Subaru Impreza 22B review:
Before:
This is a Subaru Impreza. So 4WD grip is to be expected with a hint of understeer at the limit. But it’s the 22B version, which, in the words of RJ, is the ‘loosest Scooby doo there is’. So a lot of grip and a lot of oversteer would be expected as the first impressions. And with so much power and so little weight, it should easily be a very capable car which requires very little tuning to make it go like a bolt of lightening. But unfortunately, it isn’t the tarmac-eating monster it should be. It’s handling is…well, loose. Just not the ‘loose’ I had in mind. It’s loose as in inconsistent, but I wanted loose as in a loose arse. And by inconsistent, I mean entering the second turn of the TGTT the first time and fighting the nose in and having to deal with the front pushing wide midway through the hammerhead, but then the steering suddenly becomes ridiculously sharp and catches me out on the second lap at exactly the same corners with roughly the same line. And it loses grip as quickly as it can recover from a slide, which is normally like…instantly. Oh, and be careful when you’re on the TGTT, because of GT5 physics and this car’s lightness, it’s very easy to just take off when you run over a cone, which is an…interesting experience to say the least when you’re going in a straight line, and borderline terrifying when you’re charging through the tires at nearly 130mph. As for laptimes, well, a 1:09.472 can be achieved, once. After that, chances are you’d be too caught up trying to beat yourself that you’ll forget that the 22B is easily the least forgiving Impreza ever made. And you’d promptly crash after realising this fact.
After:
So, what has the changes done? Well, to find out, I’ve lined up a little test. Loaded as the ghost replay is an Impreza 22B lap with exactly the same specs as Noobster’s, but it’s running a blind-tuned setup made by Rotary Junkie. My challenge? To see how long it takes for me to pass the blind tune 22B and to see how much of a lead I can build by the end of lap four. Why four laps? Because I normally run a race with my friend on saturday nights, and we always do 4 laps of the TGTT, and if things go to plan, I should be able to get close to the 1:06 mark Noobster achieved. Which is perfect as the races normally require a car to be able to consistently run high 1:06’s to low 1:07’s with ease. And the laptimes are:
1) 1:09.208
2) 1:08:866
1:08.308
4) 1:08.957
And the time to beat was: 1:08.208
How did that happen? How could a car, tuned by someone who once tamed a Ruf Yellowbird, lose to a person who doesn’t even have a PS3? Well, let me explain. The 22B had its faults, wayward handling, understeer at speed with the wing on etc. And you’d think Noobster would have solved at least some of these issues. But no. What he’s actually done, is what feels like completely removing the brakes! I have to say first, if you’re confused by this statement, that I like braking hard, might not be late, but I like to brake at the point where logic just doesn’t play a part in my driving. And in any other tune car, I could do that. I could just blast up to the corner, and just have enough time to glance at the apex of the turn ahead before hitting the brakes. But with the brake balance set at 4:2, it was impossible. I realise of course, that this tune was built around Noobster’s preferred way of driving, but I don’t think he remembered what people like to do online in proper racing situations. Out-brake one another into a turn. And on that front, with the brakes being as detached as they are now, it really does fall quite short. I found myself braking much earlier in this than in RJ’s car. And it’s not something you can adapt to after a few laps either. I paused the game midway through writing this to brush my teeth (it’s nearly 1am here at the time of writing) and when I came back to start my next lap, I was back in the wall because the brakes weren’t as strong as they should be. This took away a great deal of opportunities for passing RJ’s ghost car, as I always had to stamp on the anchors while watching RJ’s car go on for a good 0.5 of a second before the brake lights flashed red. So the brakes are…unnerving, to say the least. And the problem is that the brakes take up too much of your attention, that you won’t have any time to examine the rest of the tune. You’re too busy warning yourself to brake, and fighting understeer when you forget, that you can’t really do much other than wonder at what it could be if the brakes were better. Now, if I was Adrenaline, what I’d do at this point is start changing bits of the tune around, to see what’s best. But I’m not, so I don’t know what the difference of 1 will do to the feel of the car. So I think I should just wrap it up here, and say this (it’s past 1am already and I can’t drive at all). Noobster’s tune, although falls down on quite a few points (brakes, power understeer or wtv it’s called, loses to RJ’s car when both cars are accelerating up the gears etc.), does have some redeeming features. It’s very easy to drive, it fits a relaxed driver and forces you to drive it in a flow, not in sharp jolts. If you’re the type of person who drives with the fluidity of an ocean wave, this tune would be suitable for you. If, however, you drive with the aggression of a tidal wave like me (sort of), I would have to say try it, but don’t be surprised if it won’t listen from time to time, because this isn’t a normal Impreza. Most normal ones, tuned or not, need to be driven on the ragged edge to get the most from it. This needs to be driven like you would the Lotus 111R from the Top Gear Intermediate Challenge.
Laptimes: (Test on TGTT)
1:09.472 (before)
1:08.308 (after, Noobster tune)
1:08.207 (RJ’s blind tune)
I'm not the best driver with my DS3, I guess I might just be a better driver then you.
I love it 
