(Photos: Subaru) Subaru managed to do what most Asian brands have struggled to do: get taken seriously by American car enthusiasts. Granted, a lot of the respect came from watching the car getting bashed to within an inch of it’s life in rally racing in the hands of the likes of Ken Block, Colin McRae and others, and yes, for every legitimately fast Subaru there’s always the stanced idiot or the 2.5 RS Impreza with no muffler painted blue with gold wheels, but the scrappy all-wheel-drive WRX and WRX STi have carved out a solid place here in America. But Subaru does have another performance car here…kind of. The BRZ was Subaru’s half of the rear-drive partnership that also gave birth to the Toyota 86/Scion FR-S. A two-door, rear-drive coupe, the platform came out with a lot of hype and while it’s found fans of it’s own, there has been one tiny but consistent complaint: the lack of power. Subaru fans have been especially vocal, crying out for an STi variation. But, just like the WRX STi concept that looked great but got watered down for production, there’s disappointment brewing here…
First, a quick lesson: STi is not itself a model designation. STi stands for Subaru Technica International, which you can liken to Mercedes’ AMG and Ford Performance as the kind of in-house tuning arm. STi Subarus are the deep end of the performance spectrum for the manufacturer, and seeing a BRZ done up by the team should make fans smile with joy. But the celebration should be held off for a moment or two. First, this is a concept car that is mostly a show for the real news, which involves STi coming to the United States. The BRZ STi is meant to be a rolling catalog of what can be done to the car. Second, we sincerely doubt that the turbocharged 2.0L flat-four that is in the BRZ STi will see the light of day…which is a shame, really, because the 300hp/330tq mill, yanked from a Super GT-spec BRZ race car, would be an absolute riot in the coupe without being overkill. In fact, if they would just give us the motor in a stock-bodied BRZ, we’d be really happy. You can keep the “aero mods”, interior gadgetry and that big-ass spoiler, thanks.
Here’s Subaru’s press release:
New York, N.Y. – Subaru of America, Inc. today unveiled the STI Performance Concept at the New York International Auto Show.
The STI Performance Concept signifies a plan for U.S.-expansion of Subaru Tecnica International (STI), the performance division of Subaru, in its three core business areas; aftermarket parts, STI-tuned cars and motorsports.
The expansion has already begun, with STI-engineered parts replacing Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT) aftermarket parts in the U.S. market, and with STI’s increasing engineering presence in Subaru of America’s Global RallyCross team.
In the future, further models tuned by STI will be available in the US. These cars could feature more extensive modifications from the factory than previously offered, such as suspension, performance, braking, chassis and aerodynamic upgrades.
“At STI we know from our racing that to win, it is important not only to have high power, but also that all aspects of performance are balanced over the whole car,” said Yoshio Hirakawa, president of Subaru Tecnica International, Inc. “When we achieve this balance, the driver feels that the car is easy to handle and reliable, and he can use it fully to the limits of its performance. Our plan is to produce cars and accessories that drivers can really enjoy.”
The STI Performance Concept is a showcase for the engineering prowess and tuning capability of STI, featuring the racing engine developed by STI for the BRZ Super GT racecar, suspension and chassis components and aerodynamic upgrades.
Complete cars (extensive tuning by STI) and performance parts available now in Japan focus on the WRX STI, Forester and BRZ models. The Japanese domestic market uses the nomenclature “S model” as its naming for the WRX STI and uses “tS” on BRZ and Forester vehicles that have STI components, but a naming convention for any future US models has not yet been established.
STI was founded as Subaru parent company Fuji Heavy Industries’ motor sports division in 1988. In 1989, a first-generation Subaru Legacy, tuned by STI, broke the FIA-certified world speed record over 100,000 kilometers. From there, STI moved on to the World Rally Championship, winning 3 constructors championships and 3 driver championships for Colin McRae, Richard Burns and Petter Solberg. It currently competes in the Nurburgring 24 Hour Challenge race winning its class two times in 2011 and 2012 and also in the Super GT series with its BRZ-based Super GT.
Its really just the Scion FR-1 platform, innit?
The BRZ has always been part of the ZN6 chassis that underpins the Scion FR-S and GT-86. The BRZ is the more refined variant.
While it’s interesting news and I’m sure we’ll see more goodness trickle down across the lineup, I’m not sure if the BRZ will ever see the benefits. Toyota’s FR-S and GT-86 have been experiencing flagging sales as it’s a niche vehicle and the target market has become saturated, which has Toyota talking about dumping both vehicles. The BRZ has been an even slower seller.
Actually Nick ole bean … the SubaYota/ToyotAru twins sales worldwide have been abysmal since day one . Toyota fans dont like the flat four .. Subaru fans want AWD .. so aint neither buying either with discounts galore on offer . Add in they are both under powered .. especially in light of the chassis\’s capabilities and… you\’ve got a recipe for a sales disaster .. which they both are … in spades
As to which is more sophisticated ? Errr … the truth of the matter is they are the same car from nose to tail … with the Subaru having a slight edge in hp .. and thats about it . Other than the badges .. and the pretense of performance [ with the BRZ ] they are exactly the same underneath … the Toyota/Scion pretending to be the more comfortable .. the BRZ trying like hell to convince you its faster . Drive them both bak to back though ? And they aint no differences really worth talking about . I did . Give it a go [ AAA is a great resource for doing this ] … you\’ll see 😉
As to this bit of STi pretense ? Subaru had better be damn careful they dont water down what those three letters are supposed to imply .
Honestly though … this Subaru / Toyota coupling has created the sales offspring from hell … with neither company seemingly able or willing to fix it
Yeah, while mechanically the same, the Subaru’s styling was supposed to be more refined and less boy-racer and they were a bit better trimmed.
And the car was always going to have small sales numbers because they were an enthusiast’s car and the average carbuyer wouldn’t put up with it’s quirks (rev-happy drivetrain, stiff suspension, punishing rear seat and tiny trunk). And everybody who wanted one, immediately ran out and got one, so sales dropped off.
My friend had an FR-S for a year and got rid of it. He said it wasn’t that fast, the chassis didn’t handle that great and a lot of owners were having reliability issues that he didn’t want to encounter (For example, if you don’t run ethanol-free gas, the direct injection system grenades at about 10K miles, but the manual insists that ethanol gas is safe to run). He sold it off and bought a mint Mariner Blue 1990 Miata that matches my own and has been much happier since. Says the FR-S is the last time that he buys a car off the advice of magazine reviews and a good-looking spec sheet.
And yes, I hope that Subaru doesn’t do to the STi badge what GM did to the SS badge with cars like the Cobalt SS, HHR SS and Malibu Maxx SS
A positive thought/suggestion in light of all my [ valid ] criticisms ;
If Toyota would shove one of their freaking brilliant Turbo i4s under the hood and call the damn thing a Toyota Celica instead of a Scion – Toyota .. what ever alphabet soup …
.. and
If Subaru would slap a turbo on the motor … their freaking brilliant AWD system under the chassis … name the damn thing after a well known WRC rally stage …. and just make it look a little more Subaru than Toyota ….
e.g. Both playing off their strengths rather than creating new weaknesses
… all bets are
Both would be up to their necks in sales/orders and scrambling to keep up with the demand
Lop the top off both [ or at least off the Toyota ] for a convertible option … and all bets are they would have the Mazda MX5/Miata running for cover
Subaru should have came out with a turbo charged STI model as soon as the BRZ came out. It’s biggest weakness is a lack of power. Their fun to drive, though as stated above not very practical. A couple of my Soldiers bought them and I liked them. The one guy traded his in for a WRX after his buddy in a Mitsubishi EVO whouped him. That evo was breaking down all the time in fairness though. Unfortunately Subaru for folks my age a used miata is just a much better deal, though I would love a BRZ with a LS7 crammed in.