RE: Subaru announces WRX STI Diamond Edition
Thursday 15th November 2018
Subaru announces WRX STI Diamond Edition
South Africa exclusive model boasts 348hp as souped-up Subaru run continues
It was just last week that Subaru teased us with the JDM TC380, a 380hp special, developed in partnership with Japanese rally driver Toshihiro Arai. Now, to make matters worse, the manufacturer's South African operation has announced its own limited-run car, the Diamond Edition.
Uprated to produce a claimed 348hp and 342lb ft thanks, in true modded Subaru fashion, to a remap and a new performance exhaust, the model is the most powerful the region has ever seen - though still not as potent as the UK's 395hp CS400 or, of course, that TC380.
Nonetheless, 0-62mph in 5.0 seconds - a 0.7 second improvement on the standard STI - sounds plenty quick to us. Handling ought to be improved too, thanks to a new engine brace and six-piston calipers all-round for the Brembo brakes. Spacers on the 19-inch Y-design wheels make for a 20mm wider track, and a more aggressive stance, while High Viz Yellow detailing completes the package aesthetically.
Inside, each Diamond Edition car receives a unique numbered plaque and model-specific dashboard inlays, as well as a seven-speaker Harman Kardon audio system and a seven-inch CarPlay/Android Auto-enabled infotainment system.
Just 30 examples of the Diamond Edition will be produced to mark the 30th anniversary of STI, with deliveries expected to begin in January of next year. Still, with South Africa and Japan both driving on the left, add those 30 to the 50 TC380s being made and the odds of a determined UK Scooby fan getting their hands on a new, limited-run car have just increased significantly...
Discussion
You guys probably know I'm a huge Subaru fan. And this just leaves me very unimpressed.
Subaru were great back in the 90's, and even some of the early noughties cars like the JDM versions of Spec C, Type RA, s202/3/4 were scalpels around a track.
But these are just fat b
ds with a few trinkets sprinkled around the cabin, while the rest of the world has moved on.
That is a real missed opportunity as far as I'm concerned. Put that pig on a diet, give it some muscles, and then let's have another look at it.
Subaru were great back in the 90's, and even some of the early noughties cars like the JDM versions of Spec C, Type RA, s202/3/4 were scalpels around a track.
But these are just fat b
ds with a few trinkets sprinkled around the cabin, while the rest of the world has moved on.That is a real missed opportunity as far as I'm concerned. Put that pig on a diet, give it some muscles, and then let's have another look at it.
big_rob_sydney said:
You guys probably know I'm a huge Subaru fan. And this just leaves me very unimpressed.
Subaru were great back in the 90's, and even some of the early noughties cars like the JDM versions of Spec C, Type RA, s202/3/4 were scalpels around a track.
But these are just fat bds with a few trinkets sprinkled around the cabin, while the rest of the world has moved on.
That is a real missed opportunity as far as I'm concerned. Put that pig on a diet, give it some muscles, and then let's have another look at it.
I tend to agreed. Having had a number of scoobies over the year and an avid fan of the early rally hay days and drivers (one main ingredient in me love of all things petrol and driving). These seem just a bit soft and lacking. I am a fan of the design and would choose one over a bunch of other more expensive luxury cars. Subaru were great back in the 90's, and even some of the early noughties cars like the JDM versions of Spec C, Type RA, s202/3/4 were scalpels around a track.
But these are just fat b
ds with a few trinkets sprinkled around the cabin, while the rest of the world has moved on.That is a real missed opportunity as far as I'm concerned. Put that pig on a diet, give it some muscles, and then let's have another look at it.
That said. When compared to the rest of the fair on sale today i still think its stands fairly outside the "norm" for brutish saloons. I guess they have to compete with the more modern VAG / German super saloon equivalents and that means more kit and therefore more weight. Which i think is a shame. Plus they don't do it that well, so just accept that and don't do it. Subaru's USP is how it drives, feels, sounds. How it holds the road - it should use that to sell cars not try and compete in ways where it can only fail.
A celebration of everything STI should include lightweight body panels, stripped back interior, a modified forged engine with circa 380-420hp. You, the steering wheel and that boxer and drive train. And if they were really a celebration then they should wear the "impreza" badge. It seems a bit sad that it doesn't, perhaps above all else.
For a country that proved so popular for subaru and imparticular imprezas its also a shame that subaru doesn't feel its right to provide the UK with a celebration model - massively frustrating. Please bring it back!!!
stevekoz said:
big_rob_sydney said:
You guys probably know I'm a huge Subaru fan. And this just leaves me very unimpressed.
Subaru were great back in the 90's, and even some of the early noughties cars like the JDM versions of Spec C, Type RA, s202/3/4 were scalpels around a track.
But these are just fat bds with a few trinkets sprinkled around the cabin, while the rest of the world has moved on.
That is a real missed opportunity as far as I'm concerned. Put that pig on a diet, give it some muscles, and then let's have another look at it.
I tend to agreed. Having had a number of scoobies over the year and an avid fan of the early rally hay days and drivers (one main ingredient in me love of all things petrol and driving). These seem just a bit soft and lacking. I am a fan of the design and would choose one over a bunch of other more expensive luxury cars. Subaru were great back in the 90's, and even some of the early noughties cars like the JDM versions of Spec C, Type RA, s202/3/4 were scalpels around a track.
But these are just fat b
ds with a few trinkets sprinkled around the cabin, while the rest of the world has moved on.That is a real missed opportunity as far as I'm concerned. Put that pig on a diet, give it some muscles, and then let's have another look at it.
That said. When compared to the rest of the fair on sale today i still think its stands fairly outside the "norm" for brutish saloons. I guess they have to compete with the more modern VAG / German super saloon equivalents and that means more kit and therefore more weight. Which i think is a shame. Plus they don't do it that well, so just accept that and don't do it. Subaru's USP is how it drives, feels, sounds. How it holds the road - it should use that to sell cars not try and compete in ways where it can only fail.
A celebration of everything STI should include lightweight body panels, stripped back interior, a modified forged engine with circa 380-420hp. You, the steering wheel and that boxer and drive train. And if they were really a celebration then they should wear the "impreza" badge. It seems a bit sad that it doesn't, perhaps above all else.
For a country that proved so popular for subaru and imparticular imprezas its also a shame that subaru doesn't feel its right to provide the UK with a celebration model - massively frustrating. Please bring it back!!!
I was always quite frustrated that they kept the very best models like the spec c, ra, ra r and s20x variants to themselves in Japan. The UK loved the Impreza, and those specials would've sold easily even if they had silly price tags.
Turbojuice said:
stevekoz said:
big_rob_sydney said:
You guys probably know I'm a huge Subaru fan. And this just leaves me very unimpressed.
Subaru were great back in the 90's, and even some of the early noughties cars like the JDM versions of Spec C, Type RA, s202/3/4 were scalpels around a track.
But these are just fat bds with a few trinkets sprinkled around the cabin, while the rest of the world has moved on.
That is a real missed opportunity as far as I'm concerned. Put that pig on a diet, give it some muscles, and then let's have another look at it.
I tend to agreed. Having had a number of scoobies over the year and an avid fan of the early rally hay days and drivers (one main ingredient in me love of all things petrol and driving). These seem just a bit soft and lacking. I am a fan of the design and would choose one over a bunch of other more expensive luxury cars. Subaru were great back in the 90's, and even some of the early noughties cars like the JDM versions of Spec C, Type RA, s202/3/4 were scalpels around a track.
But these are just fat b
ds with a few trinkets sprinkled around the cabin, while the rest of the world has moved on.That is a real missed opportunity as far as I'm concerned. Put that pig on a diet, give it some muscles, and then let's have another look at it.
That said. When compared to the rest of the fair on sale today i still think its stands fairly outside the "norm" for brutish saloons. I guess they have to compete with the more modern VAG / German super saloon equivalents and that means more kit and therefore more weight. Which i think is a shame. Plus they don't do it that well, so just accept that and don't do it. Subaru's USP is how it drives, feels, sounds. How it holds the road - it should use that to sell cars not try and compete in ways where it can only fail.
A celebration of everything STI should include lightweight body panels, stripped back interior, a modified forged engine with circa 380-420hp. You, the steering wheel and that boxer and drive train. And if they were really a celebration then they should wear the "impreza" badge. It seems a bit sad that it doesn't, perhaps above all else.
For a country that proved so popular for subaru and imparticular imprezas its also a shame that subaru doesn't feel its right to provide the UK with a celebration model - massively frustrating. Please bring it back!!!
I was always quite frustrated that they kept the very best models like the spec c, ra, ra r and s20x variants to themselves in Japan. The UK loved the Impreza, and those specials would've sold easily even if they had silly price tags.
I think in reality you'll be able to have such a car in a few years courtesy of the JDM market specials which find a way over from time to time.
Edited by rastapasta on Thursday 15th November 14:43
Edited by rastapasta on Thursday 15th November 15:52
Ah, Subaru. How I loved them, had 5, wife had 2. Would love to have another but......ARRGGHHHH....FRUSTRATION!!! It's the only word for it. How can a manufacturer screw up so so badly. A car that's a ton slower than what they were producing 2 decades ago and looks worse than st.
Oh and of course where it all went wrong....cough (EJ25)....fix that pos engine first. It was pleasing to see the Forester is peddling the EJ20 again so maybe there is a dawn of realisation over at Subaru!
These should be pushing 400bhp nowadays, more so in 2.5 configuration if they've managed to sort it in the last decade even though by now their captive audience have completely lost all interest. Mercedes' 45 series is today's spiritual successor to the bewinged Subaru Rally car. I'd have a Subaru everytime if there was a viable option, but it's fallen so desperately behind in the performance stakes and still drinks like a fish.
Disappointed as I am every time I read any Subaru article.
t.Oh and of course where it all went wrong....cough (EJ25)....fix that pos engine first. It was pleasing to see the Forester is peddling the EJ20 again so maybe there is a dawn of realisation over at Subaru!
These should be pushing 400bhp nowadays, more so in 2.5 configuration if they've managed to sort it in the last decade even though by now their captive audience have completely lost all interest. Mercedes' 45 series is today's spiritual successor to the bewinged Subaru Rally car. I'd have a Subaru everytime if there was a viable option, but it's fallen so desperately behind in the performance stakes and still drinks like a fish.
Disappointed as I am every time I read any Subaru article.
NITO said:
Ah, Subaru. How I loved them, had 5, wife had 2. Would love to have another but......ARRGGHHHH....FRUSTRATION!!! It's the only word for it. How can a manufacturer screw up so so badly. A car that's a ton slower than what they were producing 2 decades ago and looks worse than st.
Oh and of course where it all went wrong....cough (EJ25)....fix that pos engine first. It was pleasing to see the Forester is peddling the EJ20 again so maybe there is a dawn of realisation over at Subaru!
These should be pushing 400bhp nowadays, more so in 2.5 configuration if they've managed to sort it in the last decade even though by now their captive audience have completely lost all interest. Mercedes' 45 series is today's spiritual successor to the bewinged Subaru Rally car. I'd have a Subaru everytime if there was a viable option, but it's fallen so desperately behind in the performance stakes and still drinks like a fish.
Disappointed as I am every time I read any Subaru article.
Subaru don't care. It should be pushing 400bhp?? why?? Because Ford and VW produce such cars?? I think by now it is well established that Subaru will only play to their own strengths. They sell these cars in japan to appease a market demand there. Subaru's main market outside Japan is the US and then Oz. UK subaru production amounts to one days production in their Tokyo plant. So thats their priority - not what you or I want as current or former Subaru performance car drivers. I am actually very surprised they make such cars anymore considering the Rallying element on a global scale ended in 2008, but the marque is still Factory supported on the US rally scene. However the point is that Subaru make reliable safe tough somewhat fast cars to help people go to and get home from work in areas where the road conditions legislate for such a car. The company itself is now 20% owned by Toyota so I would suspect that the uniqueness of the brand will be watered down still further as the years go on and you and I will reminisce like the other guys here who owned 4wd Lancia's back in the day and yearn once more for a car with such capabilities and propensity to rust. t.Oh and of course where it all went wrong....cough (EJ25)....fix that pos engine first. It was pleasing to see the Forester is peddling the EJ20 again so maybe there is a dawn of realisation over at Subaru!
These should be pushing 400bhp nowadays, more so in 2.5 configuration if they've managed to sort it in the last decade even though by now their captive audience have completely lost all interest. Mercedes' 45 series is today's spiritual successor to the bewinged Subaru Rally car. I'd have a Subaru everytime if there was a viable option, but it's fallen so desperately behind in the performance stakes and still drinks like a fish.
Disappointed as I am every time I read any Subaru article.
Edited by rastapasta on Thursday 15th November 16:04
rossub said:
Are those 0-60 times using South African fuel or something?
5.7 seconds to 60 for the standard STI is slow, frankly
I had a boggo 2004 5 speed WRX with the ppp pack on it that had an official 0-60 of 4.8 secs. 5.7 seconds to 60 for the standard STI is slow, frankly
14 years of progress and another 80bhp on tap and this is slower?. Acceleration isn’t the most important thing in the world but it kind of defined this genre of car. 5 secs is just not outstanding any more.
I drive a 2017 WRX STi which does not have all of the trinkets added to this special edition but I would not miss them. Agree with other posters, looks like a desperate run out model, something that your local Vauxhall dealer used to do to shift old Corsas.
20,000 miles in and I am yet to find its limit. It stops, goes, turns and handles like no other car I have driven, and I have owned all of the usual hot hatches.
That's the point of these cars.
Oh and I get 27 mpg around town and 40 mpg on a run.
It's a perfect antidote to today's cold, clinical, dull sports cars.
20,000 miles in and I am yet to find its limit. It stops, goes, turns and handles like no other car I have driven, and I have owned all of the usual hot hatches.
That's the point of these cars.
Oh and I get 27 mpg around town and 40 mpg on a run.
It's a perfect antidote to today's cold, clinical, dull sports cars.
rastapasta said:
Subaru don't care. It should be pushing 400bhp?? why?? Because Ford and VW produce such cars?? I think by now it is well established that Subaru will only play to their own strengths. They sell these cars in japan to appease a market demand there. Subaru's main market outside Japan is the US and then Oz. UK subaru production amounts to one days production in their Tokyo plant. So thats their priority - not what you or I want as current or former Subaru performance car drivers. I am actually very surprised they make such cars anymore considering the Rallying element on a global scale ended in 2008, but the marque is still Factory supported on the US rally scene. However the point is that Subaru make reliable safe tough somewhat fast cars to help people go to and get home from work in areas where the road conditions legislate for such a car. The company itself is now 20% owned by Toyota so I would suspect that the uniqueness of the brand will be watered down still further as the years go on and you and I will reminisce like the other guys here who owned 4wd Lancia's back in the day and yearn once more for a car with such capabilities and propensity to rust.
I think the why bit is because of where they appeared to be in the pecking order, and so considering where everyone else has moved up to in performance terms, that seems to be where they would need to be in order to reclaim their "spot".Yep, I get the whole rallying connection; I bought and ran a 22B for 7 years for that very reason. And as a business that needs to make profits for shareholders, you are 100% spot on in your views of target markets.
I guess its just that some of us loved the product so much, we just want to keep what made it special to "us". Maybe put another way, today, I could go out and buy an A45 or an RS3, but I would rather buy another Subaru. In order to make that viable, I'd want the Subaru to be comparable across a few disciplines. The driver engagement side is a little intangible, but the bald performance stats are only a stopwatch away. And in order to hit those targets, it simply needs more than what its packing today.
Cue frustration.
PK0001 said:
I drive a 2017 WRX STi which does not have all of the trinkets added to this special edition but I would not miss them. Agree with other posters, looks like a desperate run out model, something that your local Vauxhall dealer used to do to shift old Corsas.
20,000 miles in and I am yet to find its limit. It stops, goes, turns and handles like no other car I have driven, and I have owned all of the usual hot hatches.
That's the point of these cars.
Oh and I get 27 mpg around town and 40 mpg on a run.
It's a perfect antidote to today's cold, clinical, dull sports cars.
Hear hear! 20,000 miles in and I am yet to find its limit. It stops, goes, turns and handles like no other car I have driven, and I have owned all of the usual hot hatches.
That's the point of these cars.
Oh and I get 27 mpg around town and 40 mpg on a run.
It's a perfect antidote to today's cold, clinical, dull sports cars.
I drive a 2016 model, and clearly people on here who are/were 'Subaru fans' haven't driven the current model. Granted, the current one is about as fast as the one from a few years ago, but its still faster than the manual Golf R, Civic Type R, and a tenth or two slower to 60 than the Focus RS.
My car has sat nav, blind spot detection, rear cross traffic detection, sunroof, rear camera. It doesn't have radar cruise control like the Golf, but it does have a proper AWD system, unlike the Haldex on the Golf, as well as a centre differential that allows me to vary the torque split b/w the front and rear wheels.
It has a Subaru performance exhaust, fitted from the dealer, that sounds amazing (well, its no Ferrari but does sound better than any of its competitors, especially the ridiculous Focus RS with its contrived pops and bangs), and is an utterly engaging car to drive everyday.
Of course its not nearly as quick as the A45 AMG, but its also £x000 cheaper, not to mention that evo and many other magazines judged the A45 as being immensely fast, but not much fun. It does look the business though.
The below is excerpted from Matt Prior's review of the STI in Autocar:
Compared to hot hatches, sports saloons or even supercars, there’s a hands-on, full-of-feel, macho, workhorse physicality to the WRX... But there’s cruise control, the seats are supportive without appearing aggressively bolstered and the driving position is bang-on, with brilliantly spaced pedals. For all of its outdated feel, ergonomically it works rather well.
...And the WRX’s engine does rev, like it always did. It’s a 2.5-litre these days, revving with none of the sound-augmented refinement or faux overrun pop-bang of a modern superhatch. No, it just takes abreath of air when you ask it to, then runs through with strength to the 7000rpm redline, with a fulsome, bombastic and eventually urgent attack. There’s less audible off-beat flat-four wobble than there originally was, now the exhaust lengths are more even, but it’s still, in its own way, really quite charming.
...There’s something really special about this WRX, now the Mitsubishi Evo is already dead and nothing else remains that does what the Subaru does. The Ford Focus RS is closest, but even that can’t match it. Some say it’s a shadow of the Impreza’s best days, but still it’s a better driver’s car than every front-drive hot hatch and junior sports saloon, and most four-wheel-drive ones too. It has tremendous capabilities and absurd amounts of feedback. It wasn’t created to sit atop a range to flog lesser models, it wasn’t designed to look good in London, it wasn’t built for emissions regulations: it was made for conditions and roads where, sadly, too few people live to sustain it. With the death of this car, and the genre that goes with it, we are genuinely worse off for its absence.
How sad is it, that both this AND the Aston DBX both get flack on PH - make up your bl00dy mind people! For the record, I like the DBX, but its a sad state of affairs when people basically refer to this car as a dinosaur.
I think people forget that Subaru is doing very well.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-subaru-results/...
Their sales in the US their second biggest market have sky rocketed in the last 10 years. They are also very popular in China where the market isn`t looking for back to basics, raw motoring prowess.
So as much as I am sure they would like to keep the die hard, traditional Subaru fans happy, what they really want to do is sell more cars.
I also agree though that the subarus over the last 7 or 8 years just aren`t as cool as they once were
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-subaru-results/...
Their sales in the US their second biggest market have sky rocketed in the last 10 years. They are also very popular in China where the market isn`t looking for back to basics, raw motoring prowess.
So as much as I am sure they would like to keep the die hard, traditional Subaru fans happy, what they really want to do is sell more cars.
I also agree though that the subarus over the last 7 or 8 years just aren`t as cool as they once were
http://carsalesbase.com/european-car-sales-data/Su...
European sales have dropped 10,000 annually in the last 10 years.
At the same time they have grown by 450,000 in the US. So you cant say Subaru have lost the plot, they are just now writing more popular books.
European sales have dropped 10,000 annually in the last 10 years.
At the same time they have grown by 450,000 in the US. So you cant say Subaru have lost the plot, they are just now writing more popular books.
Ahbefive said:
I like these WRX STi's but their problem is that the Focus RS, Golf R and A45 AMG are better to drive, faster, nicer to live with and all feel more premium.
My 1999 RB5 was as fast if not faster than this special edition.
The Focus RS might be and probably is better to drive, but the other two certainly aren't. The Golf R is slower, and even the RS isn't that much quicker, and the RS' interior feels even cheaper than the Subaru's. My 1999 RB5 was as fast if not faster than this special edition.
If your 1999 RB5 is as fast as this car, then its also as fast as the Focus RS then, and the Golf R. The A45 AMG is £10k more than the Subaru - a full 30% price difference (the difference between a Cayman and a 911 I might add, or a 911 Turbo S and a 488GTB)
The Subaru will feel much much more involving than the A45 AMG, and a fair bit more than the Golf R (my mate has a DSG-equipped Golf R, and always comments on how 'raw' my car is whenever he climbs in).
That said, the Subaru does have a fairly crap interior, with horrible sat nav and lacks features like adaptive cruise control. For me the most annoying feature is the lack of a flip-out rear camera - the Golf R's is hidden behind the rear VW badge, and hence never gets dirty.
BlackPrince said:
The Golf R is slower, and even the RS isn't that much quicker, and the RS' interior feels even cheaper than the Subaru's.
Hmm, are you sure about that? Having owned multiple old school scoobies and also a 2016 Golf R, i'd say the Golf with a DSG box will outstrip the WRX STI fairly easily.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff