Automotive

2018 Subaru WRX & WRX STI: Trophy Please

For a long time, too long, the WRX was a domestic market only offering from Subaru. To a certain segment of the car buying public in America, that was a huge mistake. I am a member of that segment of the car buying public in America. Within months of the WRX finally hitting our shores, three fellows in my rally club owned them.

Subaru corrected that and never looked back. They’ve injected the WRX and the badder STI with a deliciously frightening consistency that has served people from horrid weather states and, most importantly, gearheads very well.

And so, here we are with the new for 2018 WRX and STI looming on the horizon. What do we get? What’s new? What’s better? What’s faster?

Briefly, you can summarize it like this:

Progressive Alterations

Subaru has revised the front styling for a more aggressive look (carrying on with that “I’m angry” trend you see everywhere these days). The suspension was optimized for better handling and ride comfort. There are new 19-inch wheels, upgraded Brembo brakes, and a revised Multi-Mode Driver Controlled Center Differential (DCCD) Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system. New available Recaro power seats? Check. Performance Package option for WRX models? Check.

And, finally, upgraded interior materials and a quieter cabin? Check.

That last one, is, believe it or not, a rather important point. Subbies have always suffered from, how shall I put this, going with the lowest price point on interior materials. I don’t really have a problem with that, but some people do. The first guy in that rally club I mentioned earlier to get a WRX put it this way:

Me: “Hey Kimball, heard you got a WRX.”

Kimball (half-crazy TVR owner and rally ace): “Yup.”

Me: “What’s it like?”

Kimball: “It’s like the fastest rental car you’ve ever driven.”

In other words: Plastic. Everywhere you looked, plastic plastic plastic plastic plastic plastic. Plastic sourced from lunch boxes. Plastic found from guitar picks. Plastic derived from 50s vintage countertops. Plastic.

Subaru opted for thicker door glass, new door sealing, and a foam-filled windshield header beam to reduce road noise. Photo: Subaru of America, Inc.

Performance Matters

Did I care? No. Did any of my rally buddies care? No. These things go like a gunshot and grip like a limpet. On gravel. In the rain. At night. But, like I said, I don’t really have a problem with interior finish, just some people do. The WRX is the lesser of the two performance models, but it only pales in comparison to the mighty STI. Up against most other cars, it lacks very little indeed.

The WRX has a 268 horsepower, 2.0-liter direct injected turbocharged Boxer flat four engine sitting up front. These things have an addictive low center of gravity. You combine that with what’s a couple of inches off the street with Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and Active Torque Vectoring, and the rally-bred WRX is a performance and value benchmark in the high-performance AWD sport-compact segment. Period.

The WRX comes standard with a 6-speed manual transmission and offers an optional performance automatic transmission, the Sport Lineartronic CVT with manual mode. I have never driven the current CVT, but I’ve actually heard good things about it.

Subaru revised the front structure of the WRX and WRX STI to better withstand frontal collisions. Photo: Subaru of America, Inc.

Suspension Stylings

Suspension-wise, the WRX features new front and rear suspension tuning for improved steering stability and ride comfort. Subaru improved shifter feel for the 6-speed manual transmission, with a new synchro design and reduced friction, along with smoother clutch take-up. The electric power steering has been revised to provide an even smoother, more natural feel, while integrating the steering motor.

Furthermore, an electronic control unit reduces the car’s total weight.

But wait, there’s more. There’s a new optional Performance Package for the WRX Premium which features Recaro 8-way power seats (drop the power, and save me some weight please), red-painted brake calipers, and upgraded Jurid brake pads. The Performance Package deletes the moonroof to reduce weight (thank you) and includes standard 18-inch wheels.

But why stop there? If you’re going to go crazy, why not go clown-with-a-rocket-launcher-crazy?

Allow me to introduce you to the Subaru WRX STI.

All WRX models feature upgraded interior materials, rear seat armrest with cup holders, redesigned interior door grips, and faster remote trunk opening. Photo: Subaru of America, Inc.

Faster Everything

STI, Subaru Tecnica International, is the company’s internal sporting division. It is to Fuji Heavy Industries what AMG is to Mercdeces-Benz and the M Division is to BMW. It is the “get out of my way, I’ll show you what I mean by fast” detachment of the company.

The Subaru WRX STI gets a comprehensive handling enhancement for 2018. This includes the revised suspension tuning as featured on the WRX, upgraded brakes, the first-ever 19-inch wheels available on an STI, and a revised DCCD system. The DCCD system used a combination of mechanical and electronic center limited slip differential controls – before that is. It’s fully electronic now for a quicker and smoother feel when in the driver’s seat.

The yellow-painted brake calipers mean you’re running the Brembo Performance Brake System. It has stronger monoblock 6-piston calipers in front, monoblock 2-piston calipers in the rear, and larger, drilled rotors at all four corners for better heat dissipation. This design has greater surface area for improved braking and fade resistance.

The STI is motivated by a 305 horsepower, 2.5-liter turbocharged plant. All those ponies are judiciously applied to the road via the DCCD regulated Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system, Active Torque Vectoring, and Multi-Mode Vehicle Dynamics Control. In other words: Bang, go, brake, corner, bang, go, brake, corner, bang, go, brake, corner, trophy please.

They’re literally that faultless and easy. It almost feels like you’re cheating. But not really. Trophy please.

I’ll take my STI in World Rally Blue with gold wheels. Just like Petter Solberg.

Trophy please.

Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.

2018 Subaru WRX Gallery

2018 Subaru WRX STI Gallery

Photos & Source: Subaru of America, Inc.

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2018 Audi A5 & S5: Performance Meets Design

Audi is an interesting company. They’re not consistently right, year after year, but when they do get it right, they really knock it out of the stadium. Ask Walter Rohrl or Michelle Mouton. Ask anyone who’s gone up against an R8 on a rainy stretch of road.

Further, look at Audi’s 5 series.

The 5 models, the A5 and higher performing S5, are in a very difficult arena: The sport coupe market. It’s crowded. The margins are thin. It’s hard to stand out. It’s all too easy to go for bland; bland styling, bland performance, bland epitaphs on your product’s headstone.

First Impressions

Audi confidently strode into this ring the same way they rolled on to the grid at Le Mans. The 5 showed up like Roddy Piper in They Live. The A5 and S5 were there to kick some and chew bubblegum, and they were all out of bubble gum.

When they debuted, I was living in Seattle (a hot bed for Audis, given the obviously poor driving conditions 460 days of the year). I saw them in the press. Then, seemingly 24 minutes later, I saw them on the roads. They were everywhere. They were silver or gray or black. They were hauling it across the 520 (final destination: Microsoft campus) in a miserable drizzle. They were all piloted by guys that looked like junior marketing execs with attitudes – hey, nobody’s perfect, not even Audi. Besides, a sale is a sale.

And now, here we are, some years later, and the Ingolstadt company is still on a roll with their mid-sized coupes. Ta-dah: The new 2018 Audi A5 and S5. In a lot of ways, they’re like their original antecedent, but better.

Design Language

Audi says they have retained the “classic design details.” Leave it to Audi to call their original, first gen design that’s only a few years old as “classic.” Don’t pat yourself on the back too hard Audi, you’ll dislocate a shoulder. They point out how the new cars retain the original power dome and the “wave-design” shoulder line, speaking of shoulders. Both of which are good details, and the shoulders are rather handsome.

And that little wave trick does take away any chance of it looking slab-sided and clumsy.

There’s a slew of standard goodies too.

There’s standard Xenon plus headlights with LED daytime running lights or available full LED headlights and standard LED taillights with dynamic rear turn signals. Not sure what’s dynamic about them, but I’m guessing it’s something like Mercury Cougars had back in 1970. Only German!

18-inch 10-spoke-dynamic design wheels with all-season tires are standard but 19-inch multi-spoke design wheels with contrasting gray/polished finish are available on A5 models. The S5 gets standard 18-inch Audi Sport 5-double-spoke-star design wheels with summer performance tires. Or you can choose 19-inch 5-spoke-Cavo design wheels with contrasting gray/polished finish when you go with the performance model.

The standard perks continue in the cabin as well.

Interior Layout

There’s a three-spoke multi-function steering wheel with shift paddles on the A5; three-spoke multi-function flat-bottom sport steering wheel with shift paddles on the S5, because race cars have flat bottom steering wheels, and one wants to feel racy. Doesn’t one? Oh, and get used to the shift paddles, all you whining luddites decrying the lack of a stick. Deal with the change. Deal. There were people like you 50 years ago whining about transmissions going fully synchromesh. Sheesh!

The three-zone automatic climate control with wing-design, wrap-around dashboard and diffuser air vents is also standard. I’m assuming that third zone is for the passengers trapped, er, wadded, er, cozily ensconced in the rear “seats.”

Speaking of seats, the driver’s seat is eight-way power with four-way power lumbar adjustments on the A5. Standard, natch. The S5 gets S sport seats with contrast diamond stitching, pneumatic side bolsters, and massage function. Also standard. Also natch. There’s a standard panoramic sunroof that adds light to the cabin – and also adds weight, way up high. But I won’t go on a Colin Chapman inspired rant about weight and performance. Oh no. Not me.

Ambient LED lighting is standard; there is also an ambient LED lighting plus package with 30 color settings available if you want to go full Pink Floyd Lazarium I guess.

Finally, there are standard Aluminum Trimaran inlays. Last I checked, a trimaran was a kind of sailboat, but whatevs, I’m a sucker for the styling power of aluminum. If you’re not, there’s also High-gloss Dark Brown Walnut Wood or Natural Gray Oak inlays available on the A5 and standard brushed Aluminum or available Carbon Atlas inlays on the S5.

Now, roll up your sleeves and pick the grease out from under your nails, and follow me to the engine bay, por favor.

Similar to the previous generation, the 2018 Audi S5 has available sport adaptive damping suspension with a new suspension control unit. This unit houses the software for suspension and damping control plus the sensors for measuring acceleration and yaw rates. Additionally, the 2018 Audi S5 has a dynamic steering system. It acts as a variable steering ratio and adjusts based on vehicle speed and/or the Audi drive select setting. Photo: Audi of America.

Engine & Powertrain

Underneath that Hugo Boss-like aluminum skin is where things get interesting. For starters, there’s two new engines available. There’s a TFSI four-cylinder plant in the A5 and a big whomper of a TFSI V6 for the S5.

The A5 is equipped with a 2.0-liter TFSI four-cylinder engine, coupled with either a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission or a six-speed manual transmission. Okay, forget what I said about the lack of a stick earlier. My bad. Sorry. But still, get the dual clutch with the paddle shifters, you bulgy browridge’d luddites. Anyway, said engine cranks out 252 horsepower and 273 lb-ft. of torque, which is good enough for a sprint to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds for the S tronic; 5.7 seconds for the manual.

And that’s the “normal” model, if you will. The standard Audi drive select actually has four different modes that change up the car’s personality: comfort, auto, dynamic, and individual.

The S5, on the other hand, comes with a completely new 3.0 TFSI V6 mill reeling out 354 horsepower and 369 lb-ft. of torque. Impressive, no? 0-60? How does 4.4 seconds sound? Sounds good to me. The 2018 S5 is also available with an eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission that is “well suited for the low end torque of the new 3.0-liter TFSI engine,” according to Audi.

Available sport suspension on the 2018 Audi A5 lowers ride height by approximately 23 mm and utilizes different tubular anti-roll bars, dampers, and linear-rate springs. Available comfort adaptive damping suspension lowers ride height by 10 mm and uses continuous electronic damper control to enable the various suspension and damping combinations that make up the Audi drive select modes. Photo: Audi of America.

Quattro Magic

And, as with all Audis since time immemorial (or at least since the late 70s), all of the 5 models come standard with quattro all-wheel drive. A5 models equipped with the S tronic transmission and S5 models with the Tiptronic automatic put the grunt to the tarmac via a self-locking center diff, with a basic ratio of 40:60 front to rear, and wheel-selective torque control.

Any of the six-speed manual cars offer the new quattro with “ultra” technology. (Really? You registered the syllable “ultra” as a trademark?) There’s an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch along with a decoupling rear axle differential that gives you fully variable torque distribution. This system proactively modifies the torque application according to the road conditions or driver demands.

The S5 with the S sport package and quattro sport differential will actively split torque between the wheels of the rear axle, with the ability to direct nearly all torque to one wheel. It’s sort of like the Ferrari E-Diff that applies power differences laterally and on the fly to help you turn in and corner better.

Price? Audi doesn’t say. But you know what Gatsby said: “the rich are different from you and me, Nick,” and you know he’s right. Probably not too bad on the final tab, but still, it won’t be cheap.

Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.