Motor
08-27-2009, 08:37 PM
Performance Art for Gymkhana Two (http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=153386?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..2 .*)
What Works: Insane power; light weight; racecar response.
What Needs Work: Ear-splitting exhaust note; 5th gear; our nerves.
Bottom Line: A hilariously overpowered exercise in gratuitous tire smoke.
* 565 hp; 590 lb-ft of torque
* Turbocharged 2.65-liter boxer-4
* Six-speed manual transmission
* E85 fuel
After a day of hammering the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI by Ken Block around our test track, two things became clear. The first is that this is an incredible machine. Incredibly fast, incredibly powerful, incredible looking and incredibly loud.
The other is the notion that we rather like Block's world. All-wheel-drive doughnuts are cool. Driving like he does, however, demands some serious sack. We're not masters of the 100-mph all-wheel-drive powerslide or the center-axis spin, but we can appreciate this car's abilities. And after you've experienced this kind of performance, it changes your soul. Just ask Mr. Block.
.
I wonder how many STI's he's helped manage to sell with his stunts.
What Works: Insane power; light weight; racecar response.
What Needs Work: Ear-splitting exhaust note; 5th gear; our nerves.
Bottom Line: A hilariously overpowered exercise in gratuitous tire smoke.
* 565 hp; 590 lb-ft of torque
* Turbocharged 2.65-liter boxer-4
* Six-speed manual transmission
* E85 fuel
After a day of hammering the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI by Ken Block around our test track, two things became clear. The first is that this is an incredible machine. Incredibly fast, incredibly powerful, incredible looking and incredibly loud.
The other is the notion that we rather like Block's world. All-wheel-drive doughnuts are cool. Driving like he does, however, demands some serious sack. We're not masters of the 100-mph all-wheel-drive powerslide or the center-axis spin, but we can appreciate this car's abilities. And after you've experienced this kind of performance, it changes your soul. Just ask Mr. Block.
.
I wonder how many STI's he's helped manage to sell with his stunts.