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?
