2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STi Sedan

SUBARU DEBUTS NEW 4-DOOR
IMPREZA® WRX® STI® MODEL FOR 2011

For the first Time Subaru Performance Flagship is Offered in Two Body Styles New 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Four-Door with Wide-Body Design with Retuned Suspension for Even Sharper Handling and the company assures us that for 2011, we can expect a return to the fundamentals that helped establish the Subaru Impreza WRX STI as a force to be reckoned with. Available for the first time ever in both four-door and five-door wide-body designs, the new 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rates the same 305 horsepower and 290 pound-feet as last year, as the primary improvements are made to the suspension, which is retuned for even sharper handling, and lighter 18-inch alloy wheels.

This will be the first time that the Subaru Impreza WRX STI has been offered in two body styles (5-door and 4-door). Appearance changes for 2011 include sharper bumper corners and blacked-out fog lights, a new grille and insert, plus on the sedan, the enormous wing. Covering essentially the entire surface of the trunk, the sedan's wing helps the car achieve zero rear-end lift at high speeds, improving stability. In addition to the new styling, the 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI features heavily revised suspension tuning and lighter 18-inch wheels for even sharper handling.

'The continuous evolution and developmet of the Subaru Impreza WRX STI is driven by the strong, loyal and vocal support from thousands of enthusiastic owners of this exciting high-performance vehicle,' said Tom Doll, executive vice president and COO of Subaru of America, Inc. 'The 2011 4-door Subaru Impreza WRX STI will expand the appeal of this iconic performance model to a wider range of driving enthusiasts.' The 2011 Impreza Subaru Impreza WRX STI models arrive in Subaru dealerships late this summer.

Though the drivetrain remains unchanged, a slew of suspension adjustments and a lower stance have given the Subaru Impreza WRX STI the ability to hoover up tarmac and gravel stages indiscriminately once again. It isn't a completely new generation – more like a much needed do-over – but the changes are enough to make the 2011 model instantly recognizable from behind the wheel.

The suspension tuning is borrowed from the 2010 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Special Edition, a tauter, JDM Spec C-based tune that cuts body roll and increases lateral G forces that can be held. The ride is also lower, with new pillow ball bushings up front and stiffer bushings out back to improve feel as well as changing camber and toe. Thicker anti-roll bars are also added front and rear. The new 18-inch wheels are 17.6 pounds lighter than the previous versions collectively, hugely reducing unsprung weight.

The Subaru Impreza WRX STI has been a recipient of continuous improvement since its introduction. Weighing in at 3384 pounds the 305 horsepower and 290 pound-feet of torque, the turbocharged 2.5-liter flat four-cylinder has no problem pressing you into your seat pulling 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 158mph.

The front springs are 16% stiffer then the 201 model and the rears a whopping 53% stiffer and the sway bars are now 19mm and 21mm reducing the tendancy to understeer.

Stopping all of this are Brembo four pot front calipers on 330mm discs on the front and two pot calipers on 318mm rear calipers.

The photos in the gallery above show the official shot of the new 2011 Subaru Impreza STi.

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