/ 28 April 2006

Brute force

‘Pagala pana,” my mum muttered ominously under her breath in Hindi.

”Hmm?” I enquired, as I know that any reference to the word pagala, which means idiot, can only be bad and mum doesn’t usually say nasty things about anyone, even her trying offspring, so something was obviously amiss.

”Madness!” she almost shouted at me. ”This car is completely crazy… It has such a powerful surge … It’s madness!”

This was pretty weird coming from my mum because she’s not the faint-hearted sort and normally doesn’t mind if I put the pedal to the metal.

But, it seems the new Subaru Impreza WRX STi was a bit much for her.

Then again, maybe I was a tad guilty of letting the revs drop down, to the point where the warning light flashed furiously for me to change gears, a few too many times.

The STi is an amazingly powerful vehicle. It’s nothing like the comfortable sedans we’ve become accustomed to, the sort of cars that deliver the performance, but are also focused on making the ride as cushy as possible. Nope, none of that namby-pamby thinking for this legendary beast.

This car is all about brute force and more than anything it’s a car that you constantly have to restrain from ripping up the road, whenever you dare to unleash it.

I thought of describing it as being as fast as a bat out of hell, but I’ve never heard of a bat that can do 0-100kph in 5,2 seconds, so I’ll rather describe it as being as quick on the draw as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s bodyguards with anti-paparazzi pepper-spray.

The styling of the STi has always been nothing short of eye-catching and the new model retains its bling persona.

The car looks best in metallic blue, comes standard with gold 17-inch rims and the STi insignia is in pink. It also has a huge air intake on the bonnet and a wing on the boot. Sounds pretty awful, doesn’t it? But it works perfectly and the eccentric styling gives the STi a sort of superhero look, much like a Bat Mobile. And, of course, it drives like a Bat Mobile, too.

The STi delivers huge amounts of thrust, shoving you into the figure-hugging sport seats while giving the muscles in your stomach and neck quite a workout.

The most impressive aspect of the new STi, which features a 2,5 litre engine, is that you feel the power in an almost scary manner. The previous 2,0 litre model suffered from a noticeable turbo lag, but that problem has been sorted out and the delivery of power is now seamless.

Obviously, given that the STi is a performance vehicle, the suspension is quite stiff and the ride isn’t very comfortable. The upshot of this is the way the car handles. It is supremely confident even when being pushed to the limit and it’s sure-footed through the most challenging of twisties, so while your knuckles are turning white, the STi almost sneers at you as if to say, ”Is that all you’re capable of because I’m just getting started?”

Steering feedback is precise and it is an exceptionally responsive vehicle owing to, among other features, the symmetrical all-wheel drive.

The interior is comfortable and the upholstery has a sporty two-toned look.

The STi features the usual safety aids such as anti-lock brakes, ESP, EBD and six airbags, in addition to creature comforts such as a six-CD frontloading radio, xenon lights, air-conditioning and electric windows.

It is an unabashedly sporty vehicle and as such it excels in delivering one of the most exhilarating driving experiences I’ve had in a long while.

Fact file

Model: Subaru Impreza WRX STi

Price: R394 000

Engine: 2,5 litre turbocharged

Tech: 206kW, 392Nm

Top Speed: 255kph, 0-100kph in 5,2 seconds

Tank: 60 litres