Hey All,

I am taken aback with the new WRX STi as most here are, but I was hoping someone here could enlighten me on a few things. I’m confused how a car with such a focus on shaving weight that the engineers decided to delete a stereo system (maybe 10 pounds if that) as standard equipment, eliminate the pass through rear seat of the standard WRX, eliminate the rear seat center armrest of the WRX, eliminate the fog lamps of the standard WRX, and use lightweight BBS wheels could end up (by Subaru’s published specs) weighing in at 178 lbs HEAVIER than a standard WRX (3263 lbs, vs. 3085 lbs). Subaru engineers didn’t stop there in the weight loss program either, using aluminum lower suspension arms, even going as far as using lighter weight glass for the rear window? It makes no sense to me that they eliminated fairly important items such as the pass through rear seat, and fog lamps to produce a car that is ultimately heavier than its sister WRX that comes standard with these items

If in the end all these weight reduction exercises gave us a truly lighter, and more focused performance car than the standard WRX I wouldn’t question it for a moment, but the fact remains that the additional 73 hp is responsible for the additional performance, and not a lighter, more sharply focused platform. How much lighter would a standard WRX be than the STi, if it too gave up these items, and benefited from the lighter suspension arms, wheels, window glass, etc… Makes me wonder. Am I the only one?

~Scott T.
Former 2.5 RS Owner & Subaru enthusiast

P.S. -- I know the heavier duty driveline accounts for much of the difference, but come on...

 

Rims
Brakes
transmission
intercooler
trans cooler
oil cooler
rear diff
"beefier" suspension
"break away" pedal cluster
bigger wing

How's that for a start....

Keith

 

That's what I was thinking. A half liter of engine can be pretty darn heavy.

 

Like keith said, just about everything mechanical related are bigger and beefier. Other things are bigger tires, bigger hood scoop, front LSD...........etc....etc....... Subaru have to beef up everything to handle the extra power and to provide the car with more braking and handling performance to balance out the extra power.

 

Amen

 

No, typically this omission is done for structural rigidity and handling purposes. The weight difference cannot be too great, and not having a moonroof is certainly not going to give you more horsepower. At least every analogy points back to the great, Integra Type R. This is a pretty common practice on a lot of sporty cars.

 

They gave us that moonroof will make the car less rigid and weigh more crap when they first introduced the WRX and the standard lancer. Now Both have moonroofs. My guess is that designing for a moonroof just takes time, so they skip it and introduce it later once they have had time. Next year don't be surprised if it's an option on the STi. It's already on the Evo.

 

Eclypser has a point. This is not an uncommon tactic for manufacturers. The initial models of a vehicle are missing some options, and as each model year progresses they make a few more options available and/or add a few more HP to keep buyer interest in the model. This cycle typically continues until the next major model revision/restyling, at which time it begins again.

Next year the STi will probably have a sunroof option, and maybe the stereo will be standard. Next year the Evo will probably have a some type of DCCD option available, cruise control standard, and maybe a few extra HP.