2008 Subaru Wrx Sti on 2040-cars

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2021 Subaru Crosstrek First Drive | A bigger engine equals a better car

BERLIN, Ohio — If horsepower is good, then more horsepower must be better. And in the case of the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek, more horsepower comes courtesy of an optional 2.5-liter engine that provides potential buyers with a long-desired alternative to the meager 2.0-liter four-cylinder that remains standard equipment. Of course, thereÂ’s more to the 2021 Crosstrek story than more displacement. ThereÂ’s a nip here, a tuck there, and the addition of a new Sport trim level. It all adds up to what we think is the best buy in its segment. And thatÂ’s saying something, considering that the number of subcompact crossover choices has grown exponentially since the Crosstrek went on sale for the 2013 model year. ItÂ’s important to note that the larger engine only comes with the CrosstrekÂ’s top two trim levels: Sport and Limited. Base and Premium models soldier on with the same 152-horsepower 2.0-liter engine that all 2020 Crosstreks were equipped with. And, if you want a six-speed manual transmission, which comes standard on base and Premium trims, youÂ’re stuck with the smaller engine since the 2.5-liter sends its 182 horses and 176 pound-feet of torque solely to a continuously variable transmission. As youÂ’d expect from Subaru, the Crosstrek comes standard with all-wheel drive. For a closer look at the differences between the Sport and Limited trim levels, check out the video just below. Up front, the Crosstrek gets a new grille, bumper and foglight covers. ItÂ’s a subtle update, but we think the Â’21 model looks a bit more aggressive than the version it replaces. The new-for-2021 Sport trim level goes even further with unique neon yellow badges, plus a gunmetal finish for the grille, wheels, side mirror caps and badges. Sport models also have different wheel arch moldings, but they arenÂ’t hiding any changes to the suspension. Inside, the Sport gets unique StarTex vinyl upholstery that is completely free of any animal-derived materials (though the steering wheel is still swathed in leather) and yellow stitching to go along with darker trim and faux carbon fiber accents. Yellow metallic highlights also feature in the gauge cluster. We found the StarTex interior to be pretty nice. We wouldnÂ’t mistake it for leather, but itÂ’s soft to the touch while still feeling grippy enough that occupants donÂ’t slide around too much, even though the seats donÂ’t feature significant bolstering.

We race a 2019 Subaru WRX STI up the Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb

SHELSLEY WALSH, U.K. — Keep your foot down, I tell myself. Easier said than done in a 2019 Subaru WRX STI on the narrow and treacherous Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb. Right away, thereÂ’s a very hairy fast left sweeper the STI takes in third gear, leading into another left that requires even more bravery: lifting just before entry without braking. The STIÂ’s all-wheel drive helps to pull us up and out of the corner, on the way to the fast straightaway up a steep hill. Abrupt berms, vegetation and walls line the right side, while the left has a poor excuse for a guardrail and a long drop past that. The road itself is extremely narrow – only big enough for one STI at a time – but smooth, picturesque. The prototypical meandering British B-road. An obligatory herd of sheep mill about in the distance partway up the hill, and a few cows watch the STI careen over the finish line.  This is the essence of the British hillclimb, an archaic form of motorsport that has survived to this day. In this pastoral setting, Shelsley Walsh happens to be the oldest continuously running (well, save a break for two world wars) hill climb event in the world, with the first official event being held August 12, 1905. It is, like many British hillclimb courses, almost comically short – just over half a mile, so thereÂ’s not much to memorize. Cars from the early 1900s (when it was still paved with stone) struggled to even make it to the top. Part of that struggle can be attributed to the rule that you must race with a full car of passengers, no less than the number of seats available. Besides that, cars just werenÂ’t very powerful back then, and Shelsley is a steep course. It peaks at a 16 percent grade. The course record belongs to a Gould GR55 NME open-wheel single-seater racecar at just 22.58 seconds. I managed to break into the mid 37s for my fastest run in the STI, but there was still a fair bit of time to be had in the course. Car preservation was much more important than chasing lap records — it was an hour drive back to our lodging that night, and the STI was our ride. There were two flavors of Subarus available to us for the hillclimb, and motoring around the British countryside after. One was the regular WRX STI, and the other was the shockingly expensive (and limited to 500 examples, long sold by now) Type RA. All the minor tweaks and upgrades made a tiny, tangible difference in my hill climb times.

Subaru provides first glimpse at upcoming Forester STI

Have you been patiently awaiting an STI version of the Subaru Forester? Your wait may be over soon, good friend, as teaser images of just such a vehicle have surfaced online.
Set to debut on November 25, the 2015 Subaru Forester STI will reportedly feature more aggressive aero and cooling, upgraded rolling stock and brakes, and Subaru Tecnica International's signature bright-blue paint and red accents.
What we don't know is what will provide the motivation. There's a pretty big gap at present between the 250 horsepower offered in the top-of-the-line Forester 2.0XT and the 305-hp WRX STI, and we don't know where along the spectrum the Forester STI might fall. Nor do we know, for that matter, if it'll be offered Stateside. But we're looking forward to finding out.