Subaru Forester with STI performance parts will not be coming to Malaysia… officially.
The Subaru Forester was recently facelifted in Japan, and while Malaysians patiently await the arrival of the facelifted Forester in Malaysia, Subaru Tecnica International (STI) have already developed a set of performance parts that will delight fans from all around. Unfortunately, because of pricing and other factors, it’s unlikely the official distributor Motor Image will bring these STI performance parts in for Malaysians. Instead, fans will have to wait for an enterprising parallel importer to bring these in disguised as a standard Forester and benefit from the huge mark up.
In fact, we won’t be surprised if in a few months we see a few of these units going for RM150K+ in the grey market, all because of the AP holders and the structure of Malaysia’s automotive industry. But anyway, here’s what we’ll be missing out on.
What STI Performance Parts come on this new Forester?
Information around these new STI Performance Parts is scarce, and the best source we’ve found comes from Yasuo Kusakabe’s test drive impressions article on Car Watch Japan.
STI has prepared performance enhancing parts that improve both the vehicle’s dynamics and aerodynamics. Under the hood, the biggest difference comes in the form of an STI-developed strut bar. This piece is priced at 33,000 Yen, or about RM1200+. It’s made of aluminium and has a cushioning ball within.
A set of cast aluminium part help reduce the Forester’s weight and is more rigid than the standard alloys thanks to a different production method. 17″ and 18″ sizes are available at 42,900 yen – 46,200 yen per piece.
There are also performance-spec mufflers with reduced ventilation resistance of 25% and weighing less than the standard exhaust mufflers. This item costs 163,900 yen, or just over RM6,000. The rest of the STI parts are aero parts which influence the aerodynamics as well as the looks to a significant degree. The “Aero Package” includes a front spoiler, side skirts, aero garnish for the rear wheel arches, rear under spoiler in silver and black. There’s also a flap at the back end of the roof. These parts improve the Forester’s responsiveness and the air flow around the vehicle and increases downforce.
According to Kusakabe, these STI parts make a noticable difference, especially noticeable in low-speed slaloms and in corners. However, he notes that these parts are not going to be too effective in reducing lap times but it will help reduce fatigue when driving and improve the quality of the drive.
