical compact sedan with enhanced all-weather capability. But enthusiasts have long known its darker side. The WRX alludes to the WRC rally car, and for several years now, Subaru has offered Americans the STI with even more power. Sophistication, however, isn’t the STI’s thing. It is brash and loud, with a wing that makes it look as if it were ready to launch into outer space.
Now, Subaru is trumping its STI with the tS, which stands for “tuned by STI” and strikes us as redundant. The model will only be sold on Subaru’s Japanese home turf, but we were invited to sample one on the back roads and autobahns near the company’s European Test and Development Center in Ingelheim, Germany. With the "tuned by STI" addendum in mind, we fully expected an Impreza with even more outrageous wings and flares. What we were shown instead by the center's general manager, Hideki Arai, was a rather subtle evolution of the STI. We wouldn't exactly call it refined, but even at first glance, it is visibly more mature and sophisticated.
Nine-Pound Fixation
For one thing, the STI tS loses the STI's massive rear wing, instead sporting a discreet lip spoiler. The carbon-fiber roof cuts nine pounds, as does an aluminum hood, and ultra-lightweight wheels with a unique design save another nine apiece. Arai-san points out a strut brace upfront and says the suspension has been reworked extensively. The Impreza STI tS is available only as a four-door sedan.
The powertrain is unchanged from that in the Japanese-market STI: a 2.0-liter turbocharged flat-four making 304 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque. Those who want an automatic can have one, but they get downgraded to a 296-hp 2.5-liter that makes only 258 lb-ft. Called “A-Line,” the automatic car is significantly cheaper than the manual tS.

We went for the six-speed, of course, and it provides a superb driving experience. There is very little turbo lag, and the 2.0 pulls eagerly throughout the power band. Country roads are this car's domain. The tS is compact and agile, and the nicely weighted steering is a joy to bend into corners. The suspension has been retuned and feels slightly softer than in the regular STI, which helps the tS remain composed even on bumpy and uneven surfaces. It also makes the tS a more agreeable companion on the autobahn, where it remains stable and comfortable as it pulls with alacrity up to its 155-mph top speed. Like the regular STI’s, the tS’s exhaust note is remarkably unobtrusive, and for our taste, it could be a bit more aggressive.
BMW in Subaru’s Sights?
But the tS is not about having an aggressive demeanor—it is about sophistication. “We would like to use high tech to compete with the premium segment,” Arai-san explains. And although he acknowledges that Subaru isn't there yet, he would like nothing more than eventually to see the STI tS compared with the likes of a BMW M3. That sounds like a stretch, but we will say that the idea of adding a higher-performing, more tastefully executed level to the WRX family is highly appealing.

Although the tS’s first run of 500 units will be confined to the Japanese market, Subaru is seriously considering launching the line abroad. The tS concept could be stretched to other model lines, perhaps including the imminently arriving two-door sports car. We would like to see the tS further separated from the WRX and STI models, but the STI tS is a great first step. “We will watch the market and would like to get a reaction,” says Arai-san. Ours is emphatically positive.
Source : Caranddriver.com

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