Bad News for Sport Compact Car Fans - Subaru Kills the STi

[john_pifer]

In what was a very disappointing Friday afternoon news dump, Subaru announced that a high-performance version of the new-generation 2022 WRX won’t be produced.

I cant help but to think that the decision to cancel the STi was greatly influenced by the negative (to put it mildly) reaction to the unveiling of the new 2022 standard WRX.

I know a lot of people have strong feelings about the WRX, the direction Subaru took with the “redesign”, and Subaru in general.

However you feel about Subaru and the WRX, if you’re enthusiastic about small, powerful, good-handling cars with manual transmissions, it’s not good news.

STATEMENT ON SUBARU STI

/PRNewswire/ -- As the automotive marketplace continues to move towards electrification, Subaru is focused on how our future sports and performance cars should...

www.prnewswire.com

The New 2022 Subaru WRX Won’t Get a Higher-Performance STI Version

Record scratch!

www.motortrend.com

The New Subaru WRX Won't Be Getting an STI Version

We won't be seeing a new STI from Subaru any time soon.

www.roadandtrack.com

So, what do you think? If you were considering a new WRX or STi, does this make you want to grab a current-gen STi while you still can (despite the fact that the current-gen car’s engine is very old, it still has one of the best AWD systems, if not THE best, on the market, and the balance and handling prowess of the symmetrical AWD system can’t be denied)?

Or would you rather have the 2022 standard WRX with its new generation engine, chassis and suspension, and other features?

Or would you rather have something else in this category altogether?

 

[Nick1994]

Good. I think Subaru needs to put themselves into time out and rethink their entire business decisions.

They can't even get the 2022 WRX to have more horsepower than granny's 2005 Avalon and gets to 60 as fast as a Camry.

 

[Impatient]

I better keep “luving“ my 07 OBXT manual with Bilstein suspension mods.

 

[john_pifer]

I better keep “luving“ my 07 OBXT manual with Bilstein suspension mods.

Jealous! I have always really liked the look of those. If I could find an unmolested example, I’d have to seriously consider one. Great alternative to an SUV, and worth spending money upgrading, maintaining, and bulletproofing.

Good. I think Subaru needs to put themselves into time out and rethink their entire business decisions.

They can't even get the 2022 WRX to have more horsepower than granny's 2005 Avalon and gets to 60 as fast as a Camry.

The enthusiast in me wants to agree with you and pound my fist on the table and stomp my foot that a 2022 STi is essentially no quicker in a straight line than an Accord 2.0 Sport or a V6 Camry.

But the logical part of me argues that both the WRX and the STi are competitive, performance-wise, with their peers.

And just try to stay with even a standard WRX on a tight mountain road (or on a track) in your Camry or Accord. Ain’t gonna happen.

When I had my 2016 WRX, driving around the city, I would forget why I bought it. Then I’d take it to the mountains in East Tennessee and drive all day, 400+ miles. Then I’d say to myself, “This is why I bought this car”.

 

[97prizm]

Wow talk about a shock. Bummer. Let me guess Subaru North America's "Decision to move forward on electrification " garbage propaganda. It's as if they purposely did it so they didn't have to develop a higher performance version. I wonder how much aftermarket the new platform will get. Keep in mind that for years in the usa we couldn't get high performance versions of alot of vehicles. What did we do? We came out with aftermarket solutions. Although California and states adopting its emissions policies are killing that.

 

[john_pifer]

Wow talk about a shock. Bummer. Let me guess Subaru North America's "Decision to move forward on electrification " garbage propaganda. It's as if they purposely did it so they didn't have to develop a higher performance version. I wonder how much aftermarket the new platform will get. Keep in mind that for years in the usa we couldn't get high performance versions of alot of vehicles. What did we do? We came out with aftermarket solutions. Although California and states adopting its emissions policies are killing that.

I think it was an easy decision for upper Subaru brass to make, because the conventional wisdom today is that the 2022 WRX design team badly misread the market. We'll see, now that the 2022 WRX configurator is live on their website. I think even though there were a lot of crap-talkers, they'll still sell plenty. Regardless of what some people say when they look at the on-paper specs, the new 2022 WRX is way more than competitive with its price-point peers (GTI, CSi), and will spank them all the way up and down a mountain road or around a racetrack.

You can say all you want about the unpainted plasticky fenders, and the taillights, but it's actually a solid car, for the price.

I think Subaru leadership was a bit miffed with the WRX design team, and also with the public, for dissing the new WRX.

The fact that the general consensus is that everything's going electric in the next several years made their decision. However, I think that's a premature prediction. There are a LOT of ICE enthusiasts out there, who don't want to see the ICE car go away.

You're going to see several automakers over the next 10 years or so who went all-in on electric, who are going to realize they gambled, and lost, on going all-in on electric. and we'll see ICE cars (enthusiast models with manual gearboxes, even) brought back.

 

[97prizm]

Unless the government changes their stance on ice vehicles and soon I really don't see that happening. I'd love Audi to offer an RS8 or S8 with a V10 again. BMW is producing the last of their V-12s and is discontinuing them at the end of July. The 7 series getting a special edition of V-12s for the US market. I heard they were discontinued in Europe a few years back. I'd like to see a 100% tax on electric vehicles then they'd go away.

 

[john_pifer]

Unless the government changes their stance on ice vehicles and soon I really don't see that happening. I'd love Audi to offer an RS8 or S8 with a V10 again. BMW is producing the last of their V-12s and is discontinuing them at the end of July. The 7 series getting a special edition of V-12s for the US market. I heard they were discontinued in Europe a few years back. I'd like to see a 100% tax on electric vehicles then they'd go away.

Don't want to get into P, but let's just say that I believe you're going to see a change in the status quo pretty soon. Like, in less than 8 months.

I don't care about mega-expensive V10 and V12 Audis, BMWs, and Mercedes.

And electric vehicles most certainly have a place. Heck, I wouldn't mind owning one someday. Especially when the battery tech matures and efficiency improves. And the charging infrastructure expands.

But I think there will always be a market for AFFORDABLE, fun-to-drive cars that offer good horsepower and handling for the money. The WRX is such a car. And I think that manufacturers that miss that point, will be missing out on a lot of money that's out there to be made.

 

[930.engineering]

.
Subarus didn't ever sell well in Europe - for reasons, they're outdated. Look elsewhere. Problem solved.
.

 

[john_pifer]

.
Subarus didn't ever sell well in Europe - for reasons, they're outdated. Look elsewhere. Problem solved.
.

Dated engine, yeah, nobody would disagree there. But not many would disagree, either, that the STi's AWD system is one of the best in the world.

And the car, as a whole, is certainly competitive, as a driver's car, on or off the track.

 

[930.engineering]

.
Track isn't the only thing what matters - even for potential WRX customers. That
said, there are several cars today that are as fun and as quick as an STI or even
quicker for similar money or less. Remember European (and also New Zealand/
Australia) hot hatch markets provide significantly more choice compared to NA.
However most of the time is daily driving and you'd have to live with that 1980s
style interior. I understand it's a matter of taste but obviously many people seem
to think similarly.
.

 

[john_pifer]

.
Track isn't the only thing what matters - even for potential WRX customers. That
said, there are several cars today that are as fun and as quick as an STI or even
quicker for similar money or less. Remember European (and also New Zealand/
Australia) hot hatch markets provide significantly more choice compared to NA.
However most of the time is daily driving and you'd have to live with that 1980s
style interior. I understand it's a matter of taste but obviously many people seem
to think similarly.
.

And I'm jealous of that!

 

[TiGeo]

Yep bummer. New WRX looks hideous but I had hope that the STI would be decent looking. GTI/Golf R are looking to be the last man standing in the segment.

 

[Pelican]

The Market has changed, it was small then, but now one needs a microscope.
People don't care about roadholding, braking and acceleration, but only in how many cup-holders there are and does it have Apple-play, Pano-Roof etc or can I plug my USB. There are still some who do, but in such a small number that it's not economically feasible to produce for them and they think that the WRX ought to be enough for their needs.

 

[Schandyman]

YES!!! the roads will be so much quieter without that obnoxious engine sound. And hopefully safer sti drivers are dangerous with their weaving in and out of traffic.

 

[MrHorspwer]

YES!!! the roads will be so much quieter without that obnoxious engine sound. And hopefully safer sti drivers are dangerous with their weaving in and out of traffic.

You're not wrong: 4.1% of WRX drivers have a DUI on file, the fifth highest rate of accidents of any vehicle, and the highest rate of speeding tickets.

Bad Influences: Car Models with the Most DUIs

Driving while drunk or under the influence of drugs is a dangerous practice, but people do it nonetheless. These are…

insurify.com

Driving under the influence is not the only problem WRX drivers have. The WRX also has the fifth-highest rate of prior accidents of any car model, and the highest rate of speeding tickets. Ironically, the 2019 version of the WRX was actually given the highest possible safety rating from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety. It’s difficult to say exactly why WRX drivers are so prone to driving violations, though Subaru advertising it with the tagline “Unleashed Speed” might give drivers the wrong idea.

 

[PF52]

The Market has changed, it was small then, but now one needs a microscope.
People don't care about roadholding, braking and acceleration, but only in how many cup-holders there are and does it have Apple-play, Pano-Roof etc or can I plug my USB. There are still some who do, but in such a small number that it's not economically feasible to produce for them and they think that the WRX ought to be enough for their needs.

This, exactly. The North American market, well, maybe just the US market, loves SUVs above all else. The STI and WRX were fortunate that they were pretty much the same car all these years; sure they could continue to produce both but it seems they have decided the WRX can meet the demand for that segment from here on out. Subaru's bread-and-butter vehicles are the Crosstrek and Outback, at least here in the US, and I'd bet either of those outsells the Impreza, Legacy and WRX/STI combined. I live in DuPage County IL and it seems about one car in four around here is a Subaru, but almost all of them are SUVs. A regular sedan such as a Legacy is a rarity.

I predict we'll see a new STI eventually.... An EV SUV of some sort. A lot like the E-Mustang.

The timing of all this STI news comes after I bought a 2021 WRX last year; well, it was ten months ago but I only have 1600 miles on it so far. I specifically chose it over the STI for several reasons, a big one being my preference for the FA engine over the EJ.

 

[thunderfog]

There were many that would argue the the STi with the EJ engine was only marginally higher performance than the WRX. And all those spun bearings in that EJ.......................
I had a coworker with a WRX with the FA engine and the CVT. Pretty fun to drive and worth a look if that's your type of car, even though the thought of a CVT in a car like that would make a lot of people hurl.

 

[PWMDMD]

I think I've seen a handful of STI in my life - I can't think of a reason they ever made it. Let's just say the profile of most of their customers isn't one where they value rally car driving and I've never seen it as a "halo" car for that reason. Every Subaru owner I know is a middle-aged mom/dad who beyond AWD for snow and some added room without wanting an SUV doesn't care at all about cars/trucks.

Now they need to take the money and resources they used to waste on the STI get rid of those stupid CVTs.

 

[TiGeo]

YES!!! the roads will be so much quieter without that obnoxious engine sound. And hopefully safer sti drivers are dangerous with their weaving in and out of traffic.

Let me guess.....you enjoy saying "get off my lawn" to the neighborhood kids and using the left/passing lane as your personal cruising parkway?