I’ve driven the Subaru WRX a few times, but never the full strength STi version. Dealers no doubt were deluged by people seeking test drives, and were loathe to allow one unless they felt you were highly likely to buy the car. I don’t pretend to be more interested in a car than I am—I’m usually “just looking” when I visit dealers—so this screened me out.

But then I noticed that one local dealer had a least five STi’s on the lot. With a clear oversupply, perhaps they’d be freer with test drives? I dropped by another dealer, and not only did I get a test drive, but the salesperson did not even come along. Pretty gutsy, considering the potential for getting into trouble with this car. It likely helped my chances that the STi in question was used with a few thousand miles on it. Why would someone trade the car so quickly? My test drive provided a plausible answer.

Update: A week after driving the STi I also drove the Mitsubishi Evolution. This raised questions in my mind concerning the STi I had driven—namely whether it had been modified—so I tested another. It performed much the same, but did allow me to refine the following review. For a thorough comparison of the two cars, see my review of the Evo.

Styling and Accommodations

The STi has larger wheels and a more aggressive body kit, but generally looks much like the regular WRX. So it’s not much to look at. At least the front end was revised for 2004, so the car is no longer downright ugly.

Inside the STi is also nothing special. The materials feel solid, but the styling is pure economy car. I strongly suspect that the next redesign of the Impreza will include a sleeker exterior and a much nicer interior, as Subaru is moving upscale.

The STi’s chief competitor, the Mitsubishi Evolution, has a slightly more attractive exterior (and is far more attractive than the regular Lancer) but an equally pedestrian interior.

Two parts of the interior deserve special mention: the steering wheel and the seats. The shape and texture of the leather Momo wheel feels wonderful, both sitting still and in action. The seats are designed for aggressive driving, with generous bolsters. Comfort isn’t bad.

Room in the front seats is just right based on my tastes, tight enough to make you feel connected to the car but not so tight as to feel cramped. A high driving position coupled with a fairly low dash conveys excellent visibility. The rear seat is pretty good considering the small size of the car. The seat cushion is fairly high, providing better thigh support than many larger cars. The weakest area of the rear seat is knee room. If the person in the front seat is over six feet, the rear seat passenger will have to sit with their knees to each side of the front seatback. Since I’m 5-9, my rear passengers would not have this problem.

Trunk space in the sedan is about average for this size car. Versatility is limited by a rear seat that does not fold down (though a pass-through is provided behind the fold-down armrest). Though I suspect they did this to enhance the body’s rigidity, I have used the fold-down seat in my cars many times.

On the Road

Since the styling isn’t going to sell this car, it had better perform well. The regular WRX, with a 227-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo four, is already a strong performer, especially once the revs and boost are up. So why spend another $7,500 for the STi? Personally, I was hoping for tighter handling and more communicative steering, but most people drool over the STi because of its engine, a 300-horsepower 2.5-liter turbo four.

Rightly so, it turns out. In acceleration I expected only a marginal improvement over the regular WRX. But just out of the dealer’s lot it was clear to me that the difference was significant. The larger four produces massive torque even in the midrange—once over 3,000 RPM the amount of thrust is breathtaking. And boost lag at that RPM on up is pretty much nonexistent. Horsepower really isn’t my thing—my current car has only 130-horspower, and I rarely find myself desiring more—but I could not help but be very impressed with the sheer, V8-like thrust produced by the STi’s engine. The accelerator is downright intoxicating. Thankfully this power is not achieved through a largely open exhaust. When I drove the Neon SRT-4 I became very self-conscious, as lifting off the gas in that car produced an obnoxious brap-brap-brap-brap whenever the engine was braking the car. Do the same in the STi and engine noise is prominent, but exhaust noise is not.

The STi is available only with a close ratio six-speed manual. The gearing is quite short, aiding acceleration. A short-throw shifter is a $439 (ouch!) option. Since the car I drove was used, it was not clear which shifter it had, but the throws were quite short, so I’m guess either this factory option or one from the aftermarket. Whatever the source, throws were decidedly shorter and crisper than in the regular WRX. Maybe even too crisp to be point of balky. I have driven the Lancer Ralliart, which uses the Evo short-throw shifter, and found it smoother and more solid-feeling than the unit in the STi.

The Subaru’s clutch effort is pretty high, especially compared to the flyweight clutch in my Mazda. I didn’t mind this when driving the car aggressively, but around town it could quickly become a chore.

The main issue with the STi’s powertrain is that it’s not very driveable in normal road conditions. Beyond the heavy clutch, the fact of the matter is that the engine very much wants to take off at the same moment you need to shift when in traffic. The car always wants to go fast, very fast. If it could talk it would have chastised me as a killjoy with every 3,500-RPM shift—much like the Ford Focus in the lame ads for that car, but with much more justification. Much like a dog brought up short by its leash over and over and over. “Come on, let go of the leash, let me run!”

Basically, when I could give the STi a free rein it was a blast, but when I couldn’t I felt almost guilty.

Update: During my second test drive I spent more time in traffic, and though I had to consciously keep my shift points low to enhance driveability in these conditions do not doubt that over time this would become second nature.

Yes, yes, my main reason for driving the STi was to learn whether it handled significantly better than the WRX. Well, not entirely. It does ride on much stiffer suspension, so there is very little lean in turns. But the steering feels much the same, if I recall the WRX’s correctly. And so it remains less communicative and less quick than I’d like. I'd especially like much quicker turn-in just off center. As is, the STi feels solid rather than agile.

The car’s handling is at least safe. With so much torque and a rearward bias to the all-wheel-drive system, breaking the rear end loose when accelerating through a turn comes easily. Yes, that one big thing a front-drive car will never give you: power oversteer on demand. To the car’s credit, catching the rear end after breaking it loose is just as easy. This is a very easy car to drive hard and fast. Don’t get too crazy, though, as there is no stability control to save you if you really do push the car too far.

Now for the deal killer, at least for me. Around town at 40 MPH or so the ride is moderately noisy and rough, but easily livable. Take the car up to 80 on the highway, though, and the tires roar and the ride becomes extremely busy, with high frequency vertical motions over even visually smooth roads. Easily the worst ride quality of any of the 200+ vehicles I’ve driven over the last five years. Bad enough to violate a passenger’s civil rights. Just plain awful. I spend too much time on the freeway to personally own this car. The regular WRX is significantly quieter and smoother.

Update: Magazines have stated that the STi rides more smoothly than the Evo. This needs to be qualified. First, the tires on the Evo are significantly quieter both in terms of “roar” while going down the road and the “bump-thump” when going over tar strips and the like, and noise levels though separate from ride quality do influence the perception of ride quality. Second, while the Evo reacts more sharply to bumps and chuckholes in the road, especially at moderate speeds, the STi’s ride is busier, especially at highway speeds. The motions in the STi are less abrupt, but they are more frequent. And the constant vertical motions on the highway in the STi combined with its high level of tire roar were easily more objectionable to me than the Evo’s greater roughness over road imperfections.

This is one thing I just don’t understand: vehicle manufacturer’s seem unwilling to fit sedans with the ultra-direct steering that graces the best sports cars. Supposedly such steering lacks the smoothness sedan buyers demand. But then manufacturers will often fit a car with an ultra-stiff suspension. Why the suspension but not the steering? Maybe because its easier and cheaper to alter the suspension, but I’m still hopeful that a sedan or, better yet, a wagon with truly sports car-like handling will eventually see the light of day.

Subaru WRX STi Price Comparisons and Pricing

For quick, up-to-date pricing, and especially user-specified price comparisons, check out the website I created: www.truedelta.com. Why yet another vehicle pricing website? Well, I personally lacked the patience to keep using the others. They were too slow and required too much effort, especially when trying to compare prices. So I taught myself some programming and created a site where there is no need to dig through option packages, prerequisites, and the like one by one -- the TrueDelta algorithm figures these out for you in one swift pass.

The only direct competitor for the STi is the Evo, which is not yet in the TrueDelta database. Looking at 2004 prices, the Evo is a little less expensive in standard trim. For 2005 the Evo is available in a further-enhanced MR form, in which case it’s a couple thousand more expensive than the Sube. From what I’ve read the Evo has a significantly harsher, noisier ride than the STi. Hard to contemplate, as on the ride home from the Subaru dealer my noisy, busy-riding Mazda Protege5 felt like a Lexus. On a positive note, the Mitsubishi supposedly has quicker, more communicative steering, which appeals to me greatly. Hopefully I’ll soon find myself in the driver’s seat, if only to find out how much I love the steering but cannot stand the ride.

If you really want a hard core sports sedan with maximum bang for your odd thirty large, then one of these cars is the ticket. Otherwise, you’ll probably be much happier in the regular WRX, and have $8,000 left in your wallet to boot.

Last Words

My STi test drive was full of surprises, good and bad. The engine was suprisingly strong, while the highway ride was surprisingly busy and rough, even for someone (me) used to a busy-riding car. I personally could not live with it. Steering and handling also fell short of my expectations. Despite its stiff suspension, the STi doesn't feel all that agile. In the end, the STi is not my dream car. Sadly, that car has not been built yet.

A Note on Subaru WRX STi Reliability

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've started collecting my own data. Results, once they are available, will be posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with updates every three months.

Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy a WRX STi rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Subaru WRX STi reliability comparisons.

Before I can report results, I need reliability data on all cars--not just the WRX STi--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. Non-participants will have to pay an access fee.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.

Some of my reviews of related vehicles:
Audi S4 review
Dodge Neon SRT-4 review
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution review (Evo review)
Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart review
Subaru WRX review

Amount Paid (US$): 30000