No more WRX STI for the UK...
 

Thoughts on this?

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/sub...sti-leaving-uk

Regards,

Subaru Collector 555.

not just the uk. IIRC

the Viziv is its replacement

thats Wrx replacement but in 2020 maybe

Yeah, got an ad sent to me today for the last 150 limited run of the saloon wrx sti, called Last Edition or something.

Yeah nothing special think it's pretty much the facelift STi with 6 pots, 19 inch rims, etc. Would have been interesting if the last edition was similar to what mitsubishi did with the FQ-440.

and no performance packs .... so I wont be changing, although road tax cheaper than my 340R :wonder:

Shame they missed the trick by adding some extra horses and making a true limited number car (charge for it) and keep the premium high similar to the cs400.

It's a big shame imo. What I don't get is why in the US they love the current platform and sales are higher than ever. Yet in the UK it's being cancelled and the platform received very little praise. They have the Focus, 140i, S3, Golf R. So they have the choice we have. Yet they seem to choose the STi mostly.

Might be cool to have one of the last STi available. Will pop in to dealers this am. See what info they have on it.

i posted this a month ago lol

Lost their way in the UK, especially.
Greed and a poor product, IMHO.

Not sure how Subaru have failed in the UK yet are more popular than ever in the US.

Don't see the greed aspect either and it's hardly a poor product. The competition has caught up and in some cases, passed but it's still a great car. Given the size and development budget of it's competitors I think in this day and age it punches above it's weight.

they ignored there fanatical fans, then produced a crap engine and didnt keep up with the competition. 3 of the best ways to kill a sales demographic.

Having attended the "unveiling" of the MY18 car at Subaru UK Coleshill a couple of weeks back, it is not just the UK but Europe that is affected.

The current car is covered by Euro5 emissions (which could only be achieved using the 2.5L engine) and Subaru Japan have taken the step to not export the WRX STi into the European Market from next year as it can't, with the current boxer layout, satisfy Euro6 let alone Euro7 emissions.
AFAIK it will still be available in other markets.

That was my understanding as to why it was being discontinued in the UK.

In what did they ignore fans? With the hatch? I think the Hawkeye and the Hatch were more of a result of SAAB influence over the Subaru brand. The marque has been passed around a fair amount over the years.

Subaru was never going to be able to keep up being such a small marque and being passed around parent companies like a bad smell.

Still doesn't explain why the yanks can't get enough of the current platform and they're forums are very much alive. You can barely get a good word out of anyone on here about the current model.

you not been following the US rally champ? subaru are winning hands down.

I think they've just killed it in the UK by not evolving like the competition. There haven't really been any substantial changes to drivetrain/engine over the years to kind of pull people away from the rapidly changing hot hatch/performance saloon market. As sad as it is, a lot of people now prefer the fast changing DCT type transmissions, and just expect more power/refinement/reliability from an engine. Whilst the newer cars do look aesthetically very nice (compared to older models), they just haven't got enough to shout about to entice people out of other cars. Backed up by a bit of a small lacklustre dealer network, I think this was inevitable. I hope they continue to do well in other markets though, be a shame to see it all go completely.

Yeah, I was hoping for more, also. Shame but things move o I guess.

I haven't seen the sales figures for STI's but Subaru is a fairly popular family brand in the US. They love the safety ratings. All the ads are focused on how safe their cars are for the family and kids.

I don't see so many of the performance Subaru's to be honest. Then again, this is Texas and it's the land of giant trucks, SUV's and muscle cars, in the main. I do see a lot of Foresters.

Greed: sold in the UK in 1998 for £22500 and some change.
Sold in Japan for £17000.
Missing from the UK car: Decent engine, (we got 212 bhp, they got 280), decent gearbox, rear wash-wipe, aircon as standard, decent seats, folding mirrors, decent stereo, alarm/immobiliser, decent brakes, DCCD.
yet it sold for £5000 MORE than the better car....and no it wasn't all tax.

Poor product: you've not kept up with the chocolate pistons saga then? LOL
Or looked at what the opposition now offer FOR THE SAME PRICE?

Sorry more no WRX or STis European models as can’t pass euro6 emissions let alone euro7.

So subaru STi still available in USA. They’ve concentrating sales on USA sales as no issues with gas guzzlers there.

Tony

You left out Australia.........

Apparently all 150 now provisionally sold.......

Wouldn't shock me that they've all been snapped up. Unlikely it'll be private buyers but indy dealers getting the names down in the book and then hike the price up on the forecourt

I'd say in most cases passed.

I was, for the first time in my life, in the market for a brand new car in 2015. I had run my Bugeye from 70k upto 160k over 8 years and I have always been a Scooby fan boy! I went and took out the STi for a spin with my wife and it was nice and quick but it just couldn't compete with the Audi S3 that I ended up buying on pcp. (Yeah, I know PCP is mad expensive but I've enjoyed doing it and having a new car experience:thumb:)
The problem for me and the wife was-
--the S3 I had provisionally ordered at the time had Super Sports Seats with quilted diamond stitched leather and the new STi had :wonder::brickwall seriously awful seats.
---the interior on the S3 was just in a different universe compared to the STi
----the S3 had Launch Control and the paddles were epic...Launch Control is worth the monthly payment every time imho
----the rear space in the S3 Sportback is huge, I can fit my lads Cybex Sirona rear facing seat behind me and still sit in my usual position. We tried his seat in the STi and it would only go behind the drivers seat if my wife was driving:freak3:
-----the gear changes in the Stronic make it feel quicker and the power comes in so low down in the revs compared the Scooby
------did I mention Launch control? :norty:
-------the reputation of the chocolate box STi 2.5 lump already had me worried but I love Scoobs so was willing to trust their warranty
--------the STi NEEEEEEEEEDS more flared arches!!!!!:brickwall
---------the S3 gives me 34mpg on a regular basis and I've even seen 42mpg on a family holiday.
But I was sat there in the Subaru dealership and I was still interested...
----I can swap out the seats,
-----I wasn't really that bothered about mpg after dailying my Bugeye for 8 years...
-----I don't mind a little inferior interior as I was used to the Bugeye
------I'd not experienced Launch Control at the time of testing the STi, I'd only read and watched vids and it is something that I could add later
----there's not many times when I need to put the lads seat behind the drivers side
It was all down to the money! The STi was coming in at £499 a month with £2500 down
The S3 deal I already had sorted was £386 with £1000 down
Subaru just couldn't even touch Audi percentage or discount. So, over two years later and I am loving the S3.

That was with the same annual mileage.

If they can sell the current Forester with the new 2.0 FA engine with 250hp, surely it isn't too much of a leap to upgrade that engine to 300hp? :wonder: or beyond with a performance pack.

Is the STi really that small inside? I find my RS3 is way smaller than the 330d I had before. Although it was a few years back, I’m sure my Classic was a similar size to the BM.

I had an Audi A4 B7 avant before my MY17 STI and my nipper is still in a car seat and she has far more room in the STI than there was in the A4. I can tell as I have to reach further from the drivers seat to help with her straps - sounds like a silly thing but she's noticeably further away. Boot is similar if not a little wider. We get 2 adults and 3 children in the STI comfortably with their luggage. I race RC cars and get all mine and another lads race gear in no problem. Personally I find it quite practical.

Had a look at S3 and 140i last night on the back of this thread - the 140i is too small for us even with the 4 door, sounds good though. S3 would fit all of us but it's just a bit meh, girl in the school run has a white one and yes, the interior blows the STi away but it sounds also meh. I have wondered if I should have bought a Focus RS but I see a couple floating about and still think the STi looks better.

What about an RS3? thats what im sort of lining up as my next purchase. at least it has a bit more charisma with the 5 cylinder engine note over and above the 4 cylinder R & S3's