First Drive: 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI - Return of the wing
 

Filed under: [URL="http://www.autoblog.com/category/economy/"]Budget[/URL], [URL="http://www.autoblog.com/category/sedans/"]Sedan[/URL], [URL="http://www.autoblog.com/category/sports/"]Performance[/URL], [URL="http://www.autoblog.com/category/hatchbacks/"]Hatchback[/URL], [URL="http://www.autoblog.com/category/subaru/"]Subaru[/URL], [URL="http://www.autoblog.com/category/driving/"]First Drive[/URL]

[URL="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-subaru-impreza-wrx-sti-first-drive/"][IMG]http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/03wrxstifd2011opt.jpg[/IMG][/URL][CENTER][I][B]2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI - Click above for high-res image gallery[/B][/I][/CENTER]

By most accounts, something went awry while [URL="http://www.autoblog.com/make/subaru/"]Subaru[/URL] was baking the last generation [URL="http://www.autoblog.com/model/wrx"]Impreza WRX[/URL] STI. Maybe someone slipped in an extra cup of civility or forgot to add enough dashes of hardcore, but what was once little more than a thinly-disguised rally stage escapee had come out of the oven a little weaker than its predecessor. Subaru itself diplomatically admits that the priorities for the last generation [URL="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/07/subaru-wrx-sti-gets-five-speed-automatic-option-down-under/"]STI[/URL] were somewhat different from the 2011 model. The company stripped the line down to just the five-door hatchback in 2008, stressing functionality over style, and the whole recipe simply felt less focused than what we had come to expect from Japan's all-wheel drive hero.

But that was then, and this is now. The company assures us that for 2011, we can expect a return to the fundamentals that helped establish the STI as a force to be reckoned with. Though the drivetrain remains unchanged, a slew of suspension adjustments and a lower stance have given the STI the ability to hoover up tarmac and gravel stages indiscriminately once again. It isn't a completely new generation - more like a much needed do-over - but the changes are enough to make the 2011 model instantly recognizable from behind the wheel.

If that's not enough to convince you, allow us to direct your attention to the rear of the resurrected four-door body style, dominated once again by the kind of spoiler that could double as a civil engineering exercise. Yeah, baby. The STI is back, and on more than just a wing and a prayer.


[B]Gallery: [URL="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-subaru-impreza-wrx-sti-first-drive/low/"]2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI: First Drive[/URL][/B]

[URL="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-subaru-impreza-wrx-sti-first-drive/"][IMG]http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/01wrxstifd2011_thumbnail.jpg[/IMG][/URL][URL="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-subaru-impreza-wrx-sti-first-drive/"][IMG]http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/02wrxstifd2011_thumbnail.jpg[/IMG][/URL][URL="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-subaru-impreza-wrx-sti-first-drive/"][IMG]http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/03wrxstifd2011_thumbnail.jpg[/IMG][/URL][URL="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-subaru-impreza-wrx-sti-first-drive/"][IMG]http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/04wrxstifd2011_thumbnail.jpg[/IMG][/URL][URL="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-subaru-impreza-wrx-sti-first-drive/"][IMG]http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/05wrxstifd2011_thumbnail.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[I][B]Photos by Zach Bowman / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.[/B][/I][URL="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/19/2011-subaru-impreza-wrx-sti-first-drive-review-road-test/"]Continue reading [I]First Drive: 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI - Return of the wing[/I][/URL]

[URL="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/19/2011-subaru-impreza-wrx-sti-first-drive-review-road-test/"]First Drive: 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI - Return of the wing[/URL] originally appeared on [URL="http://www.autoblog.com"]Autoblog[/URL] on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:29:00 EST. Please see our [URL="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/"]terms for use of feeds[/URL].

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[url=http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/19/2011-subaru-impreza-wrx-sti-first-drive-review-road-test/]More...[/url]

Am I colourblind or is the new STi badge no longer pink.... It looks red in these pictures.
I wonder why the change.

[QUOTE=evlgurl;471130]Am I colourblind or is the new STi badge no longer pink.... It looks red in these pictures.
I wonder why the change.[/QUOTE]

its been red for awhile from 05sti onwards i think..

P.S somone needs to photoshop a sti limited rear wing on the back.. or M3 CSL wing on the back

Well Dave seems like it has your name written all over it.

Go on . . . you know you want it.

Red goes faster.

badly needs front and rear lip spoilers and their is no sign of front tower strut bar now ? Also where are the brembos mofos ? Also what happened to sti pinks? Jury is still out until I see it in the flesh and have a drive.

also would look good with some sti fog light covers

On further inspection I reckon they have just thrown on some sti badges on a wrx sedan and called it an sti. Booooo

[QUOTE=American Dave;471138]badly needs front and rear lip spoilers and their is no sign of front tower strut bar now ? Also where are the brembos mofos ? Also what happened to sti pinks? Jury is still out until I see it in the flesh and have a drive.[/QUOTE]

We're assuming there's some fancy damper work going on here, but no one is saying for sure. The brakes remain colossal units from [URL="http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/30/brembo-considers-pininfarina-stake/"]Brembo[/URL], complete with four-pot clamps and 13-inch rotors up front and two-piston calipers squeezing 12.6-inch discs out back. The system is fully capable of yanking your fillings out of your teeth if you get too liberal with the middle pedal. Yes, we love it.

but no pictures of any of it in the numerous ones they have provided in the article [url]http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-subaru-impreza-wrx-sti-first-drive/#3183759[/url] , I say BS