USDM STI bows at LA International Auto Show

[S204STi]

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1387769











NEW STI Debuts at the LA Auto Show
Photos by Jeff Boggess


Speech given by Tim Colbeck
Vice President, Sales
Subaru of America


"What a great car! Here it is - the all-new 2008 Subaru WRX STI.

This is one very special piece of engineering. This car is a wolf in wolf's clothing. It's the pinnacle of everything we do at Subaru and a car that speaks directly to the heart of every driving enthusiast in this hall.

Today?s STI story began with the legendary 22b. The car that has been responsible for addicting thousands of enthusiasts to the endless pursuit of a turbo powered, all wheel drive rush.

And today, we take the legend to a new level with the completely new 2008 WRX STI.

STI is more than a badge. Like say GTI. For us, it's our performance division - Subaru Tecnica International. For twenty years, STI has engineered cars that outperform much more expensive products. STI products are truly race and rally bred.

We don't just talk about rally in our ads, we actually do it. In fact, Subaru just won the 2007 Rally America championship, and our driver Travis Pastrana won his second consecutive drivers? championship.

Our STI engines are virtually unmodified for competition. So our street car is closer to our race car than most any brand. In fact, we've had our WRC champion rally driver Petter Solberg working directly with the engineers right from the start. He helped us with the all-new suspension and chassis design - something we call DC Cubed. It's an all-new approach to chassis development and that means this car will out-handle its predecessor right out of the box.

With its new chassis, the new STI delivers a better ride and keeps all four tires glued to the road letting the chassis absorb the bumps and the suspension focus on grip.

Rally drivers like Petter want a car that takes the beating for them and transmits information, not shock, into the cockpit. That means the new STI will swallow the bumps, live for the jumps and out run the competition.

And by the way - that's why this car is a 5-door with a wider track and longer wheelbase?and with shorter overhangs, it's the perfect design for rally. This car has the guts of a champion and it looks the part.

STI products stand out from the crowd. They are all about the engineering under the skin. And style that lives up to that engineering. In a sea of tamed-down design, STI has always stood out.

For 2008, the design is more elegant, but no less dramatic.

* Wide, muscular wheel arches
* 18 inch wheels
* a wider track,
* and an aerodynamic form that produces zero lift front and rear.

The STI has true road presence. Every design element has a function - every duct sends cool air to the brakes or radiator; or exhausts hot air from the engine.

STI isn?t afraid to wear its performance on its sleeve. Quite simply this car means business.

Like I said before, this new STI is a wolf, but it?s a wolf that you can control. Despite its power and presence, this car is sophisticated enough to get you to work every day, impress your boss at lunch, thrill your friends on the weekend, spend a night on the town, and demoralize the competition?every day, everywhere.

But we know why you came here today?

Last month we showed the Japanese spec STI to the world with
a 2.0-liter engine. Today we introduce the US spec car boasting 2.5-liters of turbocharged power. So, what are the magic numbers?

First - performance. The 2.5 liter turbo boxer engine comes with
305 horsepower and 290 lb.-feet of torque. That gets this car from 0-60 in 4.9 seconds.

The torque curve comes on earlier and stays later to give you all the power you need, just when you need it.

All that horsepower and torque adds up to blistering performance all held down by Subaru legendary Symmetrical All Wheel Drive system.

It's coupled with a race bred suspension with inverted front struts, aluminum control arms, and a new double wishbone suspension.

Now let's talk about technology. The Subaru philosophy is to keep the driver in total control of the vehicle and the new STI comes with a host of technologies designed to do just that?but without getting in the way of the driving experience.

First, STI comes with front, center and rear differentials and the completely redesigned DCCD -- that's our Driver Controlled Center Differential, that delivers the torque where you need it.

It comes with 3 new automatic modes and six driver controlled manual settings. With this car you can jump in, set your diffs, and hit the dirt or the street and outperform just about any car on the market.

The car also comes with an all-new Subaru VDC system - specifically developed for the performance minded driver. This system provides three different modes including a special mode for the enthusiast driver - fully off.

Also standard is the Subaru Intelligent-Drive system or SI drive that offers three settings to get the most out of the engine in any situation.

Bottom line -- Power, Performance, Handling, Presence -- this car can do anything you ask of it.

With the DCCD, VDC and SI Drive, you can tailor this car to match your skill and your attitude.

As for pricing, the STI starts at $34,995. And at that price, we think the STI sets the performance and value bar in the segment.

Take one final look at that view (rear).

Isn't that great?

By the way, they say the designers spent extra time on the rear because that's the view most are going to have.

So, come up and take a look at the new Subaru Impreza WRX STI. But don't just look; make sure you get on the list to drive one as soon as you can. It's truly an unbeatable experience.

We've got Mr. Hiroshi Mori, project general manager for the STI...
as well as our CEO, Mr. Tomo Ikeda as well as other SOA executives to answer any questions you may have here in front.

Thank you for coming today and enjoy the STI!"


MY08 Press Release
MY08 USDM Specs
Features

[S204STi]

Some aspects of the new interior are better, but that center stack straight up blows.  I really think mine looks a lot nicer.

Oh well, at $35 it will be a while till I can afford one of these, but I can still dream!

[565]

It seems the price went up, but performance (at least in a straightline) didn't.

[the Teuton]

Let's see how this thing goes in hands of a tester -- not such a biased source.  I'm still a GC/GM/GF fan for the moment.

[TheIntrepid]

It's glorious to look at!

[CALL_911]

It's glorious to look at!

Glorious to look at? That's the weirdest sentence I've heard today. Just say "It looks fantastic!".

But it looks good. The EJ25 is a carryover, but that was expected.

[sportyaccordy]

W/o the trunk it has a really long nose...

I think I prefer the last model. Still, should make for an exciting drive.

[FordSVT]

What's the Canadian price on this, $45,000?

I like the exterior colour in those pics, the interior center stack is whack and looks flimsy and cheap. The impression I get on paper is that the new car has all of the performance of the old car on paper but is 10-15% softer. I'm sure it simply dampens the road bumps better, is quieter inside, less NVH, etc. It takes away some of the rawness of the car, but that seems to be the way automakers are going with most of their performance models. I don't mind really, I'm not a race car driver and 95% of the time I'm just driving around in traffic listening to music, not in a man&machine vs. nature struggle with the road up on three wheels.

[thewizard16]

Looks fine. Something about the grille could be improved, but I don't know exactly what. Dash is nothing special, but looks fine.

[SVT666]

Boooooring!   I prefer this:

[SVT666]

Glorious to look at? That's the weirdest sentence I've heard today. Just say "It looks fantastic!".

But it looks good. The EJ25 is a carryover, but that was expected.

He's trying to sound like Clarkson.  Imagine it with a British accent.

[Raghavan]

I wish they didn't add that silver "lining" to the grille.

[CALL_911]

He's trying to sound like Clarkson.  Imagine it with a British accent.

He's like China. Except he copies ideas and people, rather than things.

[Submariner]

He's trying to sound like Clarkson.  Imagine it with a British accent.

I've talked like that long before I knew of top gear, or for that matter, the UK.

[SVT666]

What's the Canadian price on this, $45,000?

I like the exterior colour in those pics, the interior center stack is whack and looks flimsy and cheap. The impression I get on paper is that the new car has all of the performance of the old car on paper but is 10-15% softer. I'm sure it simply dampens the road bumps better, is quieter inside, less NVH, etc. It takes away some of the rawness of the car, but that seems to be the way automakers are going with most of their performance models. I don't mind really, I'm not a race car driver and 95% of the time I'm just driving around in traffic listening to music, not in a man&machine vs. nature struggle with the road up on three wheels.

The old one was $48,000.

[MaxPower]

I love it...too bad they introduced it in such a bland color with a dark background.  The pics don't do it justice.  They should have displayed it in WR blue.

I really like the wheels.

[SVT666]

I really don't understand why people think this car looks so good.  It's bland as anything and I actually mistook one for a last generation Mazda Protege yesterday.

[MaxPower]

It's bland as anything and I actually mistook one for a last generation Mazda Protege yesterday.

I think that the design similarities with Mazda will haunt the Impreza.  Still, I like the STI.  Just because it kinda looks like another car doesn't mean it can't look good.  And I totally agree that the base Impreza sedan is a snooze.

[SVT666]

I think that the design similarities with Mazda will haunt the Impreza.  Still, I like the STI.  Just because it kinda looks like another car doesn't mean it can't look good.  And I totally agree that the base Impreza sedan is a snooze.

Even in STi trim it does nothing for me.  The last 3 versions of the STi were much more appealing in the styling department then this thing.

[CALL_911]

I really don't understand why people think this car looks so good.  It's bland as anything and I actually mistook one for a last generation Mazda Protege yesterday.

I like it for what it is, not what it looks like. It seems like a great car.

[the Teuton]

I like it for what it is, not what it looks like. It seems like a great car.

It does, but compare it to these milestone cars:

1993-95 STi


1996-98 STi


22B


2000 STi


2001 STi


2004 STi


2006 STI


Yes, it looks good, IMO, but the new car is a lot taller, almost bulbous in comparison to the older, lower cars.  I just can't get past the older models, stylistically.  They didn't try to blend in with anything else.

[Minpin]

I haven't read through the thread but my opinion is that I like the way the car looks, even though it is more "conformed" I still think it looks good. But, I have one HUGE!!! problem with it. Where the FUCK are the gold wheels??!! Gold wheels are a tradition on STI's! Where are they damnit?

[Minpin]

No one thinks the new STI needs gold wheels?

[the Teuton]

No one thinks the new STI needs gold wheels?

I agree completely.

[Raghavan]

No one thinks the new STI needs gold wheels?

I do.

[TBR]

I am sure they will be available. I just looked up 2006 STIs on Autotrader and not all of them had gold wheels.

[the Teuton]

I am sure they will be available. I just looked up 2006 STIs on Autotrader and not all of them had gold wheels.

But they should.

[Minpin]

I am sure they will be available. I just looked up 2006 STIs on Autotrader and not all of them had gold wheels.

I woiuldn't be able to purchase a STI w/o gold wheels. I don't care how good of a deal it is STI's need gold wheels. They are one of the few cars that can get away with gold wheels.

[TBR]

Why? The gold wheels are tacky imho, and I am sure many potential buyers feel the same way. They should have an option that doesn't involve spending thousands on aftermarket wheels.

[Minpin]

Why? The gold wheels are tacky imho, and I am sure many potential buyers feel the same way. They should have an option that doesn't involve spending thousands on aftermarket wheels.

You are retarded and your opinion on STI's is now irrelevant from now on.