By: Nathan Adlen
Camping sucks.
We’ll get to the photo of that cantankerous driver in a moment.
Check out this list:
Three sleeping bags, a (massive) seven-man tent, two coolers, a cooking set, a two-burner stove w/propane, two backpacks with clothing, large diaper bag AND a baby carrying backpack. What do these things have in common? They all fit in the trunk of a 305 horsepower, 2011 Subaru Impreza STI.
“Trunk” I said, not “hatch” as in hatchback.
Yup, the new STI four-door has a big trunk and a spoiler so massive – it can be seen from space. Even though 11.3 cubic feet may seem small, Subaru pledges it can hold three tournament golf bags. I was impressed with how much camping crap it can hold.
Many people don’t know this, but the four-door is nearly seven inches longer than the hatch back. This extra length helps the trunk become something other than just a place to mount the massive wing.
My point?
As a dad, it’s mighty helpful to have enough cargo space for strollers, bikes, diaper bags, high caliber weapons, etc. Let’s add to that utility, seats that fold down and suddenly the four-door sedan is capable of holding a partially disassembled adult-sized bike.
I hated camping. The idea that so much gear was required for just ONE day made your humble scribe rather irritated. I look at camping in a tent in the cold as temporary homelessness. Next time, we rent an RV.
So, about that photo of that large, bald man being rude to the camera? That was me early the next morning – feeling like crap. There was a bright side to the filth, lack of sleep and excessive insect bites; I got to drive the 305 hp Subaru Impreza WRX STI on long gravel/dirt roads – – alone.
DUDE it was AWESOME!
I honestly have NO idea how to properly use the Driver Control Center Differential (DCCD) which allows drivers to dole out the power front or rear. I portioned much of the power aft and selected the SI-Drive throttle mapping rotary switch to “#Sharp” which changes the whole character of the engine. This, I thought, would make the STI into an easier car to get sideways.
I was wrong.
By screwing around with the settings, I made the car nearly un-drivable for a man of my limited talents. By setting everything back to the regular setting and setting the SI-Drive to “#Sport” I became my very own Ken Block and I practiced my Gymkhana by doing some great drifts, slides and spins. Okay, it sucked by professional standards, but there is nothing like the feeling of going sideways through a bend and getting it right.
So, after finding reasons to abandon camp (you know, to buy matches, marshmallows etc.) – I had these excellent back roads all to myself. When all was said and done, the surprisingly large trunk swallowed all of our gear and we happily motored back to civilization.
My point: if you’re going to spend nearly ten-grand more on an STI (over a regular WRX) you owe it to yourself to try a few rally stages. It is THAT good. Please go to a track day or two as well. With enough practice, maybe you can figure out the right settings on the DCCD and SI-Drive.
p.s. Camping still sucks.
