Subaru WRX STI: PH Fleet

Subaru excels on track; parking manoeuvres not so much (workman, tools, etc...)

Never mind NotImpreza, more case of NotDrivingIt over the last few weeks. A recurring theme, mainly because once someone’s in the driving seat it seems rather difficult to convince them to get out of it.

Rare moment stationary at Bedford shoot

Saying that, hand on heart, when a long run up the M1 beckoned I have to confess I did ask James if he’d swap for his Volvo. Much as I love the Subaru on its natural hunting ground of Yorkshire B-roads it’s not quite as well matched to the long and boring one that takes you there. Nothing’s going to make that mind-numbing 20-mile 50 limit on the run north enjoyable but the bouncy, puppy-like demeanour of the NotImpreza just gets a bit wearing and leather-lined Swedish sophistication won out. Writing that seems like a betrayal of all my previous flag waving, but, given the choice…

Before all this I did manage to get a fleeting go on track with the Subaru. Fleeting because there were, cough, other distractions but also fleeting because anyone who got in it was damned difficult to extract. With the track greasy and fog bound the Subaru seemed the perfect car for the vital sighting laps and here the STI really showed its mettle.

With the centre diff dialled back to its most open setting, and front wheels free to concentrate on steering rather than traction, the pointy on-road behaviour makes more sense on the circuit. The Subaru really wants to change direction, that stiff rear and fast steering rack making it feel much more alert and eager than Imprezas of old. It’ll still push on if you get on the power too early but the more aggressively you drive it the more options it gives you, the greasy surface permitting an exploration of its on-limit behaviour when the grip runs out. On a fast third-gear left a lift got the nose in and the tail out, from where a floored throttle offered lovely neutral four-wheel drifts before the four-wheel drive clawed the car straight and into another flurry of gear changes. You’re always kept busy, the narrow power band and close gearing meaning you’re only ever in the right gear for a moment. But it’s fun.

B-roads remain prime Subaru hunting ground

Or so it looked from the passenger seat, as Racing Pete went round for lap after lap after lap … after lap and, come on Pete, let’s have a go! The engine certainly had an appetite for the dense, foggy air too, responding to this flat-chat attack with ever-more vocal chuffs from the dump valve and a sense that the sometimes thrummy nature of the bigger 2.5 can replicate the more zingy 2.0s of old. Brakes, tyres and all the rest held up well too, the Subaru offering confidence it could do this all day long, were it so required. I intend to explore this to the full soon too. Indeed, track sessions at our forthcoming Silverstone Sunday Service beckon – if you see a man in a white Subaru with a big grin on his face that’ll be me.

This on the promise the car will be back from Subaru in time, a colleague falling victim to the lack of rearward visibility, absence of parking sensors and the unseen broken stump of a concrete bollard. A light flesh wound but one that needed sorting out. He’d also reported an intermittent squeal from the belts that, such is the way of it, Subaru couldn’t replicate having run the car cold and warm. They changed the belts anyway and the car should be back with us very soon, fighting fit and ready to take on the Germans.

First up, the Audi S3 saloon. 300hp, four-wheel drive (natch), six-speed manual and conspicuously lacking in spoilerage or other addenda, could it be the complete annexation of the WRX STI’s home turf by a sober suited German? Or the real proof why a few die-hards like me still stand by our Subarus? This is just a warm-up though. The Golf R long-termer arrives soon…

FACT SHEET
Car: 2014 Subaru WRX STI
Run by: Dan
On fleet since: December 2014
Mileage: 4,897
List price new: £28,995 (£30,007 as tested including £1,012 for Pioneer touchscreen navigation unit; c. £75 fitting charge applicable but varies according to dealership)
Last month at a glance: Seat time in the Subaru seems hard to come by

Previous updates:
New arrival - the NotImpreza has landed!
Rusty nail plays Scrooge over a white Christmas
Four wheels back on his wagon, Dan's having fun

Bedford images: Anthony Fraser

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Axionknight

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