Subaru WRX STI: Driving Impressions – Go Speed Racer, go! Drive along any city street, and chances are you’ll encounter a hopped-up Honda Civic or Mitsubishi Eclipse doing its best to look and sound fast, even if what’s under the hood amounts to nothing more than a high-flow air filter and chrome valve covers. These boy-racer types may conjure up thoughts of the 1960’s era cartoon character, Speed Racer, but in reality their rides couldn’t hold a candle to his Mach 5 with its 5,000 horsepower directed to all four wheels. And with that machine’s protruding front saws and bulletproof glass, it’s just as well that Racer’s cruiser remains fictional. Were it ever to come to life, we can only imagine what that episode of “Cops” would be like.

There are, however, a few select rides that, while touting thousands less in terms of horsepower, offer more than enough performance and agility for the real world, making them authentic sports cars and not merely poseurs. Plus, they come fully-backed direct from the manufacturer. A prime example is the 2006 Subaru WRX STI, a made-for-the-street version of an Impreza rally car that can be seen from time to time on the Speed Channel or ESPN, hauling tail through the air or performing a four-wheel drift in the forest to the thrill of hard-core fans. Similar to companies like Honda and Toyota using the track or off-road racing courses to develop technology ultimately available in the showroom, Subaru uses the hair-raising rally environment as a testing ground for the STI destined for your driveway. The result is an extremely capable sedan that will do its part to hustle its master between home and work, yet begs for its 300 turbocharged horsepower and 300 lb.-ft. of torque to be unleashed on curvy pavement.

Serving to demarcate the relatively mainstream Subaru WRX from the WRX STI is an aluminum turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that punishes the pavement with 300 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 300 lb.-ft. of twist at 4,000 rpm. That boosted angst is pushed to all four Bridgestone Potenza 225/45R17 performance tires through a six-speed manual gearbox. In comparison, other WRX models offer only 230 horses, 235 lb.-ft. of torque, and a five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic transmission. However, there’s more to the STI than a stout powertrain, like upgraded ABS and electronic brake-force distribution tied to Brembo vented discs, quick-ratio rack-and-pinion steering, and a high-performance suspension system with inverted struts as well as lower L arms up front and a parallel link setup on the rear. BBS 17-inch wheels are standard, kept under control by limited-slip front and rear differentials and a center differential that can be automatically locked or manually adjusted by the driver using a dial placed on the center console. To top it all off, this little Subaru boasts a 2,000-lb. tow rating.

That’s the mechanical side of the 2006 Subaru WRX STI, a limited view that fails to recognize the car’s creature comforts and oh-so-conspicuous visual enhancements. Yeah, we’re referring to that garish rear wing, which along with BBS wheels sprayed in gold or silver, painted Brembo brake calipers, a stainless steel exhaust tip, body-color wheel flares, a rear spoiler mounted above the back glass, STI front fog light covers, a lower body kit, high-intensity discharge headlights, and strategically-placed STI badges serves to separate this powerhouse from the rest of the WRX pack. The interior features unique items such as front sport bucket seats; Alcantara leather upholstery with suede inserts; soft leather with red stitching on the steering wheel, shift knob, and parking brake handle; and a 9,000-rpm tachometer for those wound-out back country runs. Other standard items shared with the WRX include a tilt steering wheel, alloy pedals, front-side airbags, a six-disc CD changer, and the usual array of power features. That laundry list of equipment is available for a base price of $33,620 including a $625 destination charge. Of course, options are available for buyers with deeper pockets, availing those individuals to equipment ranging from an electrochromic interior rearview mirror for $183 to a $948 Performance Group consisting of a short-throw shifter, a turbo boost gauge, and a titanium shift knob.

Bolting on the Performance Group kit brought the price of our 2006 Subaru WRX STI tester to $34,568 (including destination). That’s a lot of coin for the folks most likely to call this ride their own – young males. But no one ever said fun is cheap, and there are always areas to cut expenses. That being said, now might be a good time to check out http://www.mattfischer.com/ramen for all of the interesting ways to make a buck’s worth of Ramen noodles palatable.

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