Cars Original Design

Sedan Version of the Subaru Impreza WRX STi is finally Born

When the current five-door Impreza WRX STI came out, many Subaru fans couldn’t accept their icon’s departure from the four-door sedan bodystyle. It didn’t help that the Impreza hatchback wasn’t particularly good looking as a five-door either. Well, Subaru seems to have heard the calls and has rolled out the sedan version of the WRX STI at the New York Auto Show. This will be the first time two bodystyles of the STI are available.

Both hatch and sedan feature sharpened bumper corners and wider, blacked-out fog lamp housings for a wider and lower look. There’s also a jutting lip spoiler and larger front grille/air intakes. The grille area is now outlined in black. For the sedan, you can see neatly integrated wide rear fenders that match the front’s. Of course, the STI’s trademark big boot spoiler is here, as is a chunky rear bumper featuring quad exhausts (two on each side).

Is it just me or does the rear end look like the previous generation Toyota Vios? Personally, although all the ingredients are there, it just doesn’t quite look right – old is gold when it comes to the WRX STI.

Styling aside, the 2011 WRX STI features improvements to the chassis, leading Subaru to call this “the best-handling Impreza WRX STI”. Aluminum front lower L-arms reduce unsprung vehicle weight, while new pillow-ball bushings in front and stiffer bushings for the rear subframe improve camber and toe stiffness.

Both the front and rear suspension systems employ higher-rate springs and thicker front and rear stabilizer bars than the 2010 model: 21 mm vs 20 mm in front and 19 mm vs 18 mm at the back. Spring rates are up by 15.6% up front and 53% behind. Ride height has been lowered too. The standard 18-inch aluminum wheels are lighter too, but many will take the optional BBS forged aluminum-alloy wheels. But why not in gold?

The US model is powered by a 305 bhp turbo boxer paired to a 6-speed manual. The STI comes with Multi-Mode Driver Controlled Center Differential (DCCD) with three Auto modes, as well as a manual mode with six driver-selectable differential locking settings. Also, SI-DRIVE allows the driver to tailor the car’s driving characteristics by choosing from three modes – Intelligent, Sport and Sport Sharp.

Mazda2 makes Local debut

Credits to: http://star-motoring.com/blog/permalink.asp?id=1098

The third-generation Mazda2 made its official debut in Malaysia today, with Prima Merdu/Bermaz Motor launching the DE in both sedan and five-door hatchback forms.

Both model types, built at the AutoAlliance Thailand plant in Rayong, are powered by a ZY-VE MZR 1.5l twin-cam engine, which offers 102bhp at 6,000rpm and 135Nm of torque at 4,000rpm, with a four-speed auto gearbox in tow. Two specification levels are being offered for both the sedan and hatch - V-Spec and R-Grade.

Features and equipment levels common across the board are steering-mounted audio controls, electric power assist steering, ABS, dual front airbags, body-coloured door outer handles, 60:40 split fold down rear seats, a MP3-ready audio system, tilt-adjustable steering wheel and height adjustment for the driver's seat (offering 55mm of travel).

The 5-star EuroNCAP-rated 2008 World Car of the Year utilises twin-tube dampers for its MacPherson-strut and torsion-beam suspension, with front disc and rear drum brakes. The 3.92m-long hatchback has dual Isofix child seat anchors, which unfortunately isn't available on the sedan version. You do get a whole load more of boot space though in the 4.26m-long sedan - a very useful 450l compared to the hatchback's 250l. Oh, and the trunk release button switch is pretty cool.

As for differing trim and kit, the higher specification R-Grade offers a sport tuned suspension compared to the normal tuned one on the V-Spec (which also lowers the ride height by 7mm), and also bags you front fog lamps, a coloured front bumper (black on the V-Spec) and a larger 195/45 R16 wheel/tyre combination, as opposed to the 185/55 R15 wheels found on the V-Spec. Additionally, for the hatchback, the R-Grade gets you a sport bodykit and roof spoiler.

The Mazda2 comes in seven colours - Sparkling Gold, Cool White, Aurora Blue, Metropolitan Grey, True Red, Highlight Silver and Black Mica, with the signature Spirited Green shade available as an eighth colour, only for the hatch.

Prices for the Mazda2 1.5L sedan is RM77,622 (V-Spec) and RM80,622 (R-Grade), while the hatchback goes for RM79,822 (V-Spec) and RM82,822 (R-Grade), all on-the-road, without insurance.