Autoblog

Click image for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI

I remember the last red Subaru I drove. I was in high school, and the car was my dad's – a new '88 GL wagon with an automatic and push-button 4WD on the shifter. I dug that Scooby. It wasn't powerful but it was fun -- especially when it snowed. Somehow I managed to avoid bouncing it off a lamppost while sliding it around corners. This had much more to do with luck than skill, as I was in high school and clearly an idiot. But I digress -- after all, this isn't about my dad's old GL. It is, however, about a red Subaru – the new Impreza WRX STI, to be specific. If this thing was around back during my neighborhood rally-pretender salad days, I'd probably just be getting my license back right about now.


All photos Copyright ©2008 Alex Núñez / Weblogs, Inc.

We lead off Autoblog Podcast #79 with the most important news of the week. Seriously, this rocked the car world. Vin Diesel and Paul Walker are returning to the Fast and Furious franchise for F+F IV. w00t! Moving on to more important news (like anything at all), we touch on the then impending and since finished Chrysler strike. See who was right, since the 'cast was recorded Tuesday, and the strike didn't launch until Wednesday. There's been lots of auto show action, and Tokyo caught our attention this week. The Impreza STi debuted, along with a bunch of other weird concepts from Subaru, Toyota, and Honda. One that caught our eye was the Honda CR-Z. Is it an Insight replacement, a new CRX, or both? Sydney's also having an auto show, and the VW Touareg R50 showed up there, packing a house-pulling 600+ foot pounds of torque. There was also a bunch of Ford wares in Sydney, but no Falcon Orion, apparently. Dang. Wrapping up, we touch on On Star's new service for perp-operated cars, which leaves John unsettled (something to hide?). Speaking of unsettled, our final item is the official pic of the 2009 Pontiac Vibe GT. We like it, but we're sure that it will stir debate, and it doesn't get an alphanumeric designator like G3 5/8. Weird. It's a value packed 53 minutes. See you next week!

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Click image for hi-res gallery

The wait is finally over. Subaru has released official photos and initial info on the new JDM-spec Impreza WRX STI. Details remain scant, however, as Subaru only tells us that the new STI is powered by a 16v 2.0L boxer with a twin-scroll turbo mated to a 6-speed manual. SI-DRIVE, multi-mode Drivers Control Center Differential (DCCD) and Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) are also standard. All of these things have been widely speculated on and/or reported already. Specific power numbers are conspicuously absent, so we'll have to wait for the rest of it when the car bows in Tokyo in a couple of weeks. Based on what's already been leaked, look for 304 horses and 311 lb-ft of torque in the Japanese-market model. What's no longer a mystery is the car's appearance, which is muscular and aggressive -- a huge improvement over the base WRX. Head to the gallery below to see the car unmasked at last.

[Source: Subaru]

Gallery: 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI (JDM)

Click image for more brochure photos

NASIOC has long been a bonanza of leaked photos and info relatingng to all things Subaru, and today, user "fyinpig" keeps that tradition going with brochure shots of the JDM Subaru Impreza WRX STI ahead of the car's official debut later this month. As you can see, the muscled-up hatch will be available in 7 colors in Japan ("obshidian" black pearl,, anyone?), with three different wheel styles. Inside, there's no shortage of STI logos, so your passengers won't confuse your machine with the standard WRX. Key numbers you'll undoubtedly be interested in include:

• 304 hp @ 6400 rpm
• 311lb-ft @ 4400rpm (41:59 torque split)
  
• Weight: 3263 lb (subtract an additional 22 lbs. if fitted with optional BBS wheels)

Head over to the NASIOC thread for all the info and an ongoing discussion.

[Source: NASIOC]

click above image for more dark shots of the impending Subaru Impreza STI

It was a dark and stormy night... inside the studio where Subaru shot its first batch of Impreza STI images. Like the dutiful fanboys we are, Autoblog has already posted on each of the first two pics, a dark head-on shot and a dark rear shot. Here we have a dark 3/4 shot (check out the lightened version at left), and we don't know if it will be the last of the bunch before the Subaru Impreza STI is officially unveiled on October 24th at the Tokyo Motor Show. Hopefully at that time we'll be supplied with some properly lit photographs, and we'll of course have a slew of improperly lit live shots from the unveiling, as well.

[Source: Subaru]

click above image to view all of our Subaru Impreza WRX STi spy shots

Though Subaru engineers took careful measures to ensure their Impreza WRX STi tester wasn't spotted en route to the Nurburgring or at the track's staging area, eventually the car cover had to come off. It appears Subaru engineers were forced to unveil the production body of the new STi in order to test how the final form affects cooling. Though we just showed you this official teaser shot of the STi, these spy shots show the car outside in perfect light where every detail of the new design is cleary visible. Aside from some black tape, the blue STi underneath is practically naked. Note what appear to be air extractor vents or intake scoops on the sides of the front bumper, a design element we weren't entirely aware of before. We can also clearly see the rear wing now, which is less ostentatious than we were hoping. The STi has always been known for sporting an obnoxious rear wing, but it looks like that tradition will end with the 2008 model. KGP Photography took shots of the STi from nearly every angle, all of which can be viewed in our high-res gallery.

[Photos: KGP Photography]

click above image to enlarge

We've seen more spy shots of the upcoming Subaru Impreza WRX STi than we care to recount, but it looks like the first official image of Subie's road rocket has finally been leaked on the web. While there's been no confirmation from Subaru that this pic is the real deal, it has that official flavor that only press pics seem to have. Unfortunately, this particular pic is dark by nature and obscures many of the elements in which we're interested like the grille and lower front bumper. What we can see is gigantoid hood scoop, mega wide front fenders, and what appears to be a large rear wing out back. The official arrival of the Subaru Impreza WRX STi is imminent, as the debut will take place at the Tokyo Motor Show next month. Suburu will likely release its full batch of official images and specifications before then. Until then, chew on this.

[Source: Carscoop]

Click images for photo gallery

If Japan's Best Car isn't BSing everyone, the car you see in the magazine scans above is the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. And while it's still a mortal lock to polarize people as much as the Impreza it's based on, we'll go out and say that this looks pretty killer. Sporting the expected high-mount wing, bulging fenders, quad exhaust tips, a substantial front spoiler, and a great-looking set of wheels, this is worlds better-looking than the regular WRX. From the looks of things, the car is also equipped with vented Brembos all around, which is not surprising. Where the WRX looks almost friendly, this thing's menacing, particularly in that dark gray finish.

According to the little chart shown on one of the scans, here's some of the key info you''ll want to know. All numbers pertain to the JDM model, obviously.

• Engine/Transmission: EJ20 / 6MT
• 300PS (295 hp) @ 6500 RPM
• 45 kgm (325 lb-ft) @ 4400 RPM
• 10.5 km/l (24.7 US MPG) in the Japanese 10-15 mode test cycle

Unfortunately, we don't read Japanese, and that's about all we can glean at this time. If you can read Japanese and are able to add more, feel free to do so in the comments. Now we want to see how this bad boy stacks up against the new Evo. Fun times are coming, kids. Check out the gallery for large versions of the scans.

UPDATE: Drat. We have now spoken to our Japan-based contributor, Justin Gardiner. Justin tells us that these are renderings (sigh) done by Best Car that show what the mag believes the new STI will look like. We can only hope it looks this good.

[Source: AVOturboworld via Carscoop]

If we've said it once, we've said it a thousand times -- bicycling is dangerous. Possibly even more dangerous than piloting a turbo-charged, all-wheel-drive hatch through the tree-lined corridors of a World Rally Championship stage. We meant to leave this little nugget of information on Sebastian Loeb's answering machine, but alas, we were too late. The Citroen hot shoe broke his arm during a cycling accident and is unable to drive his Xsara in the World Rally of Turkey this October 12-15. A pity really, as Loeb is currently in first place for the driver's championship, towering over his nearest competitor with a 35-point lead.

Citroen however has called out the big guns, in the form of ex-racer extraordinaire Colin McRae and long-time co-pilot Nicky Grist. The three-time World Rally champion will pilot the Xsara during the race in Turkey, although his participation in future races has not been ruled out.

We know McRae is still on top of his game, with his last run in the WRC back in 2005 for Skoda and his recent antics competing in the X-Games, it's evident that he is in top form. Rumors are also beginning to circulate that he may make a full-time return to the WRC in 2007.

[Source: Channel 4 and WRC.com]

In an effort to move the Impreza to appeal more to family types, Subaru is taking its Impreza and turning it into a 'daring' hatchback. Or at least UK pub Auto Express says so, which doesn't completely rule out a sedan model for the U.S. market. Of course, with the sudden bumper crop of foreign-badged three-and-five doors available in North America (Volkswagen GTI, Audi A3, MINI Cooper, the soon-to-be Volvo S40, etc.), we wouldn't count on it.

According to AE, the next Impreza is expected to debut at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, with lower-rung Imprezas looking to convert buyers of the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf/Rabbit (which we thought was the M.O. all along, no?).

For diehard Subie fans, rest assured that the automaker still plans on an STi putting out over 300 horsepower to balance the enthusiast's books.

(Thanks to ebm14 for the tip!)

[Source: Auto Express]