MotorMouths

The metabolism of the new WRX STi feels more acute, more present, focused like a preschooler on Adderall. The steering was heavy and accurate, with tons of road-reading feedback. The ride was stiff but well-planted. The brakes are heroic. The sport seats are some of the best in Christendom.

It may not have the boy-racer performance of the Impreza WRX STI, or the more polished looks of the Outback, or the unisex blandness of the Forester, but somehow, the WRX finds the perfect balance. This is the car Goldilocks would drive off in because it’s just right.

The man who buys a WRX STI knows he’s getting a street-legal race car, and all the gut-wrenching performance of a Porsche 911 for half the price. At the right moments, it’s an utterly outstanding piece.

The Subaru Impreza offers excellent value. The engine and all-wheel-drive are proven, the handling is secure, the maneuvering is tight, and its safety tops the charts.

The 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI seems to have both further matured and gained confidence. The STI’s jagged edges are long gone. But, it remains one super sharp ride.

Subaru’s legendary WRX continues to improve. Clearly, it is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it offers an exhilarating, if thrumming ride, that depending on your age, both chronologically and emotionally, might be just what the doctor ordered.

Subaru has a potent one-two punch in the WRX and WRX STI; the only question is how sharp do you want the tip of your spear to be?

For 2011, the Subaru Impreza WRX gets new bodywork, wider wheels and tires, stiffer rear subframe bushings, and… not much else. We’re not complaining.

The Subaru WRX STI is still the most approachable and user-friendly all-wheel-drive speed demon on the market, a go-anywhere, do-anything piece of all-weather genius that wants to be your friend in a million different ways. The suspension updates merely sharpen the knife.

The 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STi exists in a world less centered on booster seats than rally racing heritage. I tried to make the two worlds coexist harmoniously during my one-week test drive, but the truth is the Impreza WRX STi isn’t exactly a car you’d go out and buy for a growing family.

The 2011 Subaru WRX STI is marginally better than the old one. The car’s real problem is the existence of it’s sibling WRX, which is still quicker and is still $8500 cheaper before options are added. On top of that, the WRX now looks like an STI, too.

We have to congratulate Subaru for rearming the STI. In a world of ever eroding performance in favor of poseur looks and not much else, the company has done an intelligent job of refocusing the car toward what made it a success to begin with.