WRX STI tagged posts

For car consumers, some are focusing on interior spaces/convenience/daily drive practicability; some may prefer the fun-to-drive factor; and some may gauge their preferences on other aspects. This article is for those who want to get the quickest acceleration performance with lower budget.

10 years ago it is impossible to buy a new car which can accelerate to 60mph from a standstill within 5 seconds, and costs you less than $40k. However because of big advancements in engine technologies, it is now possible for auto makers to produce high-output cars with much less costs.

The List

1. 2015 Ford Mustang GT Fastback (5.0L V8, 435hp and 400 lb-ft, $32,300)

2...

Two days ago, Ford announced the all-new 2016 Focus RS, which has more than 315hp from the 2.3L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, mated to an AWD system.

This effectively puts the Focus RS into the competition with other hot hatches in the market, such as the Subaru WRX STI and also the Volkswagen Golf R. The current 2015 WRX STI is in the sedan form, but we can safely bet the hatchback version is coming very soon, therefore we include it into our discussion here.

Generally speaking, Subaru WRX STI is the most hardcore vehicle for rally purpose, while it has lower refinement; the VW Golf R has the best refinement, but its AWD system is the weakest among the three candidate...

This road test comes from MotorTrend’s 2014 June Issue.

Note: If you cannot see the whole table when you are browsing using iPhone, you can turn your phone by 90 degree and view the full width version of the table.

Short answer: yes and no.

Full explanation:

For example a manufacturer states the engine puts out 268hp@5600rpm, and 258 lb-ft of torque@2000rpm, it only means: when the engine is revving at 5600rpm, the maximum power it can deliver is 268hp; when the engine is revving at 2000rpm, the maximum torque it will deliver is 258 lb-ft.

But it does not tell you WHEN it can attain such value. Take the above engine for example: 258 lb-ft of torque at 2000rpm – it does not mean every time when you see your tachometer needle points at the 2000rpm mark, the engine is outputting 258 lb-ft of torque.

The first factor is how deep you are pressing the gas pedal (which shows how eagerly yo...