If you love the boofheaded sound of a rorty turbo charged flat-four – get excited. Subaru has announced upgrades for the 2018 WRX & WRX STI all-wheel drive performance pair.
In what has been claimed as a major overhaul, the WRX and WRX STI have received a variety of cosmetic and mechanical upgrades for the 2018 model year, but they still maintain a starting pricing of $39,240 (plus on-roads) for the WRX manual.
The facelift is aimed at a sportier appearance with the addition of technology to keep drivers and passengers safer.
WRX variants will receive new features including Jurid performance brake pads, red brake callipers on the front wheels in automatic models, 18-inch alloy wheels, heated door mirrors, LED fog lights, revised suspension. Additionally, the WRX Premium and WRX STI Premium variants get electric lumbar support in the front seats. The WRX Premium’s seats are 8-way adjustable with dual memory function as well.
WRX and WRX STI all feature steering responsive LED headlights with LED Daytime Running Lights, 5.9-inch Multi-Function Display with higher definition and roof carrier brackets.
The entry-level WRX will gain dusk sensing headlights and rain sensing wipers from their WRX Premium counterpart.
Features on the WRX STI include Yellow Brembo 6-pot front and 2-pot rear brake callipers, cross-drilled brake rotors, 19-inch alloy wheels, new front bumper and grille, red seatbelts and revised suspension.
A new range topping model has been added to the lineup. Named the WRX STI spec.R, this flagship will be fitted with Recaro seats.
For added peace of mind, all new WRX and WRX STI cars have achieved a 5-star safety rating.
2018 WRX Specifications:
SAFETY:
- ABS anti-lock brakes with four-wheel discs and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) ;
- Auto Vehicle Hold (Lineartronic CVT-only)
- Brake Assist
- Child seat anchor points
- Curtain airbags – full length
- Daytime Running Lights - LED
- Driver's knee airbag
- Dual front airbags
- Dual side airbags
- Dusk sensing, self-levelling, steering responsive automatic LED headlights with pop-up washers
- Electronic parking brake (Lineartronic CVT-only)
- EyeSight Driver Assist System (Lineartronic CVT-only)
- Fog lights front - LED
- Front seatbelts with pre-tensioners and load limiters. Double pre-tensioners on driver's seatbelt
- Front adjustable seat belt anchorage
- Hill Start Assist
- Lane Keep Assist (Lineartronic CVT-only)
- Rear door child lock
- Reverse camera
- Seatbelt indicator lights
- Side intrusion bars
- Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive
- Three-point A/ELR rear centre seatbelt
- Vehicle Dynamics Control (electronic stability control system)
- Welcome home lights – can illuminate area ahead of car when engine off
INTERIOR:
- AM/FM radio, single in-dash CD, six speakers
- AUX jack and USB port
- Bluetooth audio streaming
- Bottle holders in each door + two cup holders in centre console and rear
- Boot area light
- Central locking – remote
- Dual zone air conditioning
- Cruise control – steering wheel buttons
- Driver's footrest
- Height and reach adjustable steering column
- Height adjustable driver's seat
- Immobiliser security system
- Leather trim steering wheel with red stitching and audio controls; leather gear shift
- Map lights (2)
- Power steering, mirrors and windows
- Rear illumination electro-luminescent instrument cluster display and 3.5-inch Multi-Information Display
- Internal fuel lid release – tethered fuel cap
- Seatback pocket (passenger side)
- Sports front seats with red stitching
- Two remote central locking keys
- Vanity mirrors - illuminated
- 5.9-inch colour LCD Multi-Information Display
- 60/40 split/fold rear seat
- 12V/120W power jacks
EXTERIOR:
- Colour-coded mirrors and door handles – heated mirrors
- Headlights auto off
- Mesh grille
- Privacy glass
- Rain sensing windscreen wipers
- Rear diffuser
- Rear boot lip spoiler
- Rear LED brake lights
- Rear roof mounted colour-coded shark fin radio antenna
- Red-painted brake callipers (front and rear on manual variants; front-only on CVT)
- Roof carrier brackets
- Tail pipe covers - twin
- WRX badges – grille, boot, front guards
- 18-inch alloy wheels – space saver spare
OTHER FEATURES:
- DataDot security technology
- Electronic Throttle Control (ETC)
- One-touch indicators
- Rear Limited Slip Differential (MT only)
- 12-month Roadside Assist
- Three-year unlimited kilometre warranty
- 2.0-litre turbocharged engine. 197 kW/5600 rpm, 350 Nm/2400-5200 rpm
WRX Premium adds:
- De-icing front windscreen wipers
- Electric sunroof
- EyeSight Assist Monitor (WRX Premium CVT-only)
- Heated front seats – driver's electric lumbar support
- Leather trim
- Power driver's seat – eight-way adjustable plus electric lumbar support
- Push button start with smart key technology
- Factory fitted satellite navigation
- harman kardon sound – eight speakers, sub-woofer and amplifier
- Seat back pocket – driver and front passenger side
- Front View Monitor
- Side view monitor
- Blind Spot Monitors, Lane Change Assist and Rear Cross Traffic Alerts
2018 WRX STI Specifications:
SAFETY:
- ABS anti-lock brakes with four-wheel discs and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD); Brembo 6-pot front, 2-pot rear, yellow painted with STI logo
- Brake Assist
- Child seat anchor points
- Curtain airbags – full length
- Driver's knee airbag
- Dual front airbags
- Dual side airbags
- Dusk sensing LED headlights with halogen high-beam
- Front seatbelts with pre-tensioners and load limiters. Double pre-tensioners on driver's seatbelt
- Front adjustable seat belt anchorage
- Hill Start Assist – forward and reverse
- Rear door child lock
- Reverse camera
- Seatbelt indicator lights
- Side intrusion bars
- Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive
- Three-point A/ELR rear centre seatbelt
- Vehicle Dynamics Control (electronic stability control system)
- Welcome home lights – can illuminate area ahead of car when engine off
INTERIOR:
- AUX jack and two USB ports
- Bluetooth audio streaming
- Bottle holders in each door + two cup holders in centre console and rear doors
- Boot area light
- Central locking – remote
- Climate control air conditioning – dual zone
- Cruise control – steering wheel buttons
- Driver's footrest
- harman kardon sound – eight speakers, sub-woofer and amplifier
- Factory fitted satellite navigation with voice control
- Height and reach adjustable steering column
- Height adjustable driver's seat
- Immobiliser security system
- Leather trim steering wheel with red stitching and audio controls; leather gear shift
- Map lights (2)
- Power steering, mirrors and windows
- Push button start with smart key technology
- Rear illumination electro-luminescent instrument cluster display and 3.5-inch Multi-Information Display
- Internal fuel lid release – tethered fuel cap
- Seatback pockets – driver and front passenger
- Security alarm
- Sports front seats with red stitching
- Two remote central locking smart keys
- Vanity mirrors - illuminated
- 5.9-inch colour LCD Multi-Information Display
- 60/40 split/fold rear seat
- 12V/120W power jacks
- Red seat belts
EXTERIOR:
- Colour-coded mirrors and door handles
- Daytime Running Lights - LED
- Double locking system
- Headlights auto off
- Heated door mirrors
- Mesh grille
- Privacy glass
- Rain sensing windscreen wipers
- Rear diffuser
- Rear boot lip spoiler
- Rear LED brake lights
- Rear roof mounted colour-coded shark fin radio antenna
- Roof carrier brackets
- Self-levelling LED headlights with pop-up washers
- Tail pipe covers - twin
- WRX STI badges – grille, boot, front guards
- 19-inch alloy wheels – space saver spare
OTHER FEATURES:
- DataDot security technology
- Electronic Throttle Control (ETC)
- One-touch indicators
- Rear Limited Slip Differential
- 12-month Roadside Assist
- Three-year unlimited kilometre warranty
- 2.5-litre turbocharged engine. 221kW/6000 rpm, 407Nm/4000 rpm
WRX STI Premium adds:
- Electric sunroof
- Front View Monitor
- Side view monitor
- Blind Spot Monitors, Lane Change Assist and Rear Cross Traffic Alerts
- Heated front seats
- Leather trim
- Power driver's seat – eight-way adjustable plus electric lumbar support
- Front wiper de-icer
WRX STI Spec. R adds:
- RECARO front sports seats – driver's eight-way adjustable
2018 WRX & WRX STI Pricing (excluding on-road costs):
WRX manual - $39,240
WRX Lineartronic CVT - $42,240
WRX Premium manual - $45,640
WRX Premium Lineartronic CVT - $48,840
WRX STI - $50,890
WRX STI with rear spoiler - $51,190
WRX STI Premium - $55,640
WRX STI Premium with rear spoiler - $55,940
WRX STI spec.R - $57,690
Let’s start a Car Conversation, is the WRX range starting to get a bit long in the tooth?
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