2011 Subaru Impreza WRX
“Wider is better.” It’s best remembered as a tagline used over the decades by Pontiac, but Subaru might want to see if GM’s willing to give up the trademark. That’s because the Japanese company plans to debut a revised 2011 Impreza WRX with an increased track and wide-body sheetmetal lifted straight from its STI big brother. The official unveil will happen at the New York auto show.
The 2011 WRX’s newly flared fenders will cover a 1.5-inch increase in front and rear track, in addition to a set of wider 17-inch wheels that should deliver improved grip. (The current 17s are seven inches wide; the new wheels will wear 235/45 rubber versus the previous model’s 225/45s.) The ’11 Rex also will get firmer rear subframe bushings to handle the increased g’s that come with added grip. Just 33 pounds are gained in the make-over, which comes on the heels of a pretty thorough sharpening for 2009.
Aside from the visual cues mentioned above, new WRX models will feature restyled bumpers and grilles that swallow more air, as well as newly blacked-out fog lights that are wider—it’s better!—than before.
Why Buy STI?
Subaru hasn’t released pricing info for the 2011, but even if the new car wears a higher base sticker, the case for choosing the WRX instead of the STI will remain pretty overwhelming. When the 2009 WRX was upgraded to its current 265 hp, we tested—and retested—it as barreling to 60 mph in a blistering 4.7 seconds, several tenths quicker than the best STI we’ve evaluated.
Given that the WRX now offers similarly sinister styling to go with its superior on-road performance, the STI, with its more-advanced all-wheel-drive system, only makes sense as a multi-surface hooligan racer for those that find themselves needing to pummel the odd gravel- or ice-covered road.
So, does this 2011 WRX signal the impending death of the STI? We don’t know for sure, but combine this new model with the fact that Subie no longer runs its own teams in the World Rally Championship—and therefore doesn’t need to build a homologation special like the STI—and we wouldn’t be surprised. In any event, we know which hot Impreza we’d buy if it were our money.
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