MOTORING


Icon with


attitude


The Subaru WRX STi is back. But is it making a glorious return or is it just a reinvented relic from a bygone age? Motoring journalist Nick Jones put it to the test.


Think about TV’s loveable cold-case cops in the series New Tricks or the ageing astronauts in the film Space Cowboys and you begin to see what the latest iteration of Subaru’s WRX STi is all about. As a fuel-guzzling, high-performance muscle-car it’s as out of place


today as international man of mystery Austin Powers was when brought out of cryogenic freezing from the free-love 1960s to battle Dr Evil in the 1990s. Oh behave! No seriously, the WRX, with fuel economy


around the mid-20mpg mark and emissions of 242g/km, fits in the ‘green’ and anodyne 20-teens in the same way that DCI Gene Hunt from TV’s Life on Mars would – if he were a car, that is. It’s Donald Trump or Nigel Farage under a sleek skin.


You might not agree with what they stand for but you’re somehow drawn to them. Like Sylvester Stallone, the Suburu WRX was never


sold for its looks, it sold on machismo, and the latest model is no different. The best-looking thing about it, from the outside at least, is the badge on the back. And let’s face it, that’s the view most other drivers


will have as the turbo-charged 2.5-litre engine’s 400Nm of torque - that’s the true power bit - and 300bhp, delivered through all four wheels, hurl the WRX from 0- 60mph in just 4.6 seconds on the way to a limited 155mph. Put the pure grunt and lack of green credibility aside,


And at the back they will still see the outrageous spoiler-cum-picnic table and four exhaust outlets. What they won’t see is the gorgeous, sporty interior with its red dials


and red flashes on the steering wheel, gear knob – it has a six-speed box by the way – and seats. And they won’t see the brushed aluminium, drilled pedals and soft-touch materials and carbon-effect trim. They also won’t see that the new car has more room


FACTFILE


MODEL Subaru WRX Stir 2016 MY


PRICE From £29,995


PERFORMANCE Top Speed: 155+ miles per hour 0-60 mph: 14.6 seconds


CO2 EMISSIONS 242g/km


FUEL CONSUMPTION 26.6 mpg combined


however, and see the WRX for what it really is, a wild, snarling animal, and you can’t help but smile when you try to tame it. It’s exciting in a way that today’s free-road-tax – until March anyway –


family chariots have forgotten how to be. With the WRX, it is other drivers, not their cars, who will be ‘green’. They will see thinner, neater LED headlights and the familiar bonnet scoop. They will see that it still has four doors, with colour-coded handles.


56 business network February 2017


in it than its predecessors thanks to a longer wheelbase and they won’t see the improved all-round visibility. In this respect the WRX has certainly come of age. But it’s on the road that the latest Scooby, as we aficionados know them, really makes you grin. It’s a lightweight car and with all that power on tap through the close-ratio gearbox it just excites you all the time. The spring and damper ratings have been set-up for a


hard, but more forgiving journey than previous models, and the steering is noticeably more direct. Drivers can use the Subaru Intelligent Drive module


to shift between moods, or modes, ranging from Intelligent, through Sport to Sport Sharp. The WRX is never going to be a cheap car to own


and run. The road tax alone – assuming you take delivery before the tax changes come into effect in April – will set you back £500 after your first year of £855. After April, the first year road tax will be £1,700 but


will drop afterwards to the standard rate £140, which applies regardless of the car’s emissions, which will


make it more attractive. Service intervals are also not the best in the world so with average economy of about 27mpg the WRX and the garage are going to become firm friends. But then if you’re a fan of New Tricks, Space Cowboys and Life on Mars


and you want something with attitude and if you have a skin thick enough not to worry about what is deemed right and proper today then the WRX might just be the car for you. It certainly has a very loyal fan base.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60