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AUTO REVIEW

2017 Subaru WRX STI

By Steve Schutz, MD

Where to begin with the unique and spe- and accelerate on a 30 mph-speed-limit you smile, you belong in a Camry.
cial (but aging) Subaru WRX STI? I don’t street: OMG gurl, this is borrrring... Then Some cars like the Mercedes S-class are
know, but, “Get it while you can,” is my hit the interstate: still uninspired until 3500
summary sentence. RPM, and then, Oh Crap, what just hap- most at home on the interstate, while others
pened?!! The STI shows its fangs and just like the Cadillac Escalade excel in suburbia.
Be warned, though, the STI is loud, has a takes off. “Stuff ” just got real is the best way The WRX STI, on the other hand, just kills
cramped interior and major league turbo lag, to describe the wow-ness what you feel when it on low- and high-speed twisty back roads.
looks too much like a late 1990s car, and the turbo spools up.
gets you a $20,000 interior despite being a One slightly odd side note. Subaru in-
$40,000 vehicle. Every time I got into it I To avoid a ticket, I backed off and headed cludes a feature in the STI that allows lock-
wished it had some of the luxury of my to my favorite quiet mountain road, which ing of the central differential under
Lexus and BMW, but it didn’t. And yet, I is exactly where the STI wanted to be. The cornering to improve performance. Presum-
absolutely loved every minute I spent driving sportiest Subaru lunges ahead ravenously on ably, when you’re really pushing the car this
this car. straightaways — when you’re above 3500 makes a difference (I was not able to tell that
RPM, of course — and then grabs the as- things were any different when I hit the but-
Here’s how it would go: close the door — phalt through turns thanks to its all-wheel ton on several occasions during my week
whoa, that’s not an impressive door-closing drive and front brake-based torque vector- with the STI). But the gastroenterologist in
sound, is it? — and sit in the tight driver’s ing. Its attitude is always neutral to over- me was amused that Subaru labels the switch
seat. Look around: lots of so-so plastics and steer-biased, as you’d expect in a car with that activates this feature, “C Diff.” Come
not a lot of elbow room. Start the engine: if Rally racing roots. The experience is intoxi- on guys, couldn’t you name it something
I’m being honest, it sounds distinctly agri- cating, and if driving this car doesn’t make else? Nobody with any medical knowledge
cultural, neither refined nor cool. Drive off thinks good things when they see that term.

44 San Antonio Medicine • January 2017