Four door mayhem

What we like:

Characteristic boxer rumble under the hood. Slick shifting six-speed gearbox. An intimate driving experience.

What we dislike:

Nothing.

On the road the short throw of the slick shifting six-speed manual box makes it a joy to move through the gears and it’s something that happens often with the closed ratio gearbox. Hefty as the clutch pedal is, it is still an enjoyable experience to find use for your left foot again.

The pedal feel is just as sweet with the brakes which is firm and makes it easy to modulate the stopping power of the high performance Brembo brake kit. The large four pot front and two pot rear brakes do a decent job of shedding speed with precision.

The WRX STI finds its natural enemies in the Audi S3 / S3 Sedan and the Volkswagen Golf R. Whatever it lacks in versatility compared to the Germans, it balances with driver involvement which is what traditionalists (like yours truly) crave as the pool of hydraulic racks and manual transmissions continue to shrink in the face of comfort.

Admittedly the ride is firm and the interior pales in comparison to the Germans but the WRX STI has never been about those things. It’s about the pleasure of driving and in this, it shines brilliantly.

Credits: Story and Photos by Benjamin G. Kline