The general package of a sharp handling, all wheel drive sedan with a healthy 300 turbocharged horsepower is still surely a very, very good thing. As an object unto itself, the new 2015 Subaru WRX STI continues to offer a fun and engaging driving experience, as it always has. The problem for me, and much of the Subaru-loving community, is that the STI has been exactly the same for over ten years now– to the point where it has gotten boring, and boring is the worst crime a car such as this can commit.

I’ve owned my 2004 Subaru STi for over seven years, and I’ve never, even once, wanted to “upgrade” to any newer STI. This is because ever since 2004 Subaru’s focus has been on softening the STI, and not making it faster, more hardcore, or better in any meaningful way. In fact, values of 2004 STIs are starting to increase now because enthusiasts have recognized the 2004 as being the pinnacle, so far, of the STIs available to us here in America.

So when I say that the new STI does nothing for me when I look at it, that poses a major problem for Subaru. I remember the excitement my 2004 STi brought me when I first got it, and I know it still brings that sort of excitement today. Whether it’s the looks or the performance, the 2015 STI cannot even come close to the level that my STi was on when it first hit US shores back in 2004. While the 04 STi was slaying the Porsche 911s, BMW M3s, Ford Mustang Cobras, and Pontiac GTOs of its day, the new STI is barely capable of out running the current V6 Toyota Camry.

Despite the old car and the new car having exactly the same sort of performance, side by side, in competition with other cars of their respective eras, the new STI is not even half the car that the 2004 STi was, and that is the big problem.

Continue reading The 2015 Subaru STI is still not living up to its name →

As information on the 2015 Subaru WRX has been surfacing before its debut at the upcoming 2013 LA Auto Show, I find myself split between two opposing reactions. On the one hand we have the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality, and on the other hand we have the “WTF? It’s exactly the same as the old one!” point of view.

In essence it would seem that Subaru knows they have a great thing going with the WRX, and they don’t see a reason to change much about it. As an STi owner of seven years now, I can attest that the overall package of a WRX makes it one of the best all-round cars that money can buy. It is fast, it handles great, it is practical, it will drive through any weather, it is reasonably priced, and the fuel economy, while not fantastic, is generally tolerable. The 2015 WRX seems to change none of this, and that seems like a sure bet for sales.

The problem I see, though, is that the car is getting a bit stale at this point. There’s nothing really fresh about it, and even with the new body style, it looks the same as the old one. Subaru has changed the engine to a 2.0L flat-4 from the current 2.5L flat-4, but horsepower only increases by a measly 3 ponies for a total of 268hp. Obviously, in real terms, the new WRX still offers a massively fun package, but am I the only one who wanted to see the WRX with at least 300hp by now?…. and the STi with like 400hp?

Continue reading Looking Critically At The New Subaru WRX →