Subaru Vortex Reviews

More power, firmer suspension and a new boot for Subaru’s WRX.

Following the recent introduction of Impreza R, RX and RS sedans, the WRX will go on sale around December.Making its Australian motor show debut, the sedan Impreza WRX variant is expected to draw huge interest among Subaru turbocharged fans.Nick Senior, Managing Director, Subaru Australia, said: “Impreza WRX sedan will feature a wide variety of mechanical changes.It will, of course, maintain our standard of five-star crashworthiness ratings for occupant safety and standard electronic stability control.”Mr Senior said Model Year 2009 Impreza WRX sedan and hatch would offer the same specification levels, making the choice easier for customers.“New generation Impreza has proved a sales winner since its introduction last year, with sales up 12.5 per cent.“This final addition to the range will expand its appeal still further.”Pricing and specification details will be released at the Show on Thursday 9 October. 

After an absence of 12 months, Subaru has added a new sedan to its Impreza line-up.The sedan is initially available only in naturally aspirated models. The WRX is due to arrive in December, but a hotter STi sedan is not on the cards, Subaru spokesman David Rowley says.Despite being out of the market for 12 months, Rowley says Subaru lost few customers.“If you look at the combined sales of the old sedan and hatch we have been selling 200 more a month of just the new hatch,” he says.“We hope the sedan will take sales to another level.“Even though the market has shifted a bit towards hatches we still think there is room for growth.”Prices of the R, RX and RS sedans are identical to the hatches, which means prices start at $24,490 for the R sedan, rising to $31,490 for the RS sedan.About 20 per cent of buyers are expected to opt for the new sedan, Rowley says.Like the hatch, the sedan has a five-star crash rating and electronic stability control is standard.So far this year Impreza sales are up 12.5 per cent, averaging more than 1000 a month, despite the lack of a sedan option until now.Subaru managing director Nick Senior says the Impreza is one of the country's fastest-growing models.“It is hugely encouraging that the sales mix of Impreza hatch has been fairly equal across the three variants, compared with the previous generation's bias towards the entry-level cars,” he says.Subaru expects the sedan to add about 200 Impreza sales a month.The Impreza sedan is 35mm higher and the wheelbase 95mm longer than the superseded version.For the first time, the sedan gets a split/fold rear seat to increase cargo-carrying capacity. 

As he straps himself into his Subaru Impreza he is preparing to race the clock over some of the toughest and most dangerous roads in the world. With zero margin for error. "What we do in rallying is like turning up to a racetrack and trying to do pole position on your very first lap," says Atkinson. "If you freeze you're going to crash. It only takes one second for things to get away if you lose concentration." The 28-year-old Queenslander proved it on the first day of the Rally of New Zealand as he was battling for a podium place in the latest round of the World Rally Championship. He got things very slightly wrong on a tight left-hander, and rolled. It was only a tiny mistake but it cost him any chance of a good result on the closest thing he has to a home event in the world series. "I know what I did. I know what I did wrong," says Atkinson "It was nothing. Today was like having a bump in the carpark. "In the back of my mind I knew I wasn't taking any risks, so I kept going. I felt I could have won that stage." This is typical from a youngster who originally planned to become a stockbroker, until his need for speed got in the way. He is sharp, intelligent and articulate. In many ways he is like Mark Webber. Except that Webber is a Formula One highwire artist and Atkinson is a forest racing lion tamer. His job is to drive as fast as he possibly can over some of the fastest, toughest and most dangerous roads in the world in a constant fight against his car and the elements in a search for precious seconds. His weapon of choice is a hand-built, $500,000 Subaru Impreza that is packed with technology so advanced that it is banned from F1. Atkinson is still on the way up after three years in the WRC and, in a sport where drivers do their best work in their mid-30s, he is still considered a potential world champion. "He is getting better all the time. I'm expecting big things from Chris," says his Subaru team boss, David Richards. He is a former world champion co-driver who has groomed a lot of rally talent, including the late Colin McRae, as well as running Mark Winterbottom and Steven Richards in his Ford Performance Racing team in V8 Supercars. But no-one expects more from Atkinson than himself. He had to buy his way into the WRC, spending around $2 million despite a career which had three major titles and runner-up spot in the Australian series before his money-backed graduation to the world title in 2005. He was 12th in his first year in the big time, improved to tenth and then seventh, and is currently running fifth in this year's world series. And he earns an estimated $1 million in salary, although he has to pay his Belgian co-driver Stephane Prevot and is also repaying the Aussie backers - and his father John - for their early investment. "It's been a good season. I've had five podiums. A lot of podiums was the target for this year, and then a rally win . . ." But there has been no real sign of a win. Atkinson has been quick, usually outpacing his team mate, the former world champion Petter Solberg, but has been let down badly by the car. At first it was a previous-model Impreza but Subaru has just upgraded and is battling to make the new WRX competitive with the pace-setter Citroen C4 and Ford Focus which have dominated 2008. "I guess it is a little bit away, but the podiums have been won on merit," says Atkinson, upbeat as usual. "We probably set our expectation here in New Zealand a little high. I heard a rumour that we were meant to win." As it was, four-time world champion Sebastian Loeb did it again in his Citroen. But only after surviving a first-day mishap which was much like Atkinson's effort - except it happened at 140km/h, not 40, and he did not roll. But Loeb has the best car in the championship and Atkinson admits he has to push harder to get similar speed from his Subaru. "You can push at this level for a couple of stages, but . . .," he says. "You do take risks. It's about how many you're prepared to take. "We decided to push as hard as we could from the start in New Zealand." But what is a risk? Is it the sort of scary moment most ordinary drivers never survive, or some sort of crazy X-Games jump into the unknown? "Risk isn't about cutting a single corner. It's more about going into every corner faster than you think you can get away with, and then seeing what happens. "When you're really going for it, you keep pushing. We've found a level where I can be comfortable in the top five. "But even driving at a no-risk level you can have an accident. Thing can catch you out. You think there is no risk, but . . . "It's nice to take bigger risks and get away with it." Away from the forests Atkinson has a good life. Home base is Monaco, where he recently met Bono at a party, although he still likes to get back to the family on the Gold Coast. He spends most of the year on the road, like all the motorsport professionals, and has made friends with a group in Monaco that includes World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss and Tour de France cyclist Stuart O'Grady. "It's good fun to hang out with those guys. It hurts a bit when we go cycling, but it's worth it. You have to try to prove something." It's typical of Atkinson that he has his intercom plummed for rock between special stages, with Grinspoon often playing. "I don't want anything that's slow," he says. He also dumped two co-drivers, his brother Ben and fellow Aussie Glenn MacNeal, to try and find the right combination for the WRC big time. Now he has Prevot, a Belgian veteran, and the pair have clicked. Atkinson knows he can be a WRC winner and he is getting impatient. But he always gives 110 per cent. "It's probably not the smartest thing to do, but it's fun. There is nothing more satisfying than going fastest on a stage, against the best guys in the world. "The only reason I turn up is that I think I can be fast. No matter what, no matter where." So, is Chris Atkinson crazy? Or just crazy fast? "It's all relative. When I'm in the rally car I don't feel like I'm driving at all crazy," he says. "In other things in my life I'm actually probably quite safe. I don't like to take risks."  

The US v the Soviet Union, Catholics v Protestants and Star Wars v Star Trek ... but all of these pale in comparison with the fearsome rivalry of the Subaru STI and Mitsubishi Evo. These two small cars have been waging war on rally tracks and in showrooms from the mid 1990s.Mitsubishi has just unleashed its Lancer EVO X, which joins the new Subaru Impreza STI that arrived here in February. It was only a matter of time before the two lean fighters took each other on in a Carsguide battle royale.The cars are remarkably similar. They both have turbo four-cylinder engines and complex all-wheel-drive systems, they are based on more modest small cars, and both will shake your bones and rattle your kidneys thanks to their overtly sporty suspension.Both start about the $60,000 mark and have similar power and torque outputs (that is, lots).The big differences relate to body shape and what's under the bonnet.Subaru switched from sedan to hatchback because that shape was deemed better suited to its WRC campaign as it allowed for less overhang at the rear.Mitsubishi, with no WRC campaign to worry about, stayed with the sedan.Both cars have continued with their respective engine configurations, although both of these have been substantially improved.That means a transverse mounted in-line four-cylinder with a front-mounted intercooler for the EVO and a horizontally opposed four-cylinder with an intercooler mounted on top of the engine. Subaru has managed to squeeze 221kW and 407Nm of torque out of its 2.5-litre engine.Mitsubishi's EVO has 217kW, but falls well short when it comes to torque, with 366Nm.The STI is only available with a six-speed manual gearbox. The Evo has a five-speed manual as standard, but is also available with a new dual-clutch automatic transmission that is similar to Volkswagen's DSG gearbox.Shifting faster than a human can with the manual, the Mitsubishi auto is a great option, but it is also an expensive one at $5000. Ouch.We opted for the standard manual EVO, which means $59,490, and resisted the temptation of the brake, suspension and wheel upgrades of the performance pack. The STI usually costs $59,990 but is fitted with the optional BBS alloy wheels and leather seats, which adds $5000. A satellite navigation adds another $2990. Both the EVO and the STI look menacing.You can see a clear resemblance to the cars they are based on, but they are meaner and more muscular — as if they've spent the past three years doing nothing but pumping iron.The EVO and the STI both have unique panels. Bulging wheel arches allow for wider wheel tracks which means a greater road footprint.So, which one looks better?Well, that is really up to personal preference. For me, it's the EVO — which looks as though it has just swallowed a bottle of angry pills.But the interior of both cars look cheap and disappointing considering how much they cost.The STI's fussy dashboard, with its sloping lines and metal-look plastic, looks ordinary and, unless you buy the $2990 satellite-navigation screen, the info display could have come from the base car. It has nice Recaro seats, but so it should given that they cost a bit extra.The EVO's interior looks and feels cheaper still. The dashboard is plain jane and some of the plastic surfaces, especially on the doors, are of a Daewoo quality. Even so, the base Recaros look great and are extremely supportive.Both cars take some effort to live with.The STI's tyres are loud around town, and the gearbox makes the kinds of mechanical whirring and groaning you associate with a works rally car and not a prestige car.However, the EVO's tyres are not so loud around town. But they hit the coarse chip surfaces of country roads and drown out everything with an infernal roar. Indeed, its tyre noise is so loud you can't hear the engine buzzing away at close to 3000 revs at 100km/h. That's quite high because the EVO has to make do with a five-speed manual.The previous six-speeder just couldn't handle the extra grunt on the improved engine. But with its sixth cog, the STI can cruise along doing 2100 revs. Fuel consumption ranged from 8.5 litres per 100km to about 14 litres when pressed, with the EVO tending to use about a litre per 100km more than the STI in most conditions.Both cars felt harsh during country driving, but the STI is more uncomfortable.Despite having a softer suspension set-up with much more vertical movement, the STI still manages to pick up imperfections in the road. It wiggles, jolts and carries on a bit more. However, the upside of all this is that the STI has the stronger engine. Floor the throttle andit lunges forward with stunning force, while emitting a meaty boxer note. The suspension also exacerbates the acceleration as it squats at the rear — it's not a huge amount, but you can feel it.Even so, the EVO is no slouch and can sling away from standstill in a way that will scare most V8s, but it just doesn't feel as fast as the STI.It is a smoother engine than it has ever been, but it still needs a touch more torque.The STI is faster in a straight line.But the real test involves corners on the way to Victoria's Great Ocean Road. It's important to note both of these cars are at home in this environment of twisting roads, some of them wet and extremely slippery, and both will have no problems holding impressive corner speed.They both pull up incredibly well thanks to their relatively low weight and hefty Brembo brakes with four-pot front calipers and two-pots at the rear, which are standard on both cars.The STI's softer suspension sees it lean in to corners with a level body roll that really doesn't belong to such a performance car. Hit a bump mid turn and there will likely be some rattle through the steering wheel, accelerate and you can feel the diffs trying to work out where to send the power. Sometimes there is a tug at the steering wheel as it sends a bit more to the front axle.The EVO is a race car in comparison. It sits super flat, with hardly any body roll, and changes direction much easier. You don't notice the switching of power from front to rear or across the rear axle using the cutting-edge yaw sensing system. Its AWD system is seamless and feels a generation ahead of the Subaru, and its body also feels rock-solid, with no steering rack rattle.It might have less punch out of the corners, but you can carry more corner speed and get all the power down on the way out without any fuss.CONCLUSION I own a two-door '98 STI and love it, but loyalty doesn't count here. The EVO might be a bit slower in a straight line, have one less gear and look cheaper inside, but it's clearly the better car. It has a superior AWD system, better-sorted suspension, stiffer body and handles like a race car. No need to collate the points: the Mitsubishi wins by a knockout.SNAPSHOT SUBARU WRX STIPrice: $67,980 as testedEngine: 2.5L/4-cylinder turbo 221kW/407NmTransmission: 6-speed manual0-100km/h: 5.2 secondsEconomy: 10.3L/100km claimed MITSUBISHI LANCER EVOPrice: $59,490 as testedEngine: 2.0L/4-cylinder turbo 217kW/366Nmtransmission: 5-speed manual0-100km/h: 5.7 secondsEconomy: 10.2L/100km claimed 

A minivan with a difference is getting closer to showrooms in Australia. The Subaru Exiga, which lines up closest to the Mazda CX-7 in a new-model showdown, is being assessed for a local launch and has already impressed the top man at Subaru Australia. It is a category breaker. It ticks a number of boxes and follows the pattern set by the Forester and Outback, Nick Senior says. We're calling it a versatile utility vehicle. It drives like one of our driver's channel cars, but is versatile, with seven seats. A first look at the all-new Exiga people mover in Japan points to a stretched Outback, and it does borrow heavily from the Liberty, Impreza and Forester. But the Exiga is genuinely new, and taps the time of the original oil shocks in the 1970s. It is priced from about $45,000. The first flat-four powered minivan to come along in 30 years could be the ideal car for its time. The Exiga is slightly wider, longer and taller than the Outback, the extra roof height ensuring third-row passengers get plenty of headroom. Its 80mm-longer wheelbase also aids in maximizing rear seat legroom, and in a car that is less than 10mm longer than the Outback. Having botched several exterior designs big-time, including the 2000 bug-eyed Impreza, Subaru decided to play it safe with the Exiga. The basic shape will date quickly and the only redeeming features are its wing-inspired grille, large sunroof and wide rear-door windows with superb visibility. But it is a superbly assembled jigsaw puzzle of the very best Subaru technology, picking up the front end of the Forester with a new tail and the Impreza's double-wishbone suspension. The Forester also donated its engine, and the five-speed automatic with SI-Drive and brakes comes from the Liberty. Ride quality and comfort levels, too, are in class-leading territory. Subaru originally built the Exiga for Japan. Subaru US decided it would be too small, but Australia is keen and Senior is pushing.  

They relegating Neal Bates, who'd won all three national rounds so far this year to the bottom step of the podium.Bates and co-driver Coral Taylor in their TRD Corolla still lead the Australian Rally Championship on 283 points but Eli Evans-Chris Murphy have closed the gap to be on 226 points and defending champions Simon Evans with wife Sue as co-driver have jumped into third place on 187 points.It was not only a 1-2 in the SA round for Simon and Eli respectively - Simon's much needed first-round win of the year after crashing out of the Queensland round last month - but also 1-2 in yesterday's Heat 2 led by Eli over Simon.Conditions on the dirt tracks in the Barossa Valley and Hills yesterday were even more tricky than in Saturday's Heat 1. At one stage dust was coming from wheels on the dirt then it rained a number of times and eventually hail came.Eli Evans as a privateer in a Subaru Impreza WRX took a stangehold on heat 2 with a blitzing Stage 18, called Floodways. The 23.3km stage was the longest of the rally with fast flowing roads, dips, crests and crossing many floodways. He was a full 15sec quicker that his brother on the stage alone.“It was tough today,” Simon Evans said of the conditions. “Eli did a fantastic job. He's nuts!”Heat 1 on Saturday was won by Simon Evans by 40.9 sec from TRD team-mate Bates with Eli Evans third another 40.2sec back and Spencer Lowndes-Chris Randell fourth in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX. "The weather nade it extremely tricky,” Simon Evans said. “All I could do was drive smart.”Michael Guest - David Green (Subaru) had a heavy crash into a tree on stage 5 on Saturday but were uninjured. 

The figures, released this week, show that of 349 vehicles tested there were 26 deemed to have performed “significantly better than average”.The ratings are produced by the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) with help from the RACV, TAC and VicRoads.The ratings are based on the MUARC team's analysis of more than 3.2 million car crashes in Australia and New Zealand between 1986 and 2006.That means that unlike the ANCAP testing, which is done under control conditions in a special testing facility, the Used Car Safety Ratings are based on real world accidents.The survey rates vehicles in five marks: significantly better than average; better than average; average; worse than average; and significantly worse than average.The ratings expose the myth that larger cars are safer in an accident with bigger cars putting occupants at a greater risk of serious injury in an accident.Small and medium sized cars fared the best with the smallest category offering up nine cars with the eight medium sized cars pulling the top result.Once again large cars fared the worst with only the 2002-06 Holden Commodore awarded the significantly better than average honour.The Subaru Forester 1997-2002 model was the best performer outright in the survey, just ahead of another compact four-wheel-driver, the 1997-2001 Honda CR-V.Light cars fared badly with none achieving the top rating and only three scoring a better than average mark.Also performing poorly were commercial vehicles, both vans and utes. Only the Ford Transit van scored better than average across the two categories. BEST PERFORMING VEHICLESSubaru Forester 97-02Honda CR-V 97-01Ford Explorer 01-05Mercedes-BenzM-Class 98-05Mitsubishi Pajero 00-06Jeep Cherokee 01-04Ford Transit 01-06Holden Commodore 02-06Mazda6 02-06Subaru Liberty 99-03WORST PERFORMING VEHICLESDaihatsu Rocky 85-98Toyota Landcruiser 82-89Holden Rodeo 89-95Subaru Brumby 82-92Suzuki Mighty Boy 85-88Toyota Hiace 87-89Toyota Hiace 90-95Daihatsu Handivan 82-90Holden Scurry/Suzuki Carry 82-00Toyota Hiace 82-86 LIGHT CARSBEST PERFORMERSMazda 121 97-02Holden Barina 01-06Volkswagen Polo 96-00Daihatsu Sirion 96-04Toyota Echo 99-05WORST PERFORMERSHyundai Getz 02-06Suzuki Alto 85-00Daihatsu Mira 90-96Subaru Sherpa 89-92Mitsubishi Mirage 82-88SMALL CARSBEST PERFORMERSVolkswagen Golf 99-04Mazda3 03-06Peugeot 306 94-01Volkswagen Golf 04-06Peugeot 307 01-06WORST PERFORMERSMitsubishi Cordia 83-87Nissan Exa 83-86Nissan NX 91-96Hyundai Excel 86-90Honda Civic 84-87MEDIUM CARSBEST PERFORMERSMazda6 02-06Subaru Liberty 99-03BMW 5- Series 96-03Saab 9000 86-97Saab 9-3 94-02WORST PERFORMERSMitsubishi Starion 82-87Holden Camira 82-89Toyota Corona 82-88Nissan Bluebird 82-86Nissan Pintara 89-92LARGE CARSBEST PERFORMERSHolden Commodore 02-06Ford Falcon 98-02Ford Falcon 02-06Holden Commodore 97-02Mitsubishi Magna 03-06WORST PERFORMERSToyota Supra 82-90Holden Commodore 82-88Ford Falcon 82-88Nissan Skyline 83-88Mitsubishi Magna 86-90LARGE 4WDBEST PERFORMERSFord Explorer 01-05Mercedes M-Class 98-05Nissan Patrol 98-04Nissan Patrol 88-97Toyota Landcruiser 99-06WORST PERFORMERSToyota Landcruiser 82-89Nissan Patrol 82-87Toyota Landcruiser 90-97Range Rover 96-02Jeep Cherokee 96-99PEOPLE-MOVERSBEST PERFORMERSMitsubishi Nimbus 99-03Kia Carnival 99-06Toyota Tarago 91-99Honda Odyssey 95-00Nissan Serena 92-95WORST PERFORMERSMitsubishi Starwagon 83-86Toyota Tarago 83-89Mitsubishi Starwagon 87-93Mazda MPV 94-99Mitsubishi Starwagon 95-98 

Apart from losing around 40kgs in weight, it will get a special rear diffuser, lowered suspension that's been tweaked and stiffened for better straight-line and cornering performance, as well as revised gear ratios to enhance top speed, which should approach 270km/h. And the Spec C will also inherit the S402's 6-pot Brembo brake package and runflat Bridgestone rubber. But our source suggests that power and torque will stay the same.  

Yes, Subaru does have cars in the luxury car sector complete with leather interior and high performance. Its top car is the Liberty GT tuned by STI.The “tuned by STI” is the suffix that makes the difference. The GT Spec.B sedan and station wagon are pretty good things already, but the STI extras take them one step higher.STI is to Subaru what AMG is to Mercedes-Benz - giving a bit more hard-edge engine performance, some chassis (therefore handling and steering) improvements and some aerodynamic and aesthetic touches to the bodywork.STI stands for Subaru Tecnica International and enthusiasts already know that the STI version is the one to have if you're serious about performance in the Impreza WRX small sports hatchback.Let's take a quick look at the Liberty GT Spec.B and then see what STI version adds.The GT Spec.B uses Subaru's four-cylinder boxer engine of 2.5 litres, double overhead camshafts and turbocharged to give 184kW power and 339Nm torque.It's $55,990 for the sedan, in either the six-speed manual or five-speed sequential automatic, and $57,990 for the wagon.It comes with black leather interior, dual-zone climate control, eight-way power adjustment for the front seats (driver's with memory), 18in alloy wheels, satellite navigation, all-wheel-drive, airbags for front, front side and curtain, Momo sports steering wheel, ventilated ABS brakes front and rear plus Bilstein sports suspension. Sound system is a six-stack CD with six speakers. And it has the Subaru Intelligent Drive for programmed car settings. The new Subaru Liberty GT tuned by STI gets a series of enhancements (see Small Torque, right) to the above - starting with power raised to 194kW at 6000rm and torque to 350Nm at 2800rpm.The STI Liberty sedan is listed at $65,990 and the wagon $67,990, again regardless of being the six-speed manual or five-speed sequential automatic. SMALL TORQUESTI good stuffAs well as the lift in power and torque, the Subaru Liberty GT tuned by STI gets suspension upgrades and interior treatments.The Bilstein shock absorbers have damping ratios unique to STI, aimed at giving a flatter ride. The rear suspension kit has partial ball-bearing jointed bushes. This is said to reduce friction and improve road holding. STI springs lower the car by 5mm.Brembo brakes - four-piston at the front and two-pot on the rear - are painted black. A stainless-steel, mesh-type brake hose is fitted.The 12-spoke Enkei wheels with STI badging are 2.5kg lighter than the standard Liberty GT wheels and come in what's called luminosity silver.The front lip and rear boot spoilers are said to suppress lift, give better aerodynamics and stability at speed. The front grille is unique to this STI model.Inside, the leather and alcantara front seats get a cherry-coloured STI logo. There are further STI logos on instruments and door sills.Body colours for the STI versions are black, silver, grey and white. The cars carry “tuned by STI” badging.