Tag Archives: 2015

2015 WRX on the Dyno

We rarely see 2015 WRXs on the dyno, but here it is. I wish they’d provided the baseline HP at the wheels first, but I believe they make 240ish to the wheels stock. I’ve no idea what mods this one may have.

Esnel’s 2015 Subaru WRX – 301whp/325lbtqEsnel brought in his 2015 Subaru WRX to get a COBB Tuning ProTune by Vlad! Vlad got the WRX all dialed in at 300.66whp and 324.84lbtq!

Posted by National Speed on Saturday, July 25, 2015

UPDATE — the mod list is: Tb exhaust , intake , tgv delete

Matt Farah tracks the 2015 Mustang EcoBoost

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-videos/matt-farah-tracks-the-2015-ecoboost-mustang

 

“Is the four-banger ‘Stang ready to depose the 5.0? Not quite, says Matt.”

I’m not sure what the above quoted comment is about.  The Mustang EcoBoost was never meant as a Mustang GT replacement.  It was created as a global car for people living in areas where fuel costs are a concern.  As well, the car will benefit those who live in countries that tax car owners based on engine displacement.  To expect this particular car to be an equivalent to a Mustang 5.0L is a bit ridiculous…most car makers ensure their product line follows a strict hierarchy and Ford is no exception.

The video footage is pretty cool…I just don’t care for the commentary.  I really shouldn’t have expected much from the commentary, since Matt Farah is more of a street scene type of guy (he certainly isn’t of the caliber of most mainstream reviewers, such as R&T, MT, Automobile, and C&D).

If you’re a glutton for punishing commentary, you can also read the R&T’s Facebook comments about this particular subject:

2015 Subaru WRX Long Term Review Update – Car & Driver

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2015-subaru-wrx-long-term-test-intro-review

Car & Driver has blasted through 40K miles of review testing of the 2015 Subaru WRX.  I’ve yet to read the review (I just woke up but will be reading through the review today while waking up to coffee).  I’ll update the post with my thoughts afterward.

After-reading-the-article-notes:

This review just might help me better decide my next car purchase, as I’ve considered whether the 2015-2016 WRX would be a good choice of upgrade for me (considering that I’m coming from a 2011 STI sedan).

I want to highlight some of the article’s comments (the ones that jumped out at me).  I’ll add my thoughts on some of them, but some of the comments might not need any comments from me —

…the WRX offers lively steering, confident grip, and a flat ride that rounds off the jolt on sharp impacts just so.

This is great, as most people think that the WRX’s handling would be watered-down compared to the STI.  Remember, I’m comparing this car to my current ride.

By passing on the Limited trim, we missed out on a power driver’s seat, leather-trimmed upholstery, LED headlights, proximity entry, and push-button ignition.

This is interesting.  I hadn’t thought on which trim level I might desire.  My current car is a base model but offers enough options in base trim to make me happy.  I might desire the LED headlights, proximity entry, and push-button ignition, though.

PRICE AS TESTED: $31,290 (base price: $29,290)

That’s a pretty hefty price for a WRX.  I paid $34K for my STI and I can get a base 2015 STI for around the same price as I purchased mine.  The question is, is a 2015 WRX actually worth $29K?  Do WRXs have the same value retainment as STIs?

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual

This is good.  I also wanted to highlight that because Subaru also offers a CVT option for WRXs (not that I care for it…I just wanted to note that that’s not the version of transmission I care for).

PERFORMANCE: NEW
Zero to 60 mph: 5.0 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 13.4 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 26.5 sec
Rolling start, 5-60 mph: 6.4 sec
Top gear, 30-50 mph: 11.1 sec
Top gear, 50-70 mph: 7.8 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 13.7 sec @ 101 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 144 mph
Braking, 70-0 mph: 157 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.91g

That’s strong performance and is very close to pre-2015 STI stats.  That’s not saying that 2015 WRXs will offer the same track experience or road feel as pre-2015 STIs, though.

With the 1000-mile break-in cleared, we spun the engine to the 6700-rpm redline and dropped the left pedal with only a whisper of clutch slip. Then we did it a dozen more times looking for the quickest acceleration time.  We used this technique—combined with short-shifting into second gear at 5300 rpm—to great effect during an earlier WRX road test, recording a 4.8-second zero-to-60 time. Yet in more than a dozen attempts, our long-termer couldn’t quite match that feat. Instead it peaked at 5.0 seconds in the run to 60 mph and 13.7 seconds through the quarter mile with a trap speed of 101 mph. Not too shabby for a $30,000 four-door, eh? The chassis numbers were equally impressive with our WRX stopping from 70 mph in 157 feet and rounding the skidpad at 0.91 g.

The above is interesting.  I remember the ruckus that C&D generated in their testing procedures.  Not everyone is going to be willing to flog their car off the line at redline.  Mags don’t own the cars they test…they return them after testing.  And if an owner takes their car in for an issue and it is found that the cause of the issue was due to them launching the car in such a manner, the warranty claim will be denied due to abusive driving.  Another interesting tidbit:  the long termer couldn’t match the 4.8-sec 0-60 time…that’s certainly understandable, though, since atmospheric and road conditions may have been different (along with a different driver).

Drivers have called out the excellent electric power steering (which was first perfected on the BRZ) and a more polished cockpit. You won’t mistake the interior for a Volkswagen’s, but our staff has noticed better fits, improved finishes, and a quieter ride than in previous WRXs.

I wish everyone would be as generous in making such comments.  Most people expect every GTI competitor to have a similar interior as the GTI.  That’s not going to happen.  Besides, it is better to compare the new WRX to the old to highlight changes in the model-year…that’s the best way to measure progress, IMO.  VW’s interior is the exception, not the norm, obviously.

While the output of the turbocharged 2.0-liter flat-four—268 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque—is nothing to scoff at, power delivery is lumpy and peaky. We shift early in first gear for our testing because the power falls off above 5300 rpm. Lower in the rev range there’s a sudden surge of boost indicative of turbo lag. In an age when turbocharged engines are practically mainstream and their power curves have been smoothed out, this Subaru flat-four still drives like an R&D experiment from the early 1990s.

Hrmmm…that’s not a particularly good note.  I wonder if Cobb has smoothed this out (the lag and lumpiness that C&D claims is prevalent).  I’m not sure how this car can produce turbo lag, with it’s lag-lessening equipment such as the twin scroll turbocharger, which ensures the turbocharger begins to work low in the rev range (the car produces 258 lb-ft of torque at 2000 RPM).  But every WRX enthusiast knows that this particular engine is not a revver, which is why Subaru nuts usually shift earlier than 6K RPM.  USDM boxer engines are not particularly rev-happy.  The article only mentions the 1st-2nd gear shift, though…which makes me wonder if the ECU is limiting power in 1st gear (either on it’s own or due to purposeful mapping).  In fact, I think that the map might well be the cause, as someone else in the article’s comments mentioned “boost threshold”.  That’s not the first time I’ve heard someone mention that Subaru purposely limits the WRX so that it won’t overshadow it’s halo car, the STI.  So that lumpiness and lag are more than likely purposely implemented.  That still doesn’t explain the mention of the 1st gear limitation…is it just first gear, or is it gear-agnostic?

Rally Sport Direct’s 2015 WRX & STI Review

I’m going to let this video speak for itself, but Rally Sport Direct (RSD) has both a 2015 WRX and a 2015 STI that they’ve recently reviewed.  The review is more off-the-cuff in nature (it is not a technical review by any means). They’re also a good vendor to purchase parts from, too.

Without further delays, here it is!

 

2015 – Car Photos

I’m going to try something different.

I’m attempting to document each color option of 2015 STI/WRX with real-world pictures.  It’s very obvious when looking at the site states that people are interested in seeing pictures of the 2015 STI and WRX, so I’ve created galleries of each color:

Crystal Black Silica:

Crystal White Pearl:

Galaxy Blue Pearl:

Ice Silver Metallic:

Lightning Red:

World Rally Blue Pearl:

 

I’m still trying to determine how to reference the galleries (each color has it’s own gallery), as I won’t always want to post 20 photos into one blog entry.  I’ll figure it out soon, though.

2015 WRXs!

I don’t know about you people (dare I even ask?), but the new 2015 WRX has been growing on me — my preference is the 2015 STI and not so much the 2015 WRX.  Every time I see pictures, my mind is blown!

 

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These are tastefully done, IMO…definitely not of the Hella Flush crowd.    And that silver one…looks great in that color.  The quad exhaust look great too!  Yes, I can definitely do a ’15 WRX!

Subaru UK to attempt to set new lap record at Isle of Man TT course

 

https://plus.google.com/114005208860575868874/posts/VsXChe47HPc

+Subaru UK has announced plans to attempt to set a new lap record at the Isle of Man TT course with the 2015 #WRX #STI.

Set to be driven by British rally champion Mark Higgins, the model will attempt beat the previous record of 19 minutes and 56.7 seconds. That particular record was set by Higgins in the previous-generation WRX STI in 2011.

As a refresher, the 2015 WRX STI has turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that develops 227kw and 393nm of torque. It is connected to a six-speed manual transmission and a symmetrical all-wheel drive system.

While Subaru says the car is a standard production model, it will be equipped with retuned springs and dampers to “minimize any potential damage when the car encounters the many bumps – and jumps – at high speed along the course.” The model will also be outfitted with a roll-cage, a racing harness and a fire suppression system.

According to Higgins, “Setting the record was totally exhilarating and one of the highlights of my career – Bray Hill certainly added to the thrill! As a Manxman, I love the TT Races and I have a huge amount of respect for the TT riders and what they do. It will be a real honor to attempt a new fastest car lap.” (WorldCarFans)

Car and Driver – New (2015 WRX) vs Old (2010 Audi S4)

I have not read the article yet, although I’ve read the Facebook comments (embedded into this blog below):

 

What’s throwing me for a loop is that none of the magazines have compared the old 2011-2014 WRX with the new 2015 WRX.  Also strange is the fact that all of them have compared the new WRX against the new STI (or at least discussed them against each other).

It’s almost like the car magazine industry is purposely not comparing the old with the new in a direct comparison, which is weird because that’s the sure-fire way of determining what the better changes are, without doing paper-stat comparing.

Once I’ve had time to read the article, I’ll add my 2 cents to the bottom of this post.

Batman Slap Memes

Do you ever get tired of those guys commenting on 2015 STI videos and articles that continue to say things like:

Ew — looks like a Corolla

or

Looks like an Evo

or

No hatch, no sale…

Those are really annoying to read and really offers no value to a conversation.  I get sooo tired of the drivel comments because WTF cares about another person’s interpretation of how this car looks…it’s ALL subjective, even the hatch debacle.  It’s obvious that not everyone cares about the Corolla/Evo/hatch comments because the car is selling very well (to the point that there’s a problem with dealer markup). So, to blow off some steam, I went to one of those meme-maker sites and created a few meme responses to the stupid comments:

 

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The following one wasn’t created by me (I saw it on Facebook):

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