RON97 and the Subaru Forester

Local Subaru distributor gave me another glimpse into the murky world of turbocharged automobiles and fuel grades compatibility, right after the eye-opening Impreza WRX STI Ver.10 and its RON95 dietary requirement.

This time around their new sales manager gave a hard-hitting statement that all their Subarus are filled with RON 97 and nothing lesser. Hmmm....a nice turn of event, I must say. Of course, I had no chance to witness the actual refill for the Forester, since the nice metallic grey tester was filled with approximately 30% of petrol in tank when I took it.

What I didn't notice were the missing plastic cover at the rear window angle (adjacent to C-pillar) on the inner right side. While the similar cover was cracked on the left (or was it vice versa?). Never mind that, the crux of the matter was the same Sales Manager (the last guy, Paul quitted his job after I last took the WRX tester) interrogated me on this by blurting out: "Are you sure?? (it was missing when you took it?)". The fact that I highlighted this missing item to him only aroused his suspicion that I had flicked it or lost it. Omigosh! C'mon, I can sure as hell pay for that little bit of plastic had I caused it to go missing! After spending thousands on my Porsche Cayman mods and maintenance, and being a privately practising professional would I stoop that low as to lie on this?!?

And returning it the next day at 11:15am was both a hassle and harrassment. I got a distress call from this same fella named Owen, alleging that there were some 10 guys waiting to test this car after 12 noon and they needed the Forester back urgently. Heck! Was I born yesterday (to buy all this load of bull)?

Now, I know why my other esteemed COTY judges don't bother with Subaru test cars. The level of courtesy and professionalism of the front-line folks involved with this brand pales considerably with their counterparts over at Edaran Tan Chong Motors (that handles the Nissan brand in Malaysia), as evident from the new Murano 3.5 V6 and the awesome 370Z loaned to us recently.

So how good is the new Forester? To sum it up: it's a comfy soft roader with lots of torque, making it nicely responsive to drive. Safe and decent handling too with full-time, symmetrical AWD. However, the confusion remains regarding RON95 versus RON97 for these boxer powered cars. Pity.

RON 95 and Subaru Impreza WRX STI Ver.10

There has been a lot of buzz regarding Malaysia's latest fuel: RON 95 gasoline which has taken over as the de facto standard petrol for most Malaysian motorists (previously RON 97). Never mind that it is now Euro2-M, being cleaner to the environment and the cost-effective alternative being promoted et al. Subaru has really opened a new horizon for the application of this lower 'grade' fuel to high performance cars.



Imagine my enlightening experience when I picked up a test unit of the latest WRX STI from Motor Image Sdn Bhd and it was fueled to approximate 1/3rd tank with Shell RON95! Apparently, this is a matter of company policy which states that no more than RM20 for fuel for any top-up at one time and no RON 97 for a car that actually runs optimally on RON 98 or even RON 100 in Japan!




Needless to say, over the 24hr loan period, the 2.5L boxer with high pressure (I was told it was an LPT) turbocharging (300bhp and 400Nm) guzzled up all the 40% tankful of fuel in no time! Doing what a rational driver would do, I used BHP Infiniti 97 and also refilled with Caltex 97 with Techron on two separate occassions later. And oh! what a difference it made! The hot-hatch became more responsive and willing, smoothly climbing up the rev range upon slight prodding. I had 90 percent my drives in S.I. Sport-Sharp mode. It's like having a Sprint Booster (of my ex-Mercedes E200K fame) which you can turn on at the twist of the dial (pic below). Ooooh...wicked!




Noticed that I didn't mentioned redline because the test unit was programmed for cut-off at 5,700rpm where you can actually feel the turbo boost losing its puff. Pity. To protect the engine it seemed, I was told. By the way, I was getting constantly above 18L/100km with absolutely wallet-busting level of 20L/100km of fuel 'economy'.





The new WRX STI is a lovely car despite its odd hatchback looks. The spaciousness inside belies the pregnant wheel arches bolted a rather smallish body. Its tenacity around bends defies all gung-ho bravado that you can muster and throw at it. The rack is sharp and quick with good feedback to it, better than its Mitsu arch-rival's item which goes limp (and listless) above 180km/h. The latest Scooby also rides pliant enough to be a daily car while the power burst i.e. turbo kick seem a lot more livelier than the Evolution X. But getting caught in a jam in PJ immediately after pick-up has sored up my left calf muscle considerably.




Makes you appreciate and yearn for that twin-clutch robotic assistant or that friendlier clutch pedal in the FD2 Civic Type-R. Perhaps that why the Evo X is more popular in Malaysia? (even though marginally so since both aren't meant to be volume sellers).

A 5-speed automatic Impreza WRX-STI 2.5 anyone?

In an apparent attempt to widen the appeal of its latest WRX STI, Subaru has gone and mate a 5-speed slush box - not the twin-clutch robotic type - to its most expensive & top-range Impreza. Badged as WRX STI A-Line, the 2.5L turbocharged boxer-4 output figures, especially torque, is reined in at 350Nm @ 2,800 - 6,000rpm while max power is 300ps @ 6,200rpm. In comparison, the manual version gets 407Nm @ 4,000rpm and 300ps @ 6,000rpm.

Would you want this over Mitsubishi's TC-SST equipped Evolution X? More importantly, with local distributor Motor Image dropping the price of the 6-speed manual to RM251k (from RM289k) in Malaysia recently, will this city-traffic-congestion friendlier version be even more attractively priced? Perhaps circa RM240k for the more laid-back drivers or even as something for the wifey?

2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI

In conjunction with Tokyo Motor Show 2007, Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI) - Subaru automobiles manufacturer - has announced the introduction of the all-new Subaru Impreza WRX STI in Japan. The third generation WRX STI is powered by a 2.0L turbocharged boxer engine that kicks out 304hp @ 6,400 rpm and wrenches a maximum torque of 422Nm @ 4,400 rpm.

Featuring Subaru’s Symmetrical AWD (All-Wheel Drive) and its trademark horizontally-opposed Boxer engine, the new WRX STI is now a five-door hatchback, in a clear departure from its 3-box saloon predecessors. Incidentally, this is the best-looking – and most dressed-up - effort for the quirky-looking 3rd generation Impreza from Subaru. The widened body flares gives better presence, integrating function and aggressive look, while the interior design stresses cabin convenience and a top-of-the-line image.

The first-generation WRX STI model was based on the first Impreza WRX and was developed by Subaru Tecnica International (STI), an FHI subsidiary specialising in motorsports activities. Since its introduction in 1994, the WRX STI has established a solid reputation as a high-performance sports model. In the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) that requires participants to compete with production-based models, Subaru WRX STI models have proven track record of bringing Subaru three consecutive Manufacturers’ championship titles from 1995 to 1997. In this context, FHI plans to submit a Group N homologation application effective as of January 1, 2008 for the new WRX STI to FIA.

The introduction of the new WRX STI has completed the full lineup of the Impreza series in Japan. The Impreza 15S, 20S and S-GT models have been available since June 2007, each offering different levels of performance and comfort.

Related post:

http://for-wheels.blogspot.com/2007/08/2008-subaru-wrc-concept.html

2008 Subaru WRC Concept

Click on images to enlarge
Subaru plans to debut the all-new Impreza in its most wicked form, as a high performance World Rally Car Concept at the upcoming Frankfurt International Motor Show 2007. Subaru WRC driver, Petter Solberg, is scheduled to speak at the Subaru press conference during the introduction of this future WRC rally car.

Mr Matsatsugu Ngato, Fuji Heavy Industries’ Executive Vice President of Subaru for European markets, will unveil new model Impreza five-door hatchback in its 1.5 and 2.0L naturally-aspirated formats – aimed at appealing to a wider audience while still retaining Subaru’s distinctive ‘boxer’ engines and symmetrical all-wheel drive. Both technologies are claimed to offer outstanding handling and roadholding with ‘real world’ active safety.

On-sale late September in the UK, the new Impreza boasts substantially increased passenger space thanks to a new platform with new multi-link, double-wishbone rear suspension which gives agile handling combined with an exceptionally absorbent ride.