#First Class Fitment 2012

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The fastest, most powerful STi – Ever

As a celebration of thirty years of STi, Subaru Southern Africa introduces the 2019 Subaru WRX STi Diamond Edition, a halo model in the Subaru performance car line-up. Developed by the technical team at Subaru Southern Africa, the Diamond Edition is exclusive to the region and only thirty numbered vehicles will be sold.

THE HERITAGE OF STi

There’s a powerful and nostalgic heritage behind the name of the motorsports and performance subsidiary of Subaru Corporation, Subaru Tecnica International. STi. Three letters that have commanded the respect and passion of performance car enthusiasts for three decades. In thirty years, these three letters have adorned the racing lapels of motorsport royalty, dominated the world stage of rally and circuit racing and carved out a reputation for slaying the most venerated competition. Officially registered in April 1988, STi made headlines from the very beginning, breaking the World Speed Endurance record in a 220-hp (164kW) Legacy RS RA. The car completed 100,000 kilometres over 20 days at an average speed of 223.34km/h.

In 1993, Subaru debuted a new blue and yellow Legacy RS race car driven by Scotsman, Colin McCrae who piloted his car to a first victory for the team at the New Zealand rally. In 1994, STI signed WRC Champion Carlos Sainz to the team and together with McCrae, became the team to watch that season. Subaru placed second overall in the 1994 World Rally Championship with Sainz placing second in the drivers’ standings and Colin McCrae fourth. From 1995 to 1997, Subaru dominated the WRC winning the constructors’ championships for three years in succession, making world champions of Colin McCrae and Tommi Makinen in the process. It was a hat-trick of victories that cemented the signature Subaru STi World Rally Blue hue and rumbling sound into the minds of fans the world over.

Thereafter, the STi-team continued to be competitive runners-up for several seasons before the Subaru Impreza STi crowned another driver’s champion Petter Solberg in 2003. The Subaru’s dominance on the world rally stage was testament to its versatility and all-round ability on every terrain the world rally stage had to offer.

Having achieved so much in rallying, STi officially withdrew from the World Rally stage in 2008 and instead focused on endurance racing. In 2008, it entered a WRX STI in Germany’s 24 Hours of the Nurburgring. The narrative reads very similar to the WRC story – STi has dominated the SP3T class in which it competes, winning in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2018, often in the most treacherous wet weather.

In just 30 years, STi has crowned Subaru with 3 Constructors World Rally Championship titles, 3 World Rally Championship Driver’s titles, 47 World Rally Championship overall wins and 5 class wins in Germany’s 24-Hour Nürburgring races. This excludes the myriad championship victories by Subaru works teams in regional rally exploits in Canada, America and Australia. Apart from these, there are numerous land speed and production car record honours including the famous 2016 Isle of Man lap record as well as the 2018 record 40-minute 58,8 second speed run of the infamous Transfagara?an Highway in Romania. Both of these feats were completed by veteran rally ace Mark Higgins in specially prepped WRX STi’s.

Whilst results and championships are the statistical highlights of the STi’s history, the STi philosophy has always placed driving enjoyment and peace of mind at its centre.

DIAMOND EDITION DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

In anticipation of 2018 marking the thirtieth anniversary of STi, Subaru Southern Africa embarked on a development project to produce a more powerful version of the iconic performance sedan. It was a project that followed yet another undertaking of a similar nature just 14 years ago when the STImulating Edition STi was launched in South Africa only. In 2004, Subaru SA delivered 15 special edition versions of the Impreza WRX STi. Based on the standard model, the limited-edition STimulating STi, developed 195 kW of power and 343 Nm of torque. These cars were a celebration of 15-years of STi and they have become collectors’ items.

The Diamond Edition follows the same tradition – a limited-run project of just 30 unique vehicles as an ode to 30-years of STi.  The project was spearheaded by the Subaru Southern Africa (SSA) Team and led by Technical Manager of Subaru SA, Deon Van Heerden and the objectives were clear. “We needed to get STI reborn and create a vehicle that was more powerful and something that would become a talking point for STi fans.”

The first development mule arrived in December 2016 and official Diamond Edition performance development started in January 2017. It took 18-months to develop the car to a point where Subaru SA was entirely happy with the results and the outcome. It was a process of substantial durability and wear testing, oil testing and dyno tuning. Whilst the technical department was responsible for the performance enhancement, they were also involved in the design process to create a car that not only performed more aggressively but also looked more appealing and would gain a unique styling edge.

EXTERIOR ENHANCEMENTS

Compared to the standard WRX STi, the Diamond Edition strikes a more aggressive stance and features stand-out elements. Making use of spacers on all wheels, the car sits 20mm wider than the standard car. Another key identifier of the Diamond Edition is an all-round body kit finished in the same High Viz yellow hue that adorns the Brembo brake calipers. The kit lowers the car by 10mm at the front adding to the sportier stance and gives the Diamond Edition a unique, stand-out presence. Upon each vane of the spoiler kit, sits a small yet distinct stainless steel STi badge – another unique identifier of the Diamond Edition that is complemented by the high gloss black 30 Diamond Edition badges on the sides of the rear wing. The signature STi features remain unchanged: The hawk-eye LED Daytime Running Lights; the large bonnet intercooler scoop at the front and rear-spoiler. The STI is fitted with 19-inch 245/35 R19 rubber on darkened, lightweight, aluminium Y-design alloys.

Also new on the MY2019 WRX STi are rear fog lamps for added visibility in poor conditions.

DIAMOND EDITION FEATURES UNIQUE INTERIOR TOUCHES

Limited to just thirty units, the Diamond Edition incorporates Diamond Edition detailing in the cabin. New Facet-Designs on the driver and passenger dashboard inlays are unique to the Diamond Edition cars, with an exclusive numbered panel on the driver’s side.

The WRX STi Diamond Edition also features a 7-speaker, 440W Harmon Kardon power speaker system. The 7.0-inch Touch Screen Infotainment System with 6-speaker CD and Bluetooth hands-free functionality now incorporates updated Apple CarPlay and Android Auto applications too. These mirror the users phone interface and allows a better user-experience and safer driving. 

CONFIDENT PERFORMANCE IS EVERYTHING

The main objective in creating the WRX STi Diamond Edition was to increase the power and performance of the vehicle but also to ensure the car remained a pleasure to drive on a daily basis. This is the essence of Confidence in Motion. Deon Van Heerden says this was a key focus. “We definitely wanted to achieve more power but not to a point where the vehicle became unpleasant to drive or too highly strung. I think we’ve achieved just that.”

The increase in power has been achieved through a remapping of the car’s Electronic Control Unit and the fitment of a performance exhaust system. The 2.5 litre, high-boost turbocharged Boxer® engine’s power is now a feisty 260kW at 4,500rpm and doles out 464Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. Top speed remains 255km/h but the 0 – 100km/h has been significantly shortened. Tested in Gauteng at an altitude of 1410m above sea level, the Diamond Edition achieved a 5.03 second 0 – 100km/h time, 0.7 seconds quicker than its standard WRX STi sibling under the same conditions. The 0 – 160km/h time has also been exceeded by more than 1-second with the Diamond Edition posting a 13.70 second time and the standard vehicle posting a 14.76 second time.

“We’ve managed to develop the fastest and most powerful production STi ever released in South Africa and I am very proud of our team.” Deon Van Heerden’s mission has been accomplished.

To cope with the extra performance, the Subaru SA team also fitted a new STi engine brace for increased stabilization and balance. The resultant force is kept in check by the formidable stopping power of the Brembo braking system that features 6-pot calipers at the front + 2-pot calipers at the rear. This system also features 4-sensor / 4-channel ABS with Electronic Brake-force Distribution.

Handling on the WRX STi is courtesy of a Subaru’s famous Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system coupled with an electronic multi-mode Driver Controlled Centre Differential (DCCD). The electrically-assisted quick ratio steering wheel is weighted to the sporty nature. This enables the car to stick to the road with poise and confidence at high speed under varied road surfaces.

The entire driving experience of the WRX STi is for the purist driver – mechanical, visceral, raw and powerful. The signature Subaru rumble on the WRX STi has been enhanced. The power is delivered through a longer and lower torque curve, the steering is sporty, and the six-speed manual transmission feels perfectly firm and mechanical, adding to the purist driver focus. It’s a driver’s car through and through.

SAFETY

The MY2019 WRX STI Diamond Edition is a 5* safety achiever. In 2018, revisions to the front chassis structure were made for improved safety in frontal collisions. The Diamond Edition STi is fitted with Active Torque Vectoring, Subaru Vehicle Dynamics Control and seven airbags including a driver’s knee air bag. The front seats have been designed to reduce whiplash, the side doors contain reinforcement beams and the cars feature a brake pedal safety system that reduces the risk of damage to the legs in a collision.  Coupled with the safety that Symmetrical All-Wheel DriveT and Boxer®engine technology brings, the WRX STi is a pure example of safety and performance.   

The car also features a number of driver assistance systems such as Front and Rear Cameras for safe and optimal positioning; Blind Spot Detection and Rear Cross-Traffic alert.

MANY WILL WANT IT – ONLY 30 GET A CHANCE TO OWN IT

The exclusive nature of the Diamond Edition means that only 30 units will be prepped and delivered to customers in South Africa. As part of the customer sales experience and in addition to the unique identifiers on the cars, these cars will be delivered to customers with a special Owners Certificate certifying the limited-edition validity of the car.

Pre-orders of this halo model started in November 2018 through selected Subaru dealerships with deliveries of the car programmed for January 2019.

Pricing is set at R799 000 inclusive of a 3yr/75 000km Full Maintenance Plan and a 5yr/150 000km Warranty. 

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New to the Used Market: Mercedes-Benz A-Class

While revolutionary in many respects, the original Mercedes-Benz A-Class of 1997 was not a car that was about to draw younger buyers towards the German marque. Indeed, it wasn’t until the introduction of the third-generation A-Class in 2012 that sales figures really began to soar thanks to a combination of that car’s more conventional design appealing to a wider audience, and the increasing popularity of affordable finance deals.

Now, after six years on sale the third-generation A-Class has been replaced by an all-new model – and Mercedes has not held back. Indeed, in terms of interior design and functionality the new A-Class is one of the most technologically advanced cars on sale and is thus sure to be a hit. That’s not only as a new purchase either, but also as a used one, and with the first pre-owned examples just arriving in dealerships now is the perfect chance to find out why.

THE DRIVE In time the Mercedes-Benz A-Class will be offered with a wide range of engines, but to begin with the choice is limited to a 1.5-litre diesel unit, and a couple of petrols. The former is called the A 180 d and, despite a modest sounding 114bhp, actually feels strong and very smooth; it suits the A-Class brilliantly.

The entry-level petrol engine also punches well above its weight, for despite being just 1.3 litres in capacity it produces between 134- and 161bhp depending whether you opt for an A 180 or A 200. At the top of the range for now is the A 250 with its 247bhp 2.0-litre turbo, which delivers predictably rapid performance and is also the only A-Class for now that is available with four-wheel drive in addition to the standard front-wheel-drive layout.

On the move the A-Class is generally quiet and comfortable, particularly so if you opt for an A 200 or A 250, which feature a more advanced rear suspension setup than the cheaper models. The steering doesn’t offer enough in the way of feedback to make the A-Class feel truly sporty, but it still responds quickly to the driver’s command and has plenty of grip.

Light controls, decent visibility, and the standard fitment of a reversing camera also ensure that all models are easy to park.

SCREEN TIME The driving experience, however, is probably not the number one reason for buying an A-Class over any of its rivals. Rather, that falls to the amount of technology in the car, particularly when it comes to the infotainment system.

Called MBUX (and making its debut in the A-Class before being rolled out across more expensive models in the Mercedes range), the setup comprises two TFT screens, one for the instruments and dials, and the other for functions such as sat-nav, media and connectivity. As standard both screens measure a respectable 7 inches, but if you can find a car where either one or both screens have been upgraded to 10.25 inches then it’s well worth considering. Because it is in this configuration that the A-Class is at its most impressive, with a level of personalisation and processing power than leaves others looking decidedly old fashioned.

It’s not only that the system looks impressive either, but also that it’s generally intuitive to use, with a range of control options that even includes natural speech recognition. Simply say “Hey, Mercedes,” and you can engage the car in conversation. Spooky.

WHY BUY A USED MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS? The simple answer as to why you’d buy a second-hand A-Class, as tends to be the case when any brand-new model first hits the used car market, is because you can have it without waiting. Admittedly, that also means forgoing the ability to specify the car to your precise requirements, but with a decent selection already listed by dealers via CarGurus it shouldn’t take long to find an example that appeals.

Being so new the cars currently offered will tend to be ex-dealer demonstrators with just a few hundred miles on the clock. With dealers keen to show off the car in its best light, this will also mean many of the used models currently offered will be in one of the higher trim levels such as Sport or AMG Line. Plus, they are more likely than not to feature plenty of optional extras, including that upgraded infotainment system.

As to whether all this makes a nearly new A-Class good value, that’s where CarGurus comes in, with our Instant Market Value and Deal Ratings tools instantly showing how the price of a car compares with similar models listed for sale. Along with dealer ratings it’s all part of the CarGurus mission to build the world’s most trusted and transparent automotive marketplace. So, if you fancy taking a closer look at a used example of the best A-Class to date, you know where to start. Search for a used Mercedes-Benz A-Class on CarGurus.

In the market for a used car? CarGurus makes it easy to find great deals from top-rated dealers. CarGurus compares price, detailed vehicle data and dealer reviews to give each used car a deal rating from great to overpriced, and sorts the best deals first. Find out more and begin your used car search at CarGurus

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