SA Roadtests
South Africa
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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.
*To read one of our road tests, just select from the menu on the left.
*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the reports.
This is a launch report. In other words, it's simply a new model announcement. There wasn't even a familiarisation drive. We can therefore not tell you what it will be like to live with over an extended period, how economical it is, or how reliable it will be. A very brief first impression is all we can give you until such time as we get an actual test unit for trial. Thank you for your patience.
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Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday November 3, 2010
True-blue Subaristi have been scavenging specifications, pictures and details from the great wide Internet for months, so the recent official release of the new WRX and WRX STI in Johannesburg, was hardly news. For those who haven't kept up, there are three main items and a few updates.
First, the STI sedan is back. While hatchback versions will still be available overseas, the local company made a business decision to leave them there and import only sedans. Score one for the fans.
Second, the wing is back. The press kit gives the usual chat about its supposed technical advantages, but we all know it's there because it makes the STI look as mean as a desert coyote that hasn't bagged a roadrunner in weeks. Score two for the fans.
Third, the mucho-macho STI rally weapon still has its six-speed manual shifter, but a five-speed auto 'box, matched with a lower-torque version of the 221 kW boxer motor, will be available as well. This is possibly to meet a perceived threat from Mitsubishi's Evolution X that currently sports a snazzy twin-clutch transmission.
And: WRX and WRX STI have been repositioned as stand-alone "extreme performance" machines separate from Impreza, with the name no longer appearing anywhere on the car.
The body is 55 mm wider, giving the WRX meaningful increases in track width. Frontal treatment is more aggressive with the bumper jutting further forwards and outwards for a more three-dimensional look. The lower air intake is larger and more rectangular, while ducts just ahead of the front wheels ensure that air pressure under the nose remains low by preventing build-up of air inside the wheel arches.
The WRX 's tail wing is subtle, just a lip on the trailing edge of the bootlid, while the WRX STI gets a tall, strut-mounted spoiler standing 250 mm clear of the bootlid at its highest point. Possibly the most significant aerodynamic update can’t be seen however: the smooth underbody channels air rapidly to the diffuser, aiding wind-cheating ability. The greater overall length of the sedan helps in this respect.
Bulging rear arches, four 80-mm diameter polished stainless steel exhaust tips, blacked-out light cluster surrounds, satin black grille treatment and similar hues on the wheels (17-inch 235/45 on the WRX, 18-inch 245/40s on the WRX STI), give the impression of a wide and low car with more than a hint of street fighter.
The 2,5 litre DOHC H4 engine is carried over – along with transmissions - largely unchanged from the 2010 models. In the case of the WRX that means outputs of 195 kW/343 Nm mated to a five-speed gearbox and 221 kW/407 Nm with six-speed, heavy-duty gearbox in the case of the STI. The optional five-speed Sportshift automatic brings effortless performance into the mix, for those who want it.
The auto doesn’t have the Driver Controlled Centre Differential (DCCD) of the manual, relying entirely on the torque allocation properties of the transmission, varying the default 45:55 front/rear torque distribution according to acceleration, braking and cornering influences.
The automatic does have Si-Drive control allowing choice from three engine management maps to suit mood or conditions. Defaulting to Sport mode on start-up, more immediate throttle response is available by selecting Sport Sharp, while a more relaxed and fuel efficient driving style is available via the "Intelligent" setting.
The six-speed manual transmission WRX STI combines DCCD with Si-Drive. The former provides the option of letting the electromagnetically controlled multi-plate clutch and a mechanical limited slip centre differential apportion torque as per the 41:59 static setting or progressively send up to 65 percent rearward.
Returning to its roots, Subaru has opted for a more radical suspension setup than on the previous STI. Front and rear anti-roll bars are thicker while spring rates are significantly higher, with those at the rear now stiffer than those in front. The result is a ‘flatter’ cornering stance and a shift away from primary understeer at the limit.
Adding to overall stability and more immediate steering response are harder rear subframe bushes and a change to competition-style spherical bearings where the lower control arm pivots in the front subframe. This results in very precise wheel behaviour in high-load situations, such as rapid transitions from left to right.
The lower control arms are now cast aluminium, reducing unsprung mass by about 1,2 kilograms each side. Along with lightweight seven-spoke BBS forged aluminium wheels, this contributes to greater handling precision and quicker steering response.
The WRX, now shod with 235/45 rubber (previously 225/45), benefits from stiffened rear subframe bushes and wheels each 900 grams lighter than before. Track widths have grown by 35 mm in front and 40 mm in the rear to aid handling and grip.
Minor internal changes include new Bluetooth satellite controls on the steering wheel, greater music player compatibility, a change in door panel and dashboard colouring and keyless start and access.
These Subarus were worth waiting for but you may have to hang in a while longer; the first two shipments of 80 cars have already been sold.
Prices valid to end December 2010, including CO2 tax:
WRX - R379 000, STI automatic - R489 000, STI manual - R499 000
Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km
Maintenance plan: 3 years/75 000 km
The STI on its way to setting a new record as the fastest four door saloon around the Nordschleife loop at the Nurburgring
Inside the 'plain vanilla' WRX
...and this is the STI in a business suit
This is a one-man show, which means that road test cars entrusted to me are driven only by me. Some reviewers hand test cars over to their partners to use as day-to-day transport and barely experience them for themselves.
What this means to you is that every car reviewed is given my own personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every car goes through real world testing; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.
I am based in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa. This is the central hub of the KZN Midlands farming community; the place farmers go to to buy their supplies and equipment, truck their goods to market, send their kids to school and go to kick back and relax.
So occasionally a cow, a goat or a horse may add a little local colour by finding its way into the story or one of the pictures. It's all part of the ambience!
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8