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| Photos by Ulysses Ang |
Rally-derived sports sedans such as the
Subaru WRX STI certainly appeals to a lot of buyers. After all, what’s not to
like about its bodacious good looks, powerful turbocharged engine and
all-weather security courtesy of an advanced all-wheel drive. However, even if
you can afford one, since it’s only available with a manual transmission, it
takes a select few—the purist—to truly appreciate a beast such as this. Fortunately
for the rest of the populace, thanks to the increasing trend towards automated
gearboxes on high-performance machines, Subaru is now offering an automatic
transmission option on its WRX STI for the very first time and it’s called the
WRX STI A-Line.
From the outside, there’s absolutely no way
to distinguish between the manual and automatic transmission variants of the
WRX STI. Both the self- and automated-shifting models carry its rally-bred
heritage on its shoulder with the wide body design, copious amount of air
vents, high-luster alloy wheels and of course, a large rear wing. Thus, Motor
Image Pilipinas, the distributor of Subaru automobiles in the country, has
taken upon themselves to offer one big differentiating factor: the six-speed
manual is only available as a sedan while the automatic is exclusively a
five-door hatchback.
Personally, Subaru has made a great move by
differentiating the models based on body style. The sedan and its exaggerated
trunk-mounted wing is synonymous with Subaru’s rally heritage and should appeal
more to the hardcore tuner crowd who’ll transform their machines into a
500-horsepower monster in no time. On the other hand, the A-Line and its much
more subtle hatchback profile is best reserved for those who’ll probably use it
as a daily driver. Their list of upgrades will probably be limited to a set of
more aggressive rims and a free-flowing exhaust.
Much like the exterior, not much
differentiates the manual and automatic transmission variants of the WRX STI.
The black-on-black scheme with the wing-shaped gunmetal gray accent is still
there as are racy-type front bucket seats, thick three-spoke steering wheel and
sadly, the scratch-prone plastics. That said, the interior fairs pretty well in
both ergonomics and available space for four passengers (five may be a bit of a
squeeze). For the 2012 model year, the WRX STI gets power adjustments for the
front occupants (formerly exclusive to the A-Line) as well as a USB input for
your Apple iPod or other portable media device.
Though the WRX STI now offers ample audio
entertainment, the best aural delight it serves actually comes from under the
hood: the 2.5-liter EJ25 boxer four with 300 horsepower. It’s interesting to
note though that mated to the five-speed automatic, the engine actually
produces less torque (350 Nm versus 407 Nm) than the manual; though the
automatic benefits from a flatter torque band delivering maximum output from as
low as 3,000 rpm all the way to 6,000 rpm. Turning the ignition, the trademark
flat-four lets out a deep burble, hinting at the car’s extreme performance. As
the revs climb up, the sound just keeps getting better. It’s the sort of engine
note that will terry kids but enthusiasts and horsepower junkies will love.
Swapping the trusty 6-speed manual for an
electronically controlled 5-speed automatic may seem like a recipe for disaster
when applied on the WRX STI, but it actually works quite well. Being a
conventional automatic, the shifts aren’t as quick and crisp as a dual-clutch
system but the gear engagement is actually precise enough though there’s
noticeable hesitation to shift especially if the Subaru SI-Drive is left in
Intelligent or ‘I’ mode. There’s also some turbo lag, but if you keep the revs
high enough or do the shifting yourself using the paddle shifters, the A-Line
is a formidable driving machine. And since you don’t have to do a foot ballet
with three pedals, it’s actually easier to concentrate especially when
negotiating mountainous roads.
Although the WRX STI is proud to show off
its rally car heritage, Subaru has actually done some, compromises to make this
car much more hospitable for everyday use. Though you still can’t quite equate
the ride of the WRX STI to say, the run-of-the-mill Impreza RS, it’s actually
quite bearable for everyday use. The WRX STI soaks up road imperfections to a
point. It does the heavy stuff well enough such as humps and small concrete
craters, but when it comes to the smaller stuff like cat’s eyes or concrete
junctions, the entire cabin will be jarred about.
The steering itself is nicely balanced too,
providing good and precise inputs. However, the steering effort itself is on
the hefty side plus the widened track and larger tires creates a larger turning
radius than what you’d expect from a car of this size. The brakes require much
more pedal effort because of the large, multi-piston Brembo calipers, but once
you’re used to it, it provides great stopping power.
When equipped with an automatic
transmission, the WRX STI loses the fancy Driver’s Control Center Differential
or DCCD. Nonetheless thanks to Variable Torque Distribution or VTD, the WRX STI
A-Line does split the torque between the front and rear wheels at a 45/55
split. It can then vary the power delivery automatically when the car detects
an impending slippage.
Coupled with the VTD is the WRX STI’s Subaru Intelligent Drive
or SI-Drive. Most of the time, you’ll probably leave things in its default
‘Intelligent’ mode. However, if you need sharper responses (at the expense of
fuel economy), you can change the throttle mapping to ‘Sport’ which maximizes
the turbo’s response. Meanwhile the ‘Sport Sharp’ gives the most direct
throttle response and precise engine rev control across the entire rpm range. A
weekend drive in the STI returned an amazing 6.53 km/L in purely city driving.
Subaru’s move to add an automatic
transmission to its WRX STI may seem sacrilegious—an impure addition to the
otherwise haloed line-up. Still, they’re on to something with the introduction
of the A-Line. There are certainly some enthusiasts out there who want to own a
piece of top-notch Subaru technology but can’t drive a manual. There are some
too, who’ve always wanted to drive a WRX STI as a daily driver but can’t bear
with a manual thanks to Manila’s
horrendous traffic. But whatever the reason you’ll use to get one, the Subaru
WRX STI A-Line is one magical piece of engineering—sophisticated, capable and
sporty, every bit as you’d come to expect from Subaru’s top-tier STI division.
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