2011 Wrx 2.5l White on 2040-cars

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What it’s like to blast up the Goodwood rally stage in a Subaru rally car

Chichester, U.K. — “YouÂ’re not supposed to drive at the marshal,” quipped a young woman dressed head-to-toe in the official Goodwood Festival of Speed white marshalÂ’s uniform. She smiled wryly at 17-year-old Oliver Solberg in the driverÂ’s seat, only half-joking about his rather enthusiastic approach to the starting line. I sat pinned into the Subaru WRX STIÂ’s Recaro bucket seat on my side, mentally preparing myself for the madness that was to come. Solberg waits for the go ahead to launch, then he begins stabbing the accelerator pedal aggressively. Brap, brap, brap – the acrid smell of burning rubber fills the cabin as the Subaru zings to the first corner. The car leans as Solberg flicks it in — itÂ’s tricky as the pavement transitions to gravel mid-corner, so grip is hard to come by here. The abused hay bales on the outside of the corner attest to that. Before we started off, Solberg told me the tires were too warm from previous runs. “I wonÂ’t be able to push,” Solberg said matter of fact-like. Taking it easy isnÂ’t a Solberg trait, though, and I learned that quickly. Perhaps the Goodwood Forest Rally Stage isnÂ’t what you think of when someone mentions the British motoring event. Instead, you picture hay bales lining a picturesque driveway with fancy people in hats drinking champagne and cheering at the jaw-dropping, ear-piercing metal racing by them. The rally stage is not this. In fact, IÂ’d wager to say itÂ’s the complete opposite of the traditional hill climb. Dirt and dust fill the air and lungs. ThereÂ’s a fair bit of hiking on uneven ground involved for spectators. Drivers lose control of their vintage rally cars and smash them into things. Hell, thereÂ’s even a jump. Subaru brought us here specifically for us to experience what going up the rally stage in its new STI rally car felt like with a proper racing driver behind the wheel, and boy are we glad to have done it. The 17-year-old son of rally legend Petter Solberg may not seem like the pro driver youÂ’d expect, but racing drivers seem to be getting younger and younger these days. Just look at the success that Max Verstappen has enjoyed in Formula 1 since he began. His father was a Formula 1 racing driver before him, and Oliver is similarly pursuing the same career as his father. “I always dreamed of driving rally cars,” Oliver Solberg said while gathered among media at Goodwood. He certainly enjoys racing up the rally stage, too. “ItÂ’s very, very technical.

2015 Subaru WRX STI headed for Detroit, more WRX details leaked

The debuts of the 2015 Subaru WRX and the Legacy Concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show next week are kind of hogging the Subaru spotlight, making it easy to forget that there is a more potent, more aggressive version of the small sedan waiting in the wings. And based on a rumor from Australia, we'll see the sportier WRX STI at the Detroit Auto Show in January.
The report comes from Motoring in Australia, which claims that a more potent version of the WRX will make its debut in the Motor City, and that it will do so with an even 300 horsepower (five fewer than the current STI) and 290 pound-feet of torque (identical to the current car). Aside from the more potent 2.5-liter turbocharged flat four, the STI should boast the regular spread of aesthetic upgrades and suspension, brake, chassis and transmission tweaks.
The standard all-wheel-drive WRX will sprint to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds.

Compact SUV Comparison: Specs, pics and reviews of every brand's crossover

Honda CR-V vs Toyota RAV4. Chevy Equinox vs Ford Escape. Mazda CX-5 vs Subaru Forester. Whichever combinations of compact crossover SUV you're considering, there's probably a comparison test or chart out there to read. Heck, you can even create a three-car comparison yourself here at Autoblog. However, if you want a bunch of that information all in one convenient place, well, here it is. Our mega comparison of specs, features and photos of compact SUV entries from every mainstream manufacturer that sells them. That includes the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox, 2018 Ford Escape, 2018 GMC Terrain, 2018 Honda CR-V, 2018 Hyundai Tucson, 2019 Jeep Cherokee (it's already on sale with notable changes from 2018), 2018 Jeep Compass, 2018 Kia Sportage, 2018 Mazda CX-5, 2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (none of Mitsu's SUVs are perfect fits for this segment, so we deemed the MEC the most competitive fit), 2018 Nissan Rogue, 2018 Subaru Forester, 2018 Toyota RAV4 and 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan. We can update this comparison as more information about 2019 models is released, most notably the Forester and RAV4. Now, there are certainly some models that are smaller (Nissan Rogue Sport) or larger (Kia Sorento) that could also be considered, but we figured it was wise to stick with those in this sweet spot of comparable size and price. We also included links to Autoblog reviews, buying guides and smaller comparisons. Engines and Transmissions With rare exception, this segment features four-cylinder power. Sometimes it's turbocharged, often its not, but standard engine outputs are generally in the same ballpark. Therefore, we'd recommend focusing on torque output, as it's what will make a difference around town or when passing, and weighing that versus fuel economy (the Chevy Equinox, GMC Terrain, Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5 make particularly strong cases in this regard). Many drivers aren't too fond of continuously variable transmissions (CVT), either, so that's another thing to consider and note during a test drive. As you can see, several models are available with performance upgrades. Besides the Jeep Cherokee's available V6, all are more powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engines. The exception to this would be the Honda CR-V and Ford Escape, as their 1.5-liter turbo engines don't prioritize performance. Instead, they serve as overall upgrades to the base naturally aspirated engines standard on only their base trim levels (CR-V LX and Escape S).