Subaru WRX STi 2021: a supercar with a powerful engine

The 2021 WRX is no longer an Impreza, and even the change of generations is now taking place independently of each other. A new Subaru WRX sedan has been presented in the United States, which is unified not with the Impreza, but with the larger Japanese station wagon Subaru Levorg: the front end with LED headlights and their design are common. The car moved to the modular SGP platform (Subaru Global Platform), became larger and acquired a new engine.

The new platform made it possible to increase the torsional rigidity of the body by 28%, and in the places where the suspensions were attached, the rigidity increased by 75%. In addition, the center of gravity has become lower. With the change of generation, the wheelbase increased from 2650 mm to 2672 mm, and the overall length - from 4595 mm to 4669 mm. The width (1826 mm) and height (1468 mm) have not changed so significantly. But the WRX now has aluminum front fenders (they are 2.3 kg lighter than the previous steel ones) and massive plastic linings on the wheel arches.

The two-liter turbo engine was replaced by a new 2.4-liter FA24 boxer engine with turbocharging and electronically controlled exhaust gas pressure relief valve (wastegate). Such engines are already installed on the American Legacy, Outback and Ascent models. On the new WRX sedan, it produces 275 hp. and 350 Nm (instead of 268 hp and 350 Nm in the previous model), with maximum thrust available already at 2000 rpm versus 2400 rpm for the two-liter engine.

A six-speed manual transmission remains the basic one. The old alternative is a V-chain variator, but it has been seriously modified, and the company even changed the name Lineartronic to Subaru Performance Transmission. The variator has an expanded power range; it now changes gear ratios more quickly depending on driving conditions, and eight “fixed” gears have also been revised (steering wheel paddles are provided for shifting).

The transmission policy has not changed either. Cars with “mechanics” have permanent all-wheel drive with a symmetrical bevel center differential locked by a viscous coupling. And sedans with a CVT are equipped with a VTD AWD (Variable Torque Distribution) transmission: a cylindrical center differential distributes torque between the front and rear wheels in a ratio of 45:55, and instead of a viscous coupling, the locking is controlled by an electronically controlled clutch pack. The electronic systems Si-rive (changes the response to the gas pedal) and Active Torque Vectoring (changes the thrust vector using the brakes) have been retained.

The chassis architecture is the same (McPherson strut at the front, double wishbones at the rear), but the SGP platform has a different suspension geometry with increased wheel travel. The rear anti-roll bar is no longer attached to the subframe, but directly to the body. The electric power steering is now mounted not on a shaft, but on a rack: this design makes the mechanism more accurate and reduces response time. There are wheels with a landing diameter of 17 or 18 inches to choose from.

At the top of the range is the top version of the Subaru WRX GT, the main features of which are electronically controlled shock absorbers (previously they were not offered at all) and a system for selecting driving modes (Comfort, Normal, Sport), which differ in the settings of the engine, CVT, suspension and steering wheel.

The interior of the new Subaru WRX sedan is the same as the Levorg, but with classic analogue instrument dials instead of a large display. The Starlink media system with a vertical 11.6-inch diagonal display is included in the basic package: music, navigation, climate control and minor machine settings are controlled from the screen, but physical hot keys and knobs are retained on the sides of it.

The GT version has electrically adjustable Recaro front seats. The WRX also has the most advanced version of the EyeSight system with a stereo camera, which includes adaptive cruise control, automatic braking and lane keeping systems.

GBChoice Company is glad to offer you one of these cars. See details here: https://gbchoice.com/buy-car/2021-subaru-wrx-limited