2012 impreza wrx sti

For the first time in three years, Subaru is offering up a four-door sedan version of their performance icon, the IMPREZA WRX STI. This is the first time that Subaru has ever offered an STI in two body styles. That's right, you can also buy the five-door STI. New for the STI(s) this year is an improved suspension consisting of stiffer bushings, stiffer springs, and thicker anti-roll bars at both ends of the car. The 2011 STI also sports less unsprung weight than the 2010 model due to lighter 18-inch wheels that are a combined 17.6 pounds less heavy. For years, the Subaru IMPREZA WRX STI.

has been one of the world's least pretentious performance buys. In either sedan or hatchback trim, the car has presented itself as a conservative economy car. Meanwhile, the car's big brother – the IMPREZA WRX  – STI has been fitted with a completely reworked suspension and an all-new four-door body style.

"We managed to increase the track of the WRX by nearly 1.5 inches," says Martyn Harding, IMPREZA  STI car line manager for Subaru North America. In reality, Subaru has spread the WRX by 1.3 inches compared to the 2011 model—a big number by anyone's count—thanks solely to the car's wild new bodywork. Mated to a five-speed manual transmission and an all-wheel drive system, the combination returns 19 mpg city and 25 mpg highway. Likewise, the IMPREZA WRX STI retains its old engine, though it produces a more muscular 305 horsepower and 290 lb-ft of torque.

The Drive
Though the added width and wider wheels and tires (now up to 17 x 8 inches on all four corners) help to keep the car planted, we couldn't help but notice that the extra grip simply makes the driver more aware of the car's softer springs and dampers compared to the WRX STI. Subaru has managed to sharpen both the WRX and the IMPREZA WRX STI for 2011, but in different ways. The base WRX now wears a body befitting a budget performance heathen while the mighty IMPREZA WRX STI has been given some much needed focus for the first time in years.

on't overthink this update to the 2011 Subaru IMPREZA WRX STI. Subtle Tweaks
From a powertrain perspective, nothing about the 2011 Subaru IMPREZA WRX STI has really changed. The antiroll bars are the same as those used for the 2011 Subaru IMPREZA WRX STI Special Edition: 21mm front and 19mm rear, each 1mm larger than in the 2010 WRX STI. Meanwhile the 2011 IMPREZA WRX STI rear subframe bushings have been stiffened to reduce deflection-induced camber changes in the wheel alignment. The STI's rear tires are more involved in the practice of turning the car than they were before.

Also important to note is that the only suspension parts the 2011 WRX STI shares with the standard WRX are the rear suspension subframe, rear control arms and the muffler. Not-So-Subtle Tweaks
For 2011 the Subaru IMPREZA WRX STI will be available as a sedan. New Enkei wheels for the STI are 4.4 pounds per corner lighter than the wheels that were standard for the 2010 STI. Forged BBS wheels are available as part of the Limited package for the STI sedan and are standard on the hatchback STI.
For all its newness, the 2011 Subaru IMPREZA WRX STI is essentially the same thumping STI we've been driving since 2008, and even the new sedan version is really no different. 2011 Subaru IMPREZA WRX STI
If you can do without the STI hardware, you'll find that the 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX shares the STI's wide-body styling (minus the massive free-standing wing). A side effect is a substantially wider track for the WRX, 1.3 inches in the front and 1.5 inches in the rear.

The Big Question
At a base price of $34,720 (including destination), the 2011 Subaru IMPREZA WRX STI Sedan costs $970 less than last year's STI five-door hatchback. The 2011 Subaru IMPREZA WRX STI starts at $26,220, including destination.

Aspen, Colorado—Rally-inspired cars are perfect for all types of adventures, on the road, track, or even on the dirt. And that’s exactly where I had the chance to drive the new 2011 Subaru WRX and IMPREZA WRX STI models. The new WRX also now shares the same wide-body design with its higher-performance STI sibling. Bringing the WRX closer to the STI in performance and looks, the car’s rear subframe attaches to the chassis with stiffer bushings, and both share the aggressive front end styling. On the curvy mountain roads between Aspen and the 12,000-ft. Independence Pass, the IMPREZA WRX STI tracks through corners with responsive turn-in and progressive steering feel.

The STI’s 2.5-liter flat-4, with 305 bhp and 290 lb.-ft. of torque, and the 6-speed manual transmission, remain unchanged. Look for the new 2011 Subaru WRX and IMPREZA WRX STI to show up in dealers late this summer or early in the fall. Pricing for the WRX starts around $25,000. At Calabogie Motorsports Park, the STI was as pleasing to drive as a Porsche Boxster — light, agile and plenty fast.
Understeer, which was notable in the previous STI, is much harder to inititate in the new car. I have driven a lot of different cars at the Calabogie track. The WRX STI ranks as one of the easiest and most fun.
The WRX will also feature a variant STI upon which a future WRC rally car will be based - a competition which Subaru plans to return to.
The WRX STI variant will feature that same powerplant setup dialed up to around the 304 PS (224 kW / 300 bhp) mark for a true WRC-linked road rager.

Work on the all-new WRX has been made easier by Subaru's involvement in the joint-venture Toyota sports car that is currently known as the FT-86 but is expected to hit Australian showrooms as the Toyota 86. This image, revealing how one artist sees the new WRX, shows the new two-door model with a shorter wheelbase and heavy-duty bodywork. "Apart from a few nuts and bolts, every part on the NEW WRX will be unique. Even the engine and body," says the Subaru source.
"Up until now, the Impreza and NEW WRX used many common parts, which translated into entry-level Imprezas that were over-engineered," says the Subaru source. "The basic chassis and suspension had to employ certain parts necessary for the WRX. Work on the upcoming WRX includes consideration of a turbocharged 1.6- litre boxer engine pumping out around 150 kiloWatts, while a twin- charger system involving a supercharger is being tested as well.