New Cosworth STI Impreza

[NotThePrez]

This is the Cosworth Impreza STI CS400, the car Cosworth said would "humble" supercars. With a 0-to-62 sprint happening in just 3.7 seconds it'll be quicker than a whole bunch of exotics, and at £49,995 ($71,368 U.S.), it'll be a whole lot cheaper as well. If that sounds like a boatload of cash for a warmed-over WRX, well, it is. But bear in mind that thanks to factors like the 17.5 percent Value Added Tax, UK pricing is rather different than what pricing in the States would likely look like were Cosworth to sell the CS400 here.

The 395-horsepower, 398-pound-foot Cossie Scooby benefits from a thorough rework of its boxer-engined details, boasting new pistons, con-rods, turbocharger, exhaust and ECU mapping among its many modifications. Aiding the Impreza's all-wheel drive get power to the ground is a lowered suspension with components from Bilstein and Eibach.

Looks-wise, a different front bumper fitted with mesh inserts, a rear spoiler, a track widened by 12 millimeters, and 18-inch alloys over bigger AP brakes will make sure Subaru cognescenti don't confuse you with anything else. Identification will also be made easier by the fact that there will only be 75 made for the UK market only, and available it'll be available in red, silver, and dark gray. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

Source: Autoblog

P.S. Sorry for giant picture.

 

[Eric Demory]

This is one tight Impreza. I was losing interest in the new look a year or two back, but I've gained interest in this car.

By the way,

Just a bit shorter version.

 

[Eric.]

Eh..You make that kind of power with a couple intake/exhaust pieces and a new tune.

 

[Philly]

That's a sweet Subaru. I'd rock it. Pretty sleeper too, which is awesome.

 

[analog]

Eh..You make that kind of power with a couple intake/exhaust pieces and a new tune.

It's not just about adding more power but also the way it's achieved, Cosworth is famous for its sophisticated cylinder head work which isn't replicated very easily with some DIY off the shelf parts.
The power figures may be the same, but the characteristics of the engine could be very different.

 

[uk86ze]

It's not just about adding more power but also the way it's achieved, Cosworth is famous for its sophisticated cylinder head work which isn't replicated very easily with some DIY off the shelf parts.
The power figures may be the same, but the characteristics of the engine could be very different.

Toataly agree with what your saying.

 

[Azuremen]

It's not just about adding more power but also the way it's achieved, Cosworth is famous for its sophisticated cylinder head work which isn't replicated very easily with some DIY off the shelf parts.
The power figures may be the same, but the characteristics of the engine could be very different.

Yeah, but it is still a boat load of money for a glorified STi, and I've driven one and needless to say, I was not impressed the slightest. Given that a optioned up STi here can break $40k after mark-ups, just far too many cars with more soul I'd rather have, and less maintenance headaches. Though I imagine the Cosworth is more reliable than the current generation engines.

ANd 300WHP just isn't very impressive for that money...

 

[kikie]

Is Subaru jealous about the Lolvo C30 Polestar and created for that reason this beautiful beast?

 

[slidesquad#1]

I'd say they're more likely appealing to the FQ400 market.

 

[eSZee]

Yeah, but it is still a boat load of money for a glorified STi, and I've driven one and needless to say, I was not impressed the slightest. Given that a optioned up STi here can break $40k after mark-ups, just far too many cars with more soul I'd rather have, and less maintenance headaches. Though I imagine the Cosworth is more reliable than the current generation engines.

ANd 300WHP just isn't very impressive for that money...

LOL. So this car needs 500hp for you to think it's something? When 300whp is all it needs to beat on supercars and be more reliable than them, why keep going?

 

[Jim Prower]

It still can't outrun ugly.

 

[Eric.]

Which supercar does a $35k STI beat again?

 

[sumbrownkid]

Cosworth needs to recreate for the new STi sedan they brought back. I always favored the sedan/saloon over the hatch style.

 

[Robin]

^ Thats exactly what I was thinking, I wish tuners etc would now focus on the reintroduced Impreza sedan because lets face it, the hatch design was a mistake.

Look at potential!

 

[Philly]

Cosworth needs to recreate for the new STi sedan they brought back. I always favored the sedan/saloon over the hatch style.

I hate the way that the sedans look. I think they look a lot cheaper than the equivalent wagon/hatchback things.

 

[Azuremen]

LOL. So this car needs 500hp for you to think it's something? When 300whp is all it needs to beat on supercars and be more reliable than them, why keep going?

I'm not much a fan of 25% drive train loss or blowing $60k on a Subaru that barely edges out some super cars in a 1/4 mile sprint and then proceeds to get destroyed by them once speeds are over 110 MPH.

Food for thought, an M3 (including E36 USDM ones) traps the 1/4 mile at basically the same speed as an STi or EVO (100mph range)

So what does this tell us? The STi is only able to take a super car in a standing drag race, and only if the driver slips the crap out of the clutch to prevent bogging since the AWD doesn't allow for small amounts of wheel spin.

Also, you can get a C6 ZO6 for the kind of money Cosworth is asking for that STi. And it is faster. By a lot. And vastly more reliable.

Why? The '08 up models are an epic screw up of driving to please emissions testers while causing massive issues with reliability and actual performance. The Cosworth will have addressed this, of course, but in general, the STi is no longer the awesome bargin rocket it once was.

 

[homeforsummer]

Which supercar does a $35k STI beat again?

Depends what the battle ground is. On a wet country road in the UK - any.

I'm not much a fan of 25% drive train loss or blowing $60k on a Subaru that barely edges out some super cars in a 1/4 mile sprint and then proceeds to get destroyed by them once speeds are over 110 MPH.

Again, this misses the point a little. I know in the US that Evos and Imprezas are essentially just tuner cars with no well-known heritage and that you only have one real rally driver of note (and even then he seems to spend more time assing around than he does doing actual rallying) but in Europe the draw is a bit deeper than quarter miles, time attack and autotesting. I mean... unless you track the thing all day, every day, I'd hazard a guess that beating stuff off the line and getting up to about 110 before you get caught is probably more than quick enough for most people...

I've not really been a fan of Imprezas and Evos since McRae and Burns left us but they're still possibly some of the fastest point-to-point cars available. Supercars are quicker but you'd need balls like space hoppers to get anywhere a moderately-driven STi on the road, and the latest crop of uber-hot hatches matches them for power and fun but you still can't beat the traction of AWD (especially when you live in the UK and it rains the whole damn time).

So quoting outright performance figures at us and making like they've wasted their time is a bit unfair to the thorough job they'll have done on the car to make it a proper driving machine.

Cosworth isn't just some flash in the pan tuner who brings out a car with huge amounts of power to make some headlines and then never does anything with note again. I'd suggest you read their history - I hear they might have done a few different Fords and Mercedes in the past...

 

[Eric.]

Depends what the battle ground is. On a wet country road in the UK - any.

I know someone with a bone stock Focus ZX3 that uses the same logic to claim the GT-R can't handle. Because of the one video of the Focus RS beating it on some little canyon roads.

 

[Azuremen]

Depends what the battle ground is. On a wet country road in the UK - any.

~history lesson~/QUOTE]

Thanks, I wasn't aware of the WRC, or any of the drivers, or that at all.

Or Cosworth's history.

At all.

No, thank you, really.

/sarcasm

I am fully aware of all the history going on here. I quite liked Subaru for years, but after dealing with them and then dealing with BMW's and raw power from Corvettes, I'd much rather have a RWD NA powered car over something with Turbos and parasitic drivetrain losses. Or the extra weight from AWD and Turbos.

And I have a question for you, Homes, have you ever driven an M3, or a Corvette, or an STi hard? Like sliding sideways at 70 hard?

 

[sumbrownkid]

Depends what the battle ground is. On a wet country road in the UK - any.

~history lesson~/QUOTE]

Thanks, I wasn't aware of the WRC, or any of the drivers, or that at all.

Or Cosworth's history.

At all.

No, thank you, really.

/sarcasm

I am fully aware of all the history going on here. I quite liked Subaru for years, but after dealing with them and then dealing with BMW's and raw power from Corvettes, I'd much rather have a RWD NA powered car over something with Turbos and parasitic drivetrain losses. Or the extra weight from AWD and Turbos.

And I have a question for you, Homes, have you ever driven an M3, or a Corvette, or an STi hard? Like sliding sideways at 70 hard?

Different tastes for different people man. You may like power sliding in a Corvette, while I like hugging the corners with sensational grip with an Evo or an STi.

And the reliability of today's turbo cars are really on par with the NA cars.

And no need to get so defensive man. He just assumed you didn't know the history.

 

[eSZee]

I'm not much a fan of 25% drive train loss or blowing $60k on a Subaru that barely edges out some super cars in a 1/4 mile sprint and then proceeds to get destroyed by them once speeds are over 110 MPH.

Food for thought, an M3 (including E36 USDM ones) traps the 1/4 mile at basically the same speed as an STi or EVO (100mph range)

So what does this tell us? The STi is only able to take a super car in a standing drag race, and only if the driver slips the crap out of the clutch to prevent bogging since the AWD doesn't allow for small amounts of wheel spin.

Also, you can get a C6 ZO6 for the kind of money Cosworth is asking for that STi. And it is faster. By a lot. And vastly more reliable.

Why? The '08 up models are an epic screw up of driving to please emissions testers while causing massive issues with reliability and actual performance. The Cosworth will have addressed this, of course, but in general, the STi is no longer the awesome bargin rocket it once was.

That is a joke, right. Corvette and reliability don't really go together. And if they do, maybe cause the average vette get's 6k miles put on it every year. Hard for things to go bad when you're only taking it out on the weekends. Last time we had one at the track the clutch decided to lose pressure when doing around 100. There's a TSB for it. This was with the c6 zo6. My high school electronics teacher bought a 2001 z06 the day it came out, traded in a c4 for it, he only drives it 3k miles a year, if that. His car started burning oil at 7k miles. Another friend has a c5 z06 as well, he says the car is very reliable but for some reason is in the shop every couple of months. Probably his stupidity is the cause but I thought the drive train in these cars was built for aggressive driving?
I have no problems with the e46 m3, but it also had many issues, from the SMG blowing up as well as the motors. The way I see it though, if you can afford those cars, you can afford to fix them.

 

[sumbrownkid]

^Were most of your issues with the BMW electronic by any chance?

I heard German cars are notorious for electronics going bust.

 

[Azuremen]

That is a joke, right. Corvette and reliability don't really go together. And if they do, maybe cause the average vette get's 6k miles put on it every year. Hard for things to go bad when you're only taking it out on the weekends. Last time we had one at the track the clutch decided to lose pressure when doing around 100. There's a TSB for it. This was with the c6 zo6. My high school electronics teacher bought a 2001 z06 the day it came out, traded in a c4 for it, he only drives it 3k miles a year, if that. His car started burning oil at 7k miles. Another friend has a c5 z06 as well, he says the car is very reliable but for some reason is in the shop every couple of months. Probably his stupidity is the cause but I thought the drive train in these cars was built for aggressive driving?
I have no problems with the e46 m3, but it also had many issues, from the SMG blowing up as well as the motors. The way I see it though, if you can afford those cars, you can afford to fix them.

So 4 that you are aware of, and I ironically know 4 C5 ZO6 owners with no issues.

And you completely failed to acknowledge the fiasco around the 08 up STi's and their current tendency to ruin pistons, etc. Of course, being a Subaru, you can't exactly check the compression with ease, thanks to that ingenious boxer design. I have a friend who is on his 6th set of pistons covered by Subaru, and several other Subaru fans who have sold their 07 or newer models because they were having too many troubles with them.

Different tastes for different people man. You may like power sliding in a Corvette, while I like hugging the corners with sensational grip with an Evo or an STi.

Fun fact, the ZO6 corners better. Might have something to do with weighing less and having a wider wheel base.

You guys all mad cause I called this what it is - a glorified econo-box.

 

[eSZee]

So 4 that you are aware of, and I ironically know 4 C5 ZO6 owners with no issues.

And you completely failed to acknowledge the fiasco around the 08 up STi's and their current tendency to ruin pistons, etc. Of course, being a Subaru, you can't exactly check the compression with ease, thanks to that ingenious boxer design. I have a friend who is on his 6th set of pistons covered by Subaru, and several other Subaru fans who have sold their 07 or newer models because they were having too many troubles with them.



Fun fact, the ZO6 corners better. Might have something to do with weighing less and having a wider wheel base.

You guys all mad cause I called this what it is - a glorified econo-box.

Actually that was only the 08 and that was a 3 or 4 month span in production that was affected. My friend has one and it was replaced. It is an econo box. I'm not disagreeing nor am I mad.
Funny that porsche has no problem with using a "flat" engine yet you do.

 

[sumbrownkid]

Fun fact, the ZO6 corners better. Might have something to do with weighing less and having a wider wheel base.

You guys all mad cause I called this what it is - a glorified econo-box.

We're not mad that you called it an econo-box, because in hindsight that's what the Cosworth Sti can be labeled as such. It's maddening that you attack the "econo-box" when we didn't attack the Vette and other cars you like.

That's really childish.

 

[Azuremen]

We're not mad that you called it an econo-box, because in hindsight that's what the Cosworth Sti can be labeled as such. It's maddening that you attack the "econo-box" when we didn't attack the Vette and other cars you like.

That's really childish.

I orginally stated it was a very expensive STi that didn't really make that much power at the wheels for the cost of it, and then dave_sz had to on the extremely cliche "How many $35 grand cars can best super cars" argument.

I didn't really start out saying its a bad car, just too much money in my opinion for what you are getting. I don't even much care for the Corvette, but it is an incredible performance bargain, which is the case most people argue for the STi. I use to love Subaru, big into rally, and so on. And if I was going to blast around gravel roads all day, I'd probably pick up a WRX.

But any car I need to disconnect engine mounts on to change the spark plugs is a bit of a hassle to work on, more so when you think about how you'd probably like to save money and do work yourself if you are getting that budget rocket car. Porsche can get away with it because all their cars cost twice as much, so you generally can afford maintenance costs. But the fact of the matter is it is easier and cheaper to work on an E36 or E46 M3 than a WRX.

As for the 08 problems, late model 07's and 09's have the issues as well, due to Subaru wanting to meet certain EPA standards. How do I know this? Because I live in the Inland Northwest where at least 50% of car enthusiasts are Subaru, so I know dozens of WRX and STi owners, and have to hear about NASIOC crap from them.

 

[McLaren]

That is a joke, right. Corvette and reliability don't really go together. And if they do, maybe cause the average vette get's 6k miles put on it every year. Hard for things to go bad when you're only taking it out on the weekends. Last time we had one at the track the clutch decided to lose pressure when doing around 100. There's a TSB for it. This was with the c6 zo6. My high school electronics teacher bought a 2001 z06 the day it came out, traded in a c4 for it, he only drives it 3k miles a year, if that. His car started burning oil at 7k miles. Another friend has a c5 z06 as well, he says the car is very reliable but for some reason is in the shop every couple of months. Probably his stupidity is the cause but I thought the drive train in these cars was built for aggressive driving?
I have no problems with the e46 m3, but it also had many issues, from the SMG blowing up as well as the motors. The way I see it though, if you can afford those cars, you can afford to fix them.

This post is a joke on Corvettes.

Come to Dallas. We've got over 2 dozen Z06 owners who will gladly tell you what amazing cars they are & how reliable they are, even when pushing 600+Whp.

 

[eSZee]

This post is a joke on Corvettes.

Come to Dallas. We've got over 2 dozen Z06 owners who will gladly tell you what amazing cars they are & how reliable they are, even when pushing 600+Whp.

We have more than enough vette's here to show me that. We also have enough to show otherwise, just like you could with every car out there.

 

[Azuremen]

We have more than enough vette's here to show me that. We also have enough to show otherwise, just like you could with every car out there.

This kind of defeats your previous argument that the Corvette is in no way reliable compared to the STi, since this is statement makes it sound like personal experiences with a car invalidate opinions on reliability.

You've yet to address any of the points I've made regarding the short comings of the WRX/STi; instead just pointing out what other manufacturers are doing. While Subaru's AWD is neat, it adds weight, makes the car front heavy, and results in considerable drivetrain loss.

 

[McLaren]

We have more than enough vette's here to show me that. We also have enough to show otherwise, just like you could with every car out there.

Nice way of throwing out your argument there with that last sentence.

Thankfully, the range of Vette owners down here having issues is 1 in every 10, & judging by some of the more popular Corvette forums, they're around the same. Maybe people in your town just suck ass at taking care of their cars like your buddy in C5Z.