Subiesport Magazine - November 2008 - (Page 29)

FEATURE to the paint scheme and wheels, which have a more classic look than the stock rims. You also notice that this car has more growl than the stock STI. These are all important pieces when you are cruising the boulevards of Hollywood, Calif., where Ferraris and Astons are not a rare sight. This car will get you noticed, and on more than one occasion I looked over to see other drivers snapping cell phone pics on the freeway or just giving an enthusiastic thumbs-up. While Ali could have really turned up the wick and created a hard core corner carver with jarring suspension with the pedigree of a track-ready special, he has created a good upgrade over stock that, while it does handle well, really shines on the cannonball run that is a Southern California freeway. I must say that the stretch of Interstate 5 from Burbank to Anaheim is eight lanes of goat path. The pavement is so broken, uneven and treacherous that I can’t imagine doing this run in anything less than a WRC car or a tank; or perhaps a WRC car fitted with a cannon to shoo away the other crazies who run for the horizon hell-bent-for-leather in a mad dash to get wherever. The ESX STI then is a beast well-adapted to its environs. Click the SI-Drive wheel over into S# and mash the loud-plank. Immediately the engine wakes up and the car is off. At one point we had to chase down another ESX special edition through the death race that the denizens of Los Angeles call traffic; a supercharged Aston Martin V8 Vantage, and I had little problem keeping pace with the big, snorty blown V8 sports car. Nor did the giant crags and cracks in the pavement unsettle the car at all. Just keep your foot in it and stay frosty as you will need to change lanes, sometimes two and three at a time dodging the myriad of bone heads doing 45mph among the other boneheads doing 90mph. For the most part, the interior is stock, save for some swatches of red Alcantara and red-stitched trim. I would have preferred to have had Sat-Nav, but this is only because had I lost sight of the Aston, I would have been boned; lost in the concrete jungle. As I flogged the little rally-bred hatch down the pavement, I appreciated the taught suspension and the copious amounts of midrange that the retuned engine belted out. From cruise in either 6th or 5th gear, banging on the throttle rewards with immediate acceleration. Lag is at a minimum here, although more go does mean a healthy thirst for high-test on draught, but that is just fine. There are downsides here, however. The price is not for the faint of heart, and for less money you could equip your own STI with all the go-fast bits and some overpriced Japanese forged wheels and be a hero among the JDM snobs. Yet, the upside to the ESX car is that this car comes tuned with all the kit you would buy anyway and all the extras can be financed through the dealership as part of your car payment. Also, since this is a factory special of sorts, all the cool speed parts don’t void the warranty and that last bit can be a very important feature indeed. This car really is for the Hollywood stunna in all of us. Even without the European pedigree or a sixfoot blonde supermodel strapped to the hood, not only does this car turn heads, but it snaps them into the headrest. Sure, it may not be everybody’s brand of Vodka, but it will still knock you on your ass. ESX Signature Specs: ESX exterior features Hand-painted stripe Wire-mesh grilles for the bumper, grill and hood scoop. ESX authentication badges ESX numbering on the front bumper The ESX Interior features Race-inspired and color matched accents on the seats, door panels and arm rests White-faced ESX boost gauge in a race-inspired carbon fiber cup. -ESX color-matched aluminum shift knob Each ESX STI also features18X8.5-inch custom ESX wheels For 2008 ESX has expanded the color pallet to include Five color combinations: Red with White Stripe White with Red Stripe White with Blue Stripe Blue with White Stripe Black with Red Stripe ESX Signature STIs are also available in three performance stages to fit your horsepower desires. Stage I provides an additional 15hp. Fully street and CARB legal. Stage II provides an additional 65hp. CARB-pending Stage III provides an additional 150hp. Track-spec SUBIESPORT MAGAZINE 29

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Subiesport Magazine - November 2008

Subiesport Magazine - November 2008 Contents Editor Letters Readers’ Rides New Products Subaru News 2009 WRX Test Drive Back on Easy Street Brothers in Boost Treasure Island ESPN X Games 14 Subiefest 3 Subie Extravaganza WWJCD WRC Rally Finland WRC Rally Deutschland Rally America: Ojibwe Forest Rally America: Colorado Where to buy Subiesport Orange Invasion - Europe 2007 STI Intake Test Dreadnought Widebody Install p2 Ad Directory Spotted!

Subiesport Magazine - November 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.