“Reason Automobile people, we have a four-door Subaru Impreza WRX STi in the workshop, would you like to stop by?”
The answer to this question was simple: “… we are already on the way!”. After all, it's not every day that we have the opportunity to starve with a four-door Subaru Impreza WRX STi, even for more than the third generation.
As soon as we arrived at the ODC Customs workshop, we were literally seduced by this Japanese pearl with a «Helvetic» accent. For the average mortal, this is as close as there is to a rally car – let's forget about the Mitsubishi Evo for a moment, ok? Even because at 3 meters from our eyes, we couldn't think of any other car besides this Subaru. We were anxious to get our hands on it, but before we were consumed by such feeling, we got into the car and went to prepare a beautiful photo session.
“Photoshoot?”, you ask… Who the hell thinks about photographs when they're in front of them a 2.5 turbo boxer engine capable of delivering 310 horsepower ? We! In fact, we were already aware that the play with this Subaru Impreza WRX STi was going to be little or none. This is because it was a private car and no one in their right mind was going to give us such a car for their hands. And so, we decided to take the opportunity to offer you a good gallery of images of this WRX STi. Tell them we're not friends...
The first Subaru Impreza WRX appeared in 1992 (the same year as legendary rival Mitsubishi Lancer EVO) and was equipped with a boxer 2.0 turbo engine with 240 hp and, of course, all-wheel drive. Two years later the STi came out, with 250 hp. Then, in 2000, followed a second generation full of facelifts we don't want to talk about and in 2007 the third generation of this Subaru Impreza WRX STi arrives with a 2.5 turbo boxer engine delivering 310 hp and 407 Nm of maximum torque . The Hatchback version didn't convince and that's why the brand ended up releasing this 3-volume version in a second moment.
This one in particular comes equipped with a 6-speed manual gearbox , which according to the brand leads to an acceleration of 0-100 Km/h in 5.2 seconds . Unfortunately, we didn't have the opportunity to prove it, but according to the owner, this number is not far from the truth. Consumptions are unfriendly, more than 10l/100km of average , but whoever buys a machine like this should be concerned with everything but consumption. Fun behind the wheel is decidedly this owner's number one concern.
As we continued our journey to the place where we were going to take the photographs, we could see how many people were looking at the car. Truth be told, we weren't in any exotic car, but it was a good feeling. Not vanity, but recognition. Recognition by lovers of the "four wheels" for the legacy that the Japanese brand has built over the years, especially in the world of rallies. Championship where he left a lot of nostalgia.
On Subaru, function sometimes overrides design. THE aileron for example it's huge, for some maybe too much, but the function spoke louder and the important thing to help stabilize the car in fast corners. the giant hood air intake aims to direct the air to the intercooler and the rest of the sports kit also includes the front bumpers that are exclusive to this version, the baquets that keep us in place even in the fastest corners, aluminum pedals, 18-inch wheels, among others. Also noteworthy are the three driving modes: economical, sporty and super sporty . We dispensed with the economy mode…
In Portugal, a new four-door Subaru Impreza WRX STi is valued at 70 thousand euros, but in the second-hand market we found one with 13,000 km for 45 thousand euros.
This is a car for those who know what they want, and not recommended for those who are allergic to mountain roads or have a weak stomach. But if you don't fit this profile, then follow our advice: find a way to ride one! They'll have a good time.
Thanks:
– ODC Customs
– Bruno Ramos (Subaru owner)
Text: Tiago Luis
Photography: Diogo Teixeira