It’s been well documented here at The Garage that hardcore fans of the Subaru Impreza WRX were not exactly thrilled at the all new 2008 Impreza, and the concessions Subaru made to make their hero car appeal to a wider audience. While Subaru made substantial improvements to the 2009 car to win back fans, there was some unfinished business that Subaru is now addressing.
At the New York Auto Show, Subaru took the wraps off the four door Impreza WRX STI, which will sell alongside the five door model. The previous generation STI was sold as a four door only, but when the current car went on sale in 2008, the WRX STI was only available as a five door. The STI’s signature giant rear wing is back, and one can hear the purists rejoicing. The 2011 STI also features a heavily revised suspension, with some of the changes previewed on this year’s STI Special Edition. The new car also features lighter 18″ wheels. The WRX STI drivetrain remains unchanged, which means a boxer 2.5L turbo intercooled four rated at 305hp, coupled to a six-speed manual. The 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI four door hits the showroom floor this summer.
Top 10 most wanted cars from a teenager’s view
The guys & girls at the Florida Car Club have posted their list of the top 10 cars a teen would want. The list is as follows:
10th – Dodge SRT-4
9th – Pontiac GTO
8th – Volkswagen GTI
7th – Mitsubishi EVO
6th – Acura RSX
5th – Scion TC
4th – Subaru WRX STI
3rd – Nissan 350Z
2nd – Ford Mustang.
1st – BMW M3
This is a pretty lofty list, I hope these guys come from well off families! Not that I disagree with the cars, but I think the expectations of many young people are way off in left field. When we were in high school (I know, I’m going to sound old here) the special cars were the ones that cost more than about three grand. The rest of us scraped together enough to pick up something that was half that. I was very proud of the big green 69 Plymouth that I inherited when my grandfather stopped driving.
With 2 guys who had “real” jobs in our circle, we built 4 VW Rabbits over a couple of years. The original built Rabbits were sold to finance the new GTI when it made its’ debut in 1982. That car sold for something like seven grand. You could throw a few bits on the car and have a truly fun car that could be driven reliably. Many of us even got our first taste of autocrossing behind the wheel of a GTI.
While the FCC guys have the GTI on their list, it is now a thirty thousand dollar car. Gone is the cheap little pocket rocket. Number one on the list is an M3 of all things. A wonderful ride, no question. But how much money does a kid have that a car of this magnitude is even on his radar?
Perhaps this list should be the Teenagers top ten cars to dream about list.