DETROIT MOTOR SHOW: New Subaru WRX STI officially revealed

The 2015 Subaru WRX STI has been officially unveiled at the North American International Auto Show, the huge wing and gaping bonnet scoop confirmed.

Styling of Subaru’s flagship rally-bred sedan comes as no surprise, as images of the new WRX STI have been surfacing since last week.

However, with an official reveal, Subaru can now confirm exact details about the new car.

Specifically, the new WRX STI will be powered by a turbocharged 2.5-litre Horizontally-Opposed Boxer engine, which should be good for 227kW of power and 393Nm of torque. Output of the previous generation WRX STI sits at 221kW and 407Nm, meaning performance in the new WRX STI should be surprisingly similar – expect the sprint to 100km to be somewhere in the mid-five second range.

Handling this power will be a six-speed manual gearbox, revised to give a sportier feel and faster shifts. No word yet, however, on whether we will see the latest WRX STI with a CVT gearbox, similar to its baby brother, the WRX.

Of course, the new WRX STI will benefit from Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system, channelling power to all four corners. The STI development team has also reworked the steering, aiming to give more steering response, as well as stiffening the body and suspension, to lend the car even more handling capability.

Only offered in a sedan, the new WRX STI rides on a wheelbase stretched 25mm, now reaching 2650mm compared to the old 2625mm of the previous model. According to the Subaru press release, this will give the new WRX STI “greater leg room as well as more shoulder and elbow room inside the cabin.” Height is also increased by 5mm to 1475mm, length is up 15mm to 4595mm, but overall width remains the same at 1795mm when compared with the previous generation WRX STI.

Shown off in the classic WR Blue paint scheme and boasting 18-inch gold BBS forged alloy wheels, this colour combination is dubbed the “Launch Edition” and will be limited to just 1000 units. 

Subaru has also made little tweaks to the interior, with a healthy smattering of carbon and metal throughout, along with red accents on the gear shifter, instrument panels and seats, to remind occupants of the sporty performance.

Although pricing is yet to be confirmed, we suspect the new WRX STI should launch with a similar price of $60,000 when it hits our shores – probably around mid-2014.

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