By: Henrie Geyser


And what's more, it's a bar brawler that no longer only depends on raw power and bully-boy looks to intimidate the opposition. Now it's acquired a whole string of new fighting techniques, some of it so good it elevates the new Scooby into the ranks of serious performance cars.

Top of my list of favourites is the option the driver now has of changing the engine's torque delivery characteristics by simply twisting a knob on the gear lever console. Within seconds the car moves from Sport, to Sport-Sharp to Intelligent.

I had the opportunity to play with the various settings during a day at the Swartkops Raceway near Pretoria and believe me, when you opt for the Sport Sharp option you can feel the whole engine management system snapping to attention as the responses quicken up.

The 2.5-litre quad-cam Boxer engine, respected world-wide as one of the finest chunks of powerful engines ever stuck under a car's hood, immediately moves into attack mode with its power peak of 221kW moving up to 6,000 revs/min with the lovely kick of 275Nm available from as low down as 2 000 revs/min.

When the rev counter hits 4,000 revs/min torque is at full strength at 407Nm… and from then onwards it's sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll multiplied by ten!

Down at the coast the STI will zap the 0-100km/h bit in 4.86 seconds, do a standing kilometer of 24.57 seconds, and run on until the electronic built-in nurse-maid says enough when the rev counter hits 5,750 revs/min and the speedo is registering a genuine 255km/h.

And if there are a few corners on the way, all the better, because if there is one thing an STI could always do better than most it is clinging like glue to the tar. (And it's equally phenomenal in the dirt, thanks to its respected rally pedigree and all-wheel drive).

And again, new-fangled electronics come into play via a system called Driver Controlled Centre Differential (DCCD). In essence this gives the driver simple access to changing the centre differential's locking tendencies to spread grip from front to rear - and one of the best results is that you can slam into any corner with much more attitude. There are six options to choose from, so best go chat to your local Subaru dealer for a detailed explanation.

And while you are there, ask him to explain the Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) which offers its own three settings to increase torque on take-off and for spreading the power happiness around through speedy corners - even down to applying the brakes in a selective manner and reducing torque when progress starts getting a little hairy.

This system can be switched off completely, but this is only for the really competent and not for the foolishly brave because although the new super Scooby is a relatively easy beast to handle even close to the limit, without this built-in traction mode intervention and protection it can switch to a snarling, vicious animal that will bite you on the bum within seconds if you get it wrong.

This was spectacularly illustrated during our track day when one of our colleagues (who shall remain nameless) ran out of track and experience in a fast corner and slammed into the pit wall down the main straight.

Fortunately both he and his co-pilot survived without a scratch… which is more than can be said about the severely battered STI. It certainly was a much-too realistic illustration of the car's incredibly well constructed safety chassis and the effectiveness of its airbags which popped open when they hit the wall.

Although the brakes on our track car didn't feel all that sharp (probably because the car was virtually brand new), the Subaru technical guys say they should be honed enough to drag the car to a standstill from 100km/h in just 2.8 seconds.

And that's not surprising, considering its huge Brembo fixed caliper brakes and ventilated discs front and back, plus uprated sports ABS with Brake Assist.

In essence the Scooby is a dual personality - a sophisticated suburban commuter every-day car, easy to drive, thanks to a mild clutch, easy steering and a lovely smooth six-speed gearbox, and a near race-ready weekend track car to set anybody's hooligan spirit free.

And although the new STI comes with an impressive army of fancy new electronics and systems they are not half as complicated as they might seem and definitely much more user-friendly than the wizardry found nowadays in the seriously expensive premium brands.

There has always been a special aura about Subaru cars. Very few other cars have the same basic animal appeal and evoke such raw emotion and the new STI is a prime example of this Subaru magic.

Since its arrival in South Africa about six years ago the STI models have built-up an owners fan club and a band of dedicated followers that most other brands would kill for and the 2008 model is going to lift that even higher.

Visibly, the SI has undergone major changes, probably not all of which are going to please the die-hard fans, although there still is a lot to get all frothy about, like new light-weight 18” silver rims (traditional gold is now an optional extra!), attractively slashed air ducts and cut-outs in front of the wheels, big air vents behind the wheels, low fog lamps built into the front spoiler, stylishly contoured wheel arches, an enlarged spoiler (but still not quite as big as in the older WRX versions), four fat exhaust outlets and the finger to the opposition, the distinctive STI logo in traditional cerise hue on the car's right rear corner.

Inside there is space enough for four adults (even five, if one is smallish) plus a few suitcases. Cabin decorations include a sporty small steering-wheel with satellite controls for audio, aluminium pedals, race-style Recaro seats embossed with TSI logos and the famous gauge display with dials that swish into action at start-up,

Helping to push it higher towards the premium bracket are classy fittings such as a 10-speaker sound system, automatic climate control, electric windows and mirrors, a full-sized spare wheel, headlamp washers and a 60/4- rear seat split.

Moving away from the traditional blue body colour and gold wheels, the STI is now also available in a range of different colours.

The 2008 WRX STI is substantially different from its predecessors, but it's destined to become another icon in the Subaru performance stable. It's a quick, good-looking, agile, safe car with a very real personality - poles apart from the established German brands and in its own, rather special way, much more desirable.

By the time you read this the first of the new STI's should be on showroom floors wearing a price tag of R489,000 which includes a three-year/100,000km warranty and a three-year/63,000km maintenance plan.

[12 Jun 2008 14:32]

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