Tuesday 21st August 2012

Subaru WRX STI: £26,995

Train tickets are getting more expensive but Subarus are becoming a whole lot cheaper - winner!

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The Subaru BRZ and Toyota GT86 have generated plenty of discussion over the magic ratio of performance-per-pound. But Subaru's Impreza is still something of a driving hero and word on the grapevine is that it too is about to enter the affordable hoonage bracket.

Scooby still a great B-road weapon

Crossroads Subaru tells us Subaru UK has had an extreme attack of generosity and a brand new four or five-door WRX STi can be had for £26,995 - which makes it £2,000 more than a base-trim BRZ, or £1,000 less than a 'Lux' trim auto BRZ. Up until now the 'it's not called an Impreza anymore' STi has retailed at £32,995.

The WRX STi may be a very different car conceptually from the naturally aspirated, rear-wheel drive BRZ, and perhaps the hot Impreza has passed its zenith as a cultural icon, but £26,995 really does sound like something of a bargain for a car that's always been a very special driving experience.

Alternatively, in the PH Classifieds three to four-year-old Imprezas are hovering around the £14,000 to £16,000 mark whilst nearly-new examples aren't far off the price of a new BRZ...

[anonymous-user]

The last 'Impreza' if you can call it that is a brute of a car. Saw a couple at rally day on the weekend and they're muscular so to speak. Not much bigger than mine but just look hefty.

[loveice]

It really needs a rear wing.

[Pwig]

Agreed

[anonymous-user]

loveice said:

It really needs a rear wing.

The ones at rally day did and they looked lovely.

[Rawwr]

I'll come back to this thread when it's reached 20 pages.

[Pixelpeep]

cheaper than an astra VXR..

lol !!

[Mastodon2]

Give it a wing and I'd have it over the Toyobaru any day. Hell, even without a wing, I'd rather have it.

[otolith]

Not sure that it's going to take sales from the BRZ, it's so completely not that kind of thing that I can't really imagine the buyers have much in common, but if I wanted a heavy turbocharged hatchback I'd take one of these over the hot Megane and it makes the M135i look expensive.

[Raramuri]

That seems exceptional value compared to the price of many, many lesser cars!

How p!ss@d off would you be if you had paid £32k for one last week?!

[davidcharles]

Definately a good driving tool but they are still ugly.....when will Subabru spend a few more pennies and actually design a nice car.??

[Dan_1981]

Looks good from the front but from the back......

[BuzzLightyear]

This came up on one of the (many) GT86 / BRZ threads - no question that I'd go for the STi every time for that money!

Year round useability and decent grunt

[Pistonwot]

I can only gape in awe at the utter stupidity of Subaru Marketing, what imbeciles do they employ.
Subaru seem committed to maintaining the currently obscene levels of dumbness required to turn a once world leader into a second rate has been.
Subaru only made one car worth note,,,, now they make none worth a mention.
WHY take the only Subaru people actually wanted (Impreza WRX) comprehensively ruin it, and leave us with such a stter?
They are even trying to dissassociate themselves from the Impreza name, the name that gave them a reputation as anything other thana field car.

Hows that going for you Subaru, Marketing genius is it?
I think not, look at you now.

[anonymous-user]

Pistonwot said:

I can only gape in awe at the utter stupidity of Subaru Marketing, what imbeciles do they employ.
Subaru seem committed to maintaining the currently obscene levels of dumbness required to turn a once world leader into a second rate has been.
Subaru only made one car worth note,,,, now they make none worth a mention.
WHY take the only Subaru people actually wanted (Impreza WRX) comprehensively ruin it, and leave us with such a stter?
They are even trying to dissassociate themselves from the Impreza name, the name that gave them a reputation as anything other thana field car.

Hows that going for you Subaru, Marketing genius is it?
I think not, look at you now.

Are you talking about the one in the picture?....Its not bad...in fact it is very good. And I think the Impreza STI was the one everyone wanted.

[philmots]

I'm pretty sure Subaru make a spoiler for this STI as an accessory, it looks great!

I was looking at 3year old ones (hatch) they seem to hold their money well..

[Benny Saltstein]

I've seen the earlier STI hatches for around £12k although they're lacking the Spec C suspension in the later models.

Looks like a stock clearance to me but is there a new model to replace it?

[DanDC5]

This just shows that £32k is too expensive for an Impreza more than anything else.

[Ved]

Now this is more like it, Subaru. Well done! I had a great drive in one of these at Crossroads and they are fantastic to drive, very much like my Hawkeye but with a little more...something. Hard to put my finger on it but it's a very good car and still feels very much like an Impreza.

Now to ponder how much more I can get off one in January

[Ved]

philmots said:

I'm pretty sure Subaru make a spoiler for this STI as an accessory, it looks great!

I was looking at 3year old ones (hatch) they seem to hold their money well..

They do but it requires a new boot and £315, although I dare say they'll throw it in if you're nice. CR offered that free to me and a lovely set of gold wheels.

Now if they only did it in WR Blue again like they still offer in Japan.

[Ved]

Benny Saltstein said:

I've seen the earlier STI hatches for around £12k although they're lacking the Spec C suspension in the later models.

Looks like a stock clearance to me but is there a new model to replace it?

yes and it'll look like this:

http://www.subaru.jp/impreza/g4