Photo: X-Tomi Design
Change is good as long as it's of the right kind. Mitsubishi has all but given up on further developing the Evo into a road-going rally legend, but Subaru is keeping things going with its STI model.
It's only a couple of years old. But, believe it or not, the STI is due for a replacement. Subaru revealed brand new generations of the Impreza at the New York Auto Show last week. Even though the guys at FHI don't want us to see the link between the vanilla compact and the red hot chilli pepper, they are both born from the same seed.
In a recent interview, CEO Yasuyuki Yoshinaga hinted that all the rumors about the WRX and STI going for hybrid powertrains were false. But we've seen how the VW Golf GTE handles and believe Subaru needs none of that in its inventory.
What they may need, however, is a new engine, as the 2.5-liter turbo four-cylinder boxer has been carried over to the 2015 STI from the outgoing model. In Japan, the STI S4 sedan doesn't even have a 2.5, as they've used a new version of the 2.0-liter and it even has slightly more torque.
From day one, 2015 STI models sold in Japan were equipped with this type of slightly downsized powertrain. It produces the same amount of power as the 2.5L and a little more torque as standard, but the S207 special edition that's just been revealed raises the bar to 328 PS and 431 Nm (318 lb-ft). It would be really great if they could offer that as standard in the 2018 model.
If you exclude the Audi RS3 hatch and soon-to-be-released RS Sedan, most cars in this segment now use 2-liter turbocharged engines. That is if we include the CLA 45 AMG or the VW Golf R in the same category.
We may have gotten a little carried away talking about engines, as this story was supposed to be all about the 2018 STI rendering made by X-Tomi Design. He took last week's production car and added bigger wheels, a rear wing and a deep chin spoiler. Everything is done in the same style as recent concepts released by the automaker. If it comes out looking like this, we doubt that people will continue to call the STI "ugly."
In a recent interview, CEO Yasuyuki Yoshinaga hinted that all the rumors about the WRX and STI going for hybrid powertrains were false. But we've seen how the VW Golf GTE handles and believe Subaru needs none of that in its inventory.
What they may need, however, is a new engine, as the 2.5-liter turbo four-cylinder boxer has been carried over to the 2015 STI from the outgoing model. In Japan, the STI S4 sedan doesn't even have a 2.5, as they've used a new version of the 2.0-liter and it even has slightly more torque.
From day one, 2015 STI models sold in Japan were equipped with this type of slightly downsized powertrain. It produces the same amount of power as the 2.5L and a little more torque as standard, but the S207 special edition that's just been revealed raises the bar to 328 PS and 431 Nm (318 lb-ft). It would be really great if they could offer that as standard in the 2018 model.
If you exclude the Audi RS3 hatch and soon-to-be-released RS Sedan, most cars in this segment now use 2-liter turbocharged engines. That is if we include the CLA 45 AMG or the VW Golf R in the same category.
We may have gotten a little carried away talking about engines, as this story was supposed to be all about the 2018 STI rendering made by X-Tomi Design. He took last week's production car and added bigger wheels, a rear wing and a deep chin spoiler. Everything is done in the same style as recent concepts released by the automaker. If it comes out looking like this, we doubt that people will continue to call the STI "ugly."
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