This Viziv Performance concept points to how the next-gen STI will look.
Photo by Subaru
It will be a big year for Subaru next year as they launch their all-new signature sports model, the WRX STI. A car that put the brand on the high-performance map in the U.S. and won its class no less than 6 times in the legendary Nurburgring 24-hour race, will come in for some major upgrades.
First things first. The styling of the car will incorporate many of the design characteristics we saw on the Viziv Performance Concept at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show. Draped in bold, aggressive curves, a wide, low stance and tight, sharp edges with stylish up slanting LED headlights, the new exterior takes Subaru in a more pleasing design direction and will no doubt elevate the car’s street cred, a factor that Subaru enthusiasts have been pleading for years. I mean let’s face it, Subaru design has been very bland and one-dimensional up until now. These new styling tweaks are long overdue.
Scooby fans, or Subarists as they are called in some quarters, will—I think—like the new body, but they will nod even more at what’s going on under the hood. The well-known EJ20 2.0-liter boxer turbo is out, replaced by a new FA20 2.0-liter boxer turbo, that reportedly pumps out 320hp and 325 lb-ft of torque. And channeled through the brand’s race and rally winning all-wheel-drive powertrain, the STI has few rivals in terms of performance. It will be married to the firm’s standard 6-speed manual gearbox and according to one Subaru insider, an automatic option will not be available. While this new powerplant may not raise outright power output from the current model, the fact that Subaru is downsizing its engines for improved fuel consumption and cleaner emissions will also strike a cord with Subaru buyers.
The new aggressive styling will elevate the car’s street cred.
Photo by Subaru
The new STI will also employ the brand’s Subaru Global Platform (SGP) which will eventually underpin nearly the whole lineup within a few years. In a recent crash test conducted by Japan’s NCAP, the SGP was evaluated as the safest structure underpinning any car on the market. The incorporation of the new platform plus strategic revisions to the suspension will translate into even better high speed stability and cornering prowess, although the exact details of those upgrades are still under wraps.
Inside the Viziv gets a fresh new look with triple-tone cream, orange and black trim mixed with aluminum highlights. Employing a large central touch screen and bright colours, the cockpit layout is the most radical we’ve ever seen from Subaru.
And one more addition to the tech package that will get nods from Subarists is the long-overdue incorporation of EyeSight, the brand’s highly rated safety feature to the STI. This technology employs revised stereo cameras, radar and telematics to deliver not only state-of-the-art adaptive cruise control and automatic braking, but all around – four corner — crash avoidance that detects bicycles and pedestrians.
In fact, one Subaru contact suggested that the company plans to add a semi-autonomous drive function to its EyeSight software, adding tech that would allow the car to drive autonomously, under certain circumstances, in the same way that Nissan’s just-launched ProPilot 2.0 feature permits drivers to cruise with hands off the wheel as long as you maintain your current lane and use the adaptive cruise control.
Expect to see a pre-production model at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show on October 24.
