Subaru's steroidal STI S209 will hit showrooms with a price of $64,880 (including an $885 destination charge), the company announced Monday, making it both the most-powerful and most0expensive STI ever offered in the United States.
Even in its "basic" form, the STI is already raw. The S209 dials that up several notches thanks to some heavy massaging by the engineers from Subaru's in-house performance division, Subaru Tecnica International, for which the STI is named.
The STI team started with the engine, which gets an extra 31 horsepower and 40 pound-feet of torque thanks to some extra boost (18.9 psi vs. 16.2 psi) supported by forged pistons and connecting rods, a high-flow air intake system, an upgraded fuel pump, larger fuel injectors, a reprogrammed ECU, and a high-flow exhaust.
2019 Subaru WRX STI S209 first drive
Attention then turned to the suspension and aerodynamics. The S209 gets 1.7-inch wider fenders with cooling ducts in the front and aerodynamic curtains in the rear. Its suspension has been beefed up with reinforced front crossmember and rear subframes, a flexible front-strut tower bar, and flexible draw stiffeners front and rear. It also gets special Bilstein dampers, stiffer coil springs, a larger (20 mm) rear stabilizer bar, pillow-type bushings, and Brembo brakes with new friction pads. It all rides on wider 19 x 9-inch forged BBS wheels that mount special Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT 600A tires.
Front bumper canards, underbody spoilers front and rear, and a massive fixed rear wing further improve road-(or should we say track-) holding. To cut weight, the S209 also gets a carbon-fiber roof.
Inside, the S209 features a flat-bottom steering wheel and unique suede-insert seats. There's also a serial number plaque denoting its place in the limited production run. It will be sold in just two colors: World Rally Blue Pearl and Crystal White Pearl. Other than the paint finish, every S209 will be identically equipped.
This is the first "S-Line" model ever sold in America, and even if you have the cash to spare, it may not be easy to get your hands on one of the 209 examples slated for production. There's no flexibility in that number, either. Those 209 cars are the whole shebang. The S209 is exclusive to our shores, and once they're gone, they're gone.
The S209 will arrive in showrooms this fall.
