First Test: 2019 Subaru WRX STI S209
Despite the cost and complication
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MotorTranscript
00:00 (engine revving)
00:02 (laughing)
00:07 Yeah, it's tricky.
00:09 (upbeat music)
00:13 Hey everybody, Chris Walton from Motor Trend,
00:19 here today with the Subaru STI S209,
00:23 and the most powerful STI we've ever had in the States.
00:26 Honestly, it's a rally car.
00:27 We should be up there in the mountains sliding around.
00:30 But instead, we're here to do some hard testing.
00:32 Got a drag strip over here,
00:33 we're gonna go to zero to 60, a quarter mile,
00:36 zero to 100, 100 to zero, 60 to zero,
00:39 and then we're gonna hand it over to Kim
00:40 and he's gonna take it on our figure eight
00:42 and get a figure eight time and some skid pad numbers.
00:44 But honestly, my job I think today's
00:46 gonna be a little harder.
00:48 We've got all the grip in the world with these tires,
00:51 all that turbo lag, and a stick shift and a clutch pedal,
00:55 so it's gonna be really tricky to launch,
00:57 but I'll give it my best shot and see how it goes.
01:00 After years of looking longingly at Japan
01:02 and its roster of special edition STIs,
01:04 America is getting one of its own.
01:06 So again, this is the Subaru WRX STI S209,
01:10 and it's the ultimate STI.
01:12 It has more of everything, grip, power,
01:15 scoops, wings, and fenders.
01:17 The biggest change comes under the hood.
01:19 In the S209, the 2.5 liter boxer gets a larger turbo
01:23 and an updated fuel system.
01:24 Together, they make 341 horsepower
01:27 and 330 pound feet of torque.
01:29 That should mean a great zero to 60 time.
01:31 However, cars like the STI are tricky to launch.
01:35 Sticky tires, a manual transmission,
01:37 and a motor prone to lag make perfect starts hard to come by.
01:41 It took a few tries.
01:43 Eventually, we got the S209 to 60 in 5.9 seconds.
01:48 That's quick, but slower than competitors
01:50 like the Volkswagen Golf R or Honda Civic Type R.
01:53 In the quarter mile, the S209 took 14.1 seconds.
01:57 With its special brake pads,
01:58 the Subaru stopped from 60 miles per hour in 103 feet.
02:01 That's supercar territory.
02:03 Then, we took the Subaru to the figure eight,
02:05 where its upgrades could really shine.
02:06 With special tires, the S209 did it in 24.6 seconds
02:10 at an average of .78 G.
02:11 - What about these brakes?
02:13 They're very, very good.
02:14 You get on the power quite early.
02:18 - The takeaway?
02:19 This Subaru is indeed special,
02:21 with suspension, tweaked motor, and sticky tires.
02:24 However, all that pays dividends in corners,
02:27 while conspiring to make the car difficult to launch
02:29 on asphalt from a standing start.
02:31 Still, it's quite the car,
02:33 and we hope to drive it on a dirt road soon,
02:35 where it belongs.
02:35 (upbeat music)
02:38 [BLANK_AUDIO]