Subaru Impreza WRX STi SPT Package - Just Driven

These things should come in camouflage. Paint a few pointy teeth on the nose like a military attack aircraft, and call it the Urban Assault Package. I'm defying physics on my way to work when these thoughts occur to me, but the STI is probably bored. Just another day on the job. It's been a while since I've driven a box-stock STI, and I had forgotten how damn capable they are. Could there really be a quicker way to get from A to B, without worry of road or weather conditions?

A few tweaks are making my commute all the more memorable. The unmistakable boxer burble is a little bit more vocal on this one, thanks to an exhaust from Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT). It's basically a Bosal exhaust with SPT emblazoned on the tip, and it sounds terrific without being overly loud. The 12,300 car alarms in my parking garage appreciate the compromise, and I don't feel like a punk driving around town, either.

Our tester also has an SPT intake with heat shield, which by contrast is a smidge ricey sounding. I can hear the turbo whooshing and the blow-off valve works vocally without airflow metering issues, but the verdict is still out on power gains. We'll settle it once and for all on Project WRX in an upcoming issue, so stay tuned.

Elsewhere under the hood are a billet aluminum oil cap and battery tie-down, both tasteful items. Inside, there's a well-judged short-throw shifter capped with a perfectly palmable titanium ball. The combo is so good that I find myself heel-toeing for every stoplight just to shift the thing. I guess I am a punk driving around town after all.

The STI could still use an Evo steering rack, but thankfully everything that makes an STI great is still intact. With a few carefully selected spices from SPT, the highlights of STI ownership are, well, highlighted.