2018 WRX STI: Separating the Speculation

While we could easily re-label the "Information Age" that we live in as the misinformation age, there's some recent hype surrounding news of the next generation WRX STI that can be sorted out with information we already have.  It's time to provide a well-needed fact check with a grain silo of salt to take this in with.  Simply follow the pattern and take in the plans that have been in motion for years.

Literally every "hype" article I've read about whatever reports claim to know what the STI has coming for it is lacking significant information regarding how things play into Subaru's "Prominence 2020" plan.  It's been the blueprint for where Subaru is headed for the next few years.  Part of that blueprint clearly highlights development goals through the years as they switch all current engine platforms to Direct Injection.  The iconic 2.5 liter turbocharged Boxer 4 in the WRX STI is a bit of a dinosaur.  It's the last Subaru to hang on to the decades-old EJ series engine (everything else has moved on to the FA or FB platform) which is still port injected.  Nearly all of Subarus other engines have either switched or will switch to direct injection on the newer engines.  Aside from Fuel Efficiency standards that would threaten the EJ dinosaur, there's been a longstanding demand from a growing number of enthusiasts to move on.  It's a reasonable request, considering that the US Market has had nearly the same powerplant in the WRX STI since 2004.

When sources note that the "New WRX is at least four years away", it actually falls right in line with the current 5-year cycle that Subaru typically follows, although they've cleverly made use of some timeline skewing.  The Four Years claim starts with the fact that most of those articles were written at the end of 2016.  However, in the realm of "model years", meaning that a 2020 model would likely be released in the year 2019, we can  easily make this look like a four-year gap between now and when we'd get the new WRX.  How shocking!

It's now 2017, so we can shave an entire year off that claim.  And since a 2020 model would be released in the previous year, we shave another year off that claim.  Suddenly we've only got two years to wait for the new WRX and WRX STI to make their way to their next big design change, which falls right in line with the current trend Subaru has been following.

Sources note that the 2018 WRX STI will still be based on the current platform, which follows their 5-year cycle.  The Forester, Impreza, Legacy, and Outback lineups have been following this to a "T" for several years.  When a new generation is released, like the 2012 Impreza starting off the 4th Gen, a "refresh" is released after 3 years that tweaks some aesthetic and infotainment features.  It's exactly the formula the 4th Generation WRX is following.  2015-2017 models are nearly the same.  2018 and 2019 models will have a redesigned front end and some tweaked bits for the interior.  WRX and WRX STI will have completed their scheduled end and move to the Subaru Global Platform as a 2020 model, once again coinciding with the plan I mentioned before.

The way this recent flurry of articles are written, they appear surprised that the WRX isn't already taking a swing at the new platform that the 2017 Impreza just debuted.  That doesn't stop photoshop artists from taking a swing at WRX-ifying the new 5th Generation 2017 Impreza to look the part of Subaru's iconic hoonigan.  It happened for years after the 4th Generation 2012 Impreza was released.

Yes, it's true that the 2017 Impreza is built upon the new Subaru Global Platform (SGP) and that it will ultimately be found under nearly every Subaru car.  It's simply not the turn of the WRX to switch to it yet.  The next car slated to take on the SGP is the new 2018 Crosstrek, which should be released later in 2017.  The Forester will hang on to the previous design for 2018 and make the switch to the SGP the following year.  After that, the Outback, Legacy, and WRX would be slated to complete their 5-year Cycles and take on the new platform as 2020 models, likely to be released in 2019.  No crystal ball needed.  No made-up facts.  No speculation based on rumors misheard from a representative in passing.  With a methodical company like Subaru, figuring this stuff out is pretty easy to do.

Subarus on the Mountain

For over 150 years, the Mt. Washington Auto Road has seen hundreds of competition race cars seeking the fastest time to the summit. Nestled in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, this historic hillclimb event pre-dates the iconic Pikes Peak International Hillclimb and has seen a recent battle between rally cars to claim the fastest time.  On September 8th of 2010, Travis Pastrana took the "Red Bull Speed Chasers" series name to new heights.  Armed with his WRX STI and codriver Marshal Clarke to guide him up the twisty road, they grappled the mountain and set their name in stone.  His timed run of 6:41.99 seconds bested the previous record by more than twenty seconds.



Fast-forward one year later.  Travis Pastrana had left SRT USA for pastures new driving a Dodge Dart and taking on NASCAR.  Enter David Higgins as the new face of the Subaru team, who strapped in and beat Travis' record with a 6:11.54 time on June 26th of 2011.  Higgins did it without a co-driver, which helped save weight in his Vermont SportsCar-prepped Subaru WRX STi rally car.  Both Pastrana and Higgins had similar setups with their cars, but their head-to-head faceoff would have to wait.

2014 would be a special year for the Climb to the Clouds event. Not only did it mean that David Higgins and Travis Pastrana would face off directly in nearly identical cars, but it also served as a special round of the Rally America National Championship.  This meant that certain guidelines of Rally America had to be observed.  Turbo restrictions and the requirement of bringing a co-driver along for the ride meant that they'd be down on power and up on weight... neither of which are promising things to add when you're looking to set a record.  David Higgins and Craig Drew were a winning pair and had several championships together under their belt.  Travis had just made his return to rallying and was with a new codriver, Chrissie Beavis.  While the battle was still close, Higgins and Drew came out on top not only to win the event, but set yet another record up the mountain.  Their timed run of 6:09.09 shaved almost 3 seconds off the previous run.  The pacenotes delivered by Craig Drew had sharpened David's attack up the mountain and made up for the extra weight and restricted power.


The battle won't stop there!  In 2017, the Climb to the Clouds event returns to the mountain and Subaru is bringing two of their most powerful WRX STIs with David and Travis to chase down the clock once again.  Higgins had mentioned before that he would "like to break the 6 minute mark" for an attempt.  With his championships racking up, that goal seems more attainable than ever, but with his teammate Travis Pastrana focusing more on rallying again, it'll be up for grabs once more!

Why use the Boxer Engine?

At the heart of the Symmetrical AWD cars of Subaru is the horizontally opposed engine: the Subaru Boxer Engine. They fitted this horizontally opposed engine for the first time in the Subaru 1000 and over the next 40 years have refined this extremely unusual automobile power plant. Subaru selected the horizontally opposed engine because it contains a number of elements that make it ideal for use with four-wheel-drive vehicles.

How much did the engineers who developed the Subaru 1000 know about the potential of the horizontally opposed engine?   With the help of Subaru-Philosophy.com, we can go back in time and find out what led to using this design.

PIAA Fog Lights on my STI

When I decided to upgrade my stock halogen fog lights on my 2016 WRX STI, I wanted something special.  With my focus on following Subaru Rally Team USA always at the front of my ideas for this car, it didn't take very long to think about the PIAA Light Pods seen on rally cars for those iconic night stages.  I didn't want to mount huge pods on my hood, but when I found out that PIAA made a drop-in LED Fog Light replacement for my car, I knew that's what I'd want to run.

These are a JDM option for the WRX and WRX STI and plug right in to the stock housing in the bumper on 2015-2017 models.  Installation was incredibly simple.  There are two screws holding the stock bulbs in.  After you move the liner under the bumper out of the way they're easy to get to and the housing unplugs from the harness and drops out.  Then just reuse the screws to install the new PIAA lights and plug 'em in.  It really couldn't have been easier!

The housings are really nice, too.  Compared to other LED housings, they're much lighter and have a nice clean look to them.  The projection is very nice and an easily noticeable improvement over the stock fog lights.  While they are pricey, the ease of installation and the obvious quality of these parts makes for a rewarding upgrade.  They look great with the LED Low Beam Headlights on the WRX Limited, WRX STI and WRX STI Limited.  My fog light housings also have the JDM Fog Light Bezels around them to match the main headlights and I'm really pleased with how they look together.

Subaru JDM PIAA LED Fog Lights

Turbo XV for Subaru?

I mentioned a "STI" Crosstrek in my last article, but after rewatching an episode of Subaru's Launch Control YouTube series, there might actually be a production-based Subaru XV out there.  In Episode 5 of this season, "Made in America", David Higgins and Craig Drew are using a blue XV for their Recce car to check out the stages and make notes for the rally in China.  As they drive away you can clearly see a scoop in the center of the hood of their XV.  The interior shows a CVT shift knob, but I've yet to see a factory hood scoop on this generation of XV / Impreza.  Typically a hood scoop on a Subaru signals the use of an intercooler which would be used on a turbocharged engine.  WRXs, some Foresters, and other turbocharged models Subaru has made over the years have this feature... so it got me searching for more!

I can't seem to find any other information on this just yet.  A quick look around the Subaru-China website for the XV (called the Crosstrek here in the US) doesn't seem to bring anything up showing any models equipped as such.  Subaru Rally Team China fielded a turbocharged Crosstrek prepared by Vermont SportsCar to compete in this series, but the Recce car shouldn't have also been prepared unless there's something different with rally regulations in China I am unaware of.  Even the rally car brought over by Vermont SportsCar didn't have a hood scoop, so it's just been kind of puzzling to me.

I'll keep digging for info on this.  In the meantime, if any of you have more information on this scooped XV, leave a comment!  I'd love to find out more and share it!

Manual: Not Quite Dead Yet!

While it's certainly more part of a niche market, Manual Transmission options have been in trouble over the last several years.  With fuel economy improving on Automatic transmissions, the reasons to drive a manual have been dwindling over time, leaving die-hards and enthusiasts to carry the flag for the 5-Speed.

For 2017, the Subaru Impreza is entering it's 5th Generation design with groundbreaking new designs ushering in the new sedan and hatchback.  Thanks to vague press releases and media assumptions, many had come to the conclusion that the Impreza would only be offered with an automatic CVT and ditch the manual option.  I am happy to prove those media outlets wrong with the release of new information for the upcoming 2017 Imprezas, slated to release later this fall!

The 2017 Subaru Impreza 2.0i retains a 5-Speed Manual Transmission in the base sedan, base hatchback, sport sedan, and sport hatchback.  Not only that, but Sport models also have the option to add a Moonroof, Blind Spot Monitors, and a Harman Kardon  audio system.  The manual is alive and well with the Impreza!


Stay tuned next week when we take the all-new Impreza for a run before they hit dealership lots!

Hybrid: Dead or Alive?

In Fall of 2016, Subaru of America announced a few small changes for the 2017 Subaru Crosstrek. Among the news of Red and Black Special Edition models being released there was an exclusion. The Crosstrek Hybrid and Hybrid Touring models have been discontinued in the US.

Since it's original launch as a 2014 model, the XV Crosstrek Hybrid (later just the Crosstrek Hybrid) was a tough pitch.  While you could argue that the quieter smoother ride, nicer interior and exterior touches, and unique additions made it worth the price gap between itself and a normal Crosstrek, there was one Achilles Heel right from the start: Fuel Economy.  The driving force for a customer to purchase a Hybrid vehicle is to save on fuel.  On paper the Crosstrek Hybrid only delivered marginally better fuel economy figures compared to it's non-hybrid counterpart.  Before the customer could even start to appreciate the rest of the Hybrid's trimmings, it'd be easily dismissed from the unimpressive gas mileage figures.

For a full time All Wheel Drive system, the Fuel Economy in Subarus is already pretty impressive.  Mix in the fact that most Hybrid-minded consumers are looking for 40+ MPG in a car thanks to front-wheel drive offerings, and the Crosstrek Hybrid already had cards stacked against it.  Plus, the technology and extra trimmings that were once exclusive to the Hybrid models eventually made their way onto other non-Hybrid models, which further detracted from any sort of pull it would give customers to give the Hybrid a shot.  No matter how capable or how nice this tree-hugging Crosstrek was, the fuel economy figures just weren't enough to make it relevant.

With those dismal figures I imagined that this was it for the Crosstrek Hybrid, but it appears the Japanese have been drinking something different... to the point where the Hybrid is going in the opposite direction.


Behold!  The 2017 Subaru XV Hybrid tS!  This STI-packaged Crosstrek tots lots of extra bolt-on goodies as well as a "heart-thumping" orange interior.  While no performance upgrades find their way under the hood, this XV Hybrid has upgraded suspension and handling to go along with those flashy exterior aero parts.  In the US, it would have had a MSRP around $32,000 (3,326,400 Yen) making it the most expensive XV on the market.  Still, it's interesting to see the US market drop the Hybrid while it gets STI treatment overseas.


With Subaru's future plans looking towards Hybrid and Electric designs going into the next generation, the Hybrid's exit from the US market could only be temporary.  Still, it's odd to see such a split between success and demise with the same Hybrid system under the hood.  As the door closes on the current models, the Global Platform coming for the 2017 Impreza could give this technology new avenues to explore.