For many years, the WRX has become the pinnacle of the history of Subaru. From its God-given talent tried and tested for rally racing to the twists and turns at the Nurburgring, this Subie has been a favorite among Subarists everywhere.
According to some dealership print ads from Japan, the third-generation WRX STi will be phased out late February 2014 and some say, it will make room for the next model. However, we're not letting this third-generation STi go without a proper sendoff so here in GT6, a good send-off to the current and outgoing WRX STi, available in GR-spec hatchback and GV-spec sedan forms, lies to the question of...Which is the best of the third-generation STi? The winner will face off against...the last Subaru ever entered the WRC before its withdrawal from the World Rally Championship.
Here she is. Now all I have to do is to gather round four different flavors of the WRX STi and meet up at the Ascari.
First off, the GRB-spec hatchback STi. For a quick background, this car was launched at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show and sales of this model commenced moments later. Unlike its predecessors, which are comprised of high-performance saloons, the GRB WRX STi is a hatchback and this model do thrown a curve to the enthusiasts. Even though it's based on a hatchback Impreza, it's still a high-performance Subie that behaves just like its predecessors. Unlike the Evo X, this STi tries to be more of a comfortable car on the long road ahead rather than showing off its razor-sharp reflexes on the corners. Despite that, it sure loves to cut through corners even though this car was born from the rally bloodlines.
Two years later, a Spec C was offered and for this model, it sheds off 20kg of weight, making it a driver-focused WRX STi hatch that you can use it on the road or on the track. Anyway, can the 20kg advantage of the WRX STi Spec C do better?
These two STi hatches gave it a good thrashing round the Ascari and again, thanks to the Spec C's 20kg weight loss and the host of numerous improvements such as the sport-tuned chassis, it means it can scamper away from the standard model. The only downside is that since they wore hard tires, they can tend to understeer in some parts of the Ascari track. In just a few minutes later...I have the result...
GRB Spec C - 2:26.473
The Spec C ate the normal STi before tea time in a second. So, what about the sedan models?
In response from numerous Subies because they still prefer the styling of the sedan because of its clean shape and long history as the top model of the Impreza, they unveiled the much-awaited 4-door version at the 2010 New York Auto Show and sales in Japan commenced in the Summer of 2010, just a few moments before Gran Turismo 5 hit stores late November 2010 after double delays. It may have the same mechanical stuff from the 5-door model but for this 4-door model, this is by no means the ultimate Subie ever made because it went round the Nurburgring in 7 minutes and 55 seconds. This Subaru managed to broke the 8-minute barrier at the fabled German race track and thanks to its sleek aerodynamic styling, it feels more well-balanced.
This Subie racked up class wins at the Nurburgring 24 Hour and to commemorate this achievement, STi made a special S206 NBR Challenge Package which features numerous upgrades including a carbon fiber roof and a rear spoiler. They even updated the engine so that now, it develops 315HP of power and this model is limited to 100 units, available exclusively to the Japanese market.
Both of them are track-focused and usable on the road. These two STi sedans sure knew how to shake it up in the midst of their prime and it's kinda odd because I thought the S206 NBR was supposed to be the swan song for this current-generation STi but in general, the tS Type RA is the real swan song. Anyway, while the tS Type RA is not here, it seems that the S206 NBR gave the normal STi sedan a good roasting and moments later, I have the time. Let's see...
GVB S206 - 2:24.764
This leaves now to the Spec C hatchback and the S206 NBR saloon and now, let's move to the Brands Hatch GP Circuit to see which of these two will be facing off against the WRC 2008 rally car.
Look at these two, all primed up and pumped up for their one last vow. Remember, I'm using the GP version of the Brands Hatch just to add a little challenge to these two STi models. For an added twist; let's not forget that the Spec C hatchback is a few kilos lighter than the S206 NBR saloon but because this S206 NBR saloon has more power than the Spec C hatchback, I'd expect this to be more of a similarity.
In the first half of Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit, both of the Spec C hatchback and the S206 NBR Saloon are doing pretty well while in the latter half of the track, things are looking to get a bit more struggling and it seems that a small mistake from the Spec C's understeer cost two seconds behind the S206 NBR. After one lap, there can only be one winner...
GVB S206 - 1:42.899
The GVB-spec Subaru S206 NBR Challenge Package is definitely the best of the third-generation WRX STis offered on GT6 but will it be enough to take on the Impreza WRC 2008 Rally Car?
To find out, I went to Monaco Cote d'Azur and this is where the stage is set for the ultimate send-off for our third-generation WRX STi. Who will triumph? Road car or rally car?
Both the S206 and the Impreza Rally Car are like playing a game of cat and mouse as while the rally car can outrun the S206 on a straight line, the S206 found some advantages when it faces a corner, sneaking past the Impreza rally car! As they approached to the final parts of the Monaco Cote d'Azur, it's a fight to the finish and it's kill or be killed.
In this kill or be killed match, the S206 came out a second slower than the Impreza rally car.
Impreza WRC 2008 - 1:47.664
So there we are, even though it came a second slower against the Impreza WRC 2008 Rally Car, I can therefore conclude that here on GT6, the S206 NBR CHALLENGE PACKAGE is the best of the third-generation WRX STi models. Now the only idea left for me is...how can I say goodbye to this and waiting for the new model to arrive in the Japanese market and in GT6 as well...
