Great news for Scooby fans is that the company has launched an updated Impreza WRX STI – in both sedan and hatchback body styles!
Aside from the obvious addition of a wide-body kit, previewed on the WRX model earlier in the week, with the return of the massive rear wing, the other big news for 2011 comes in the form of a thoroughly reworked suspension. Subaru says the 2011 STI received chassis tuning to accommodate new aluminum front lower L-arms that reduce unsprung weight. Ride height has also been lowered and new pillow-ball bushings were installed up front, with stiffer bushings out back for the double-wishbone suspension-supporting rear subframe.
There are also thicker front and rear stabilizer bars – up 1 mm front and rear – which help to increase spring rates by 15.6 percent in the front, and a substantial 53 percent in the rear. The new 18-inch aluminum wheels weigh an impressive 7.9 kg’s less than the previous standard wheels. There are also optional 18×8.5-inch BBS forged aluminum wheels that reduce unsprung weight even further by losing another 2 kg’s each, while sporting a silver high-luster paint for 2011.
To help stop the 2011 STI while pushing its new found suspension to the limits, is the Brambo Performance Brake System – exclusive to the STI model. The Brembo package calls on ventilated four-wheel Super Sport ABS disc brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, or EBD. The combination of these systems allows for brakes forces to be controlled individually at each wheel, optimizing braking and reducing understeer.
The potent 221 kW intercooled and turbocharged 2,5-litre Boxer engine remains under the bonnet for 2011, along with a six-speed manual transmission.
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