Ummmm,

What the heck is subaru doing to the STi (sorry i meant STI). Whatever happen to traditions?! I just check the specs on the new 06 STI and i came to realize that the new STI is not as hardcore (or traditional) as the 04-05 STi or even the 1st generation Impreza.

1st off... All SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STi of past have been spell with a small letter "i"....(that's tradition)

2nd.....as the cars get newer and newer, the LBS just gets heavier and heavier..
(did you guys know that the 06 STI weights in at 3350 + 1 lbs?!?!)

3rd....why fix (or change) something that is not broken...the current 05 STi looks great....why change the way it looks with some new front end?!
(although, can't argue that the 1st gen impreza is still the best looking Impreza of all time-even if we never got a version of the 1st gen STi)

I have always hoped that Subaru would make the 2nd generation Impreza somewhat resemble the 1st gen Impreza (2 door coupe, scoops AND vents on the hood, EJ20 engine rather than EJ25 engine, etc....), but that never happen...
I also believe that as a car evolves, it should get better, stronger, lighter, and definely faster...

With the 06 STI, lighter is definely out of the question
(06 STI:3,350 +1 lbs versus 05 STi: 3,300 - 2 lbs)
Faster....nah...
More responsive...maybe.....
stronger (chassis wise)....nah.....
Better looking.....blllarghhhh


Well none the less, I am glad I got my 05 STi before Subaru decides that one of their best car needs to ...ahem...recall it's airplane roots!

Ummm by the way...why can't i get rid of these parse links in text, i unchecked the "automatically parse links in text" box

 

2006 STi - Curb weight 3,351 lbs
2005 STi - Curb weight 3,263 lbs.

Those extra 88 lbs will hardly change lap times for the average driver. (Cars.com lists the 04 and 05 STi at the same weight. I'm betting that they carried the 04 weight to the 05 when the 05 is clearly heavier due to the stereo, speakers, and wider wheels.) The 06 gives a better center differential.

Then again, a hardcore sports car wouldn't have 4 doors and weigh over 2200 lbs, IMO. The STi is a compromise between performance and practicality. Sucks, but it is the truth.

BTW, the 06 is far better looking than your 05, IMO. The 05 looks so.... ho-hum in comparison. The 06 WRX wagon (in white) is the best looking impreza offered in the US, IMO.

How do you think RS owners felt when the more powerful WRX was released in 01? Many used the same stupid 'well, at least mine looks better' argument. In the case of the new WRX, it is handsdown a better car than the bugeye/peanut eye based on the brakes, wheels, steering rack, and engine. The STI has been tweeked with little things but is over all the same car. Just buy the one you like better looks wise and enjoy it.

~~Quentin

edited to be nicer

 

I don't know why, but the capitalization of the 'i' in STi does bug me too. Seems like such a small thing, but it seems important. STI is the company, STi is the label they put on the cars they make.


Unfortunately, thats what happens when cars start adding features (esp. safety features). These aren't race cars, they are street cars, and as more safety laws get legislated, the more weight the cars get.

1st gen Impreza was a 4-door. The 2-door version wasn't released till STi Version 3, which was in '97 I think. Its a decent looking car, but its kind of looking a little dated now.

Personally, I think the new '06 is hot. Much better then the 02-05 designs.


Those are the intellitxt ads. As far as I know, they can't be turned off.

 

"the current 05 STi looks great....why change the way it looks with some new front end?!"

If that was the case then bugeyes would still be around....however car companies always update the look of their cars.

 

I think it's funny how a lot of people are saying"If it isn't broken, don't fix it!". In my opinion, the newest incarnation(06') is the best looking "STI" to date. If car companies kept listening to these guys, we'd all be driving "Brats". Or maybe even Chevy "LUV" trucks. Times change, and things change with them. I hope these naysayers aren't still wearing "Parachute" pants, and sporting "Hyper Color" shirts that change when they sweat! Maybe we should all go back to Horse drawn buggies, thats way "Old School", or "Retro" or whatever they're trying to hang on to. It's 2005 (almost 06') and times they are a changin'

 

What sports car out there weighs less than 2200lbs?!!!!!

Even the scant NSX weighs in at around 2800 or 2900lbs......

 

GC8 STi. Th' best. Enough said

 

Lotus Elise, Ariel Atom, Caterham Super 7. Need any more? These cars will literally wipe the floor with our overweight imprezas and most other cars that don't carry the name Enzo or Veyron.

~~Quentin

 

I have no doubt that many of you like the look of the 06 (but then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder)...and i don't want to sound bias just because i own an 05 STi, my point is that subaru is drastically changing the look of the front end of the Impreza (06 STI looks like a cross between an Alfa Romeo & a Subaru Legacy) within a 2 year interval from 02-03 WRX, 04-05 WRX, and now 06-up WRX!

In comparsion, the Mitsubishi EVO at least retain it's look thru it's gen as it evolves up till the now EVO IX.

I have always been faithfull to Subaru (just like Porshe owners are faithful to their Porshes) and i can not picture myself owning any other car other than a Subaru... but when recaping the history of the Impreza and the history of Lancers of old....i can't help but be disgusted with the current evolution of the 2nd generation Impreza (Alfa Romeo-erccck!!)

btw....yes time changes and so does cars....but with every car brand there's a distinct flavor that goes with it's name....

 

Off topic a bit, but you can highlight the intelletext and click "whats this?" in the corner. Then there is an option at the bottom of the page to disable the linking.

Edit: NM you can't for I-clubs intellitext, or at least the link is gone. Boo.

 

Yeah i know what you mean man. I really really hate the front-end of 06 too. that's why i caught the last train to get my 05 in August, even knowing that 06 is a much better car in terms of everything. However, some people do like them and I don't blame Subaru for changing the grill (well i blame them for hiring that alfa designer). they are a business and need to keep changing the way products look to attract customers, although changing it every two years does seem a little too much.

 

you guys arent failing to understand that this new front end is their new corporate flavor, right? I mean, sure it's change, and it will take some getting used to... but eventually all subies will sport a similar grille... and thats the image Subaru will uphold from this day forth.. I think its great that they have finally found a design direction... sure its not the BEST looking thing in the world (although, to some it is...) but at least its a LOOK... one that in the future will be unmistakable as a subaru.. the way things have been, they have been all over the place design wise... I'm really happy to see Subaru has found direction, and can appreciate that for what its worth.

 

Very good points...people are already starting to like the new look. A few months ago almost everyone hated it, and now its seems more like 50/50.

The new look will define Subaru, and give them a much needed distinction from the rest of the major automakers out there. Subaru had already defined themselves, performance wise, with AWD and high power per displacement cars, but now they will have a look to go with it.

 

Alfa Romeo ..... ErcK! Why don't they just stick with the upside down GC8 grill that they started with in the 2nd gen?!?! That's the main gripe i have.

 

True that.
I hated it at first. Then I saw a black 06 while it was still on the car carrier. The car as whole works very well to my eye. The front end looks great to me now that I have seen it close up. I would save my comment until after one sees the car in person.

I look at cars all day for a living. Sometimes the manufacturer will screw up a car but mostly the changes keep the car looking contemporary. That is needed for what are called "conquest" sales. That is where you get say a Nissan buyer to switch to a Subaru. These sales allow the company to grow. Keeping the car the same will not get those types of sales.

I am a conquest sale in a way. I am the pre owned sales manager at an MB/Nissan dealer. I get my pick of any new Nissan to drive for free. I can also drive anything from my inventory of high end import and domestic cars as well.

I have not driven much of anything else after getting my 03 sonic yellow wagon six weeks ago