This week I’m in Japan to perform some AccessPORT R&D and testing in preparation for its release to the Japanese market. Having just finished up with SEMA, things have been busy to say the least.

After 16+ hours of travel by plane and trains, I arrived in Yokohama on Monday night. For those that have not been to Japan before, the hotel rooms is a bit smaller than what you may be use to seeing in America. I stayed at a very nice western style hotel in Shin-Yokohama, and the rooms are decently sized.

On Tuesday, I headed out to Prova’s facility for testing. This trip was long overdue, so it was great to finally get here and get to work. As you may know, Prova is one of the premier Subaru tuners in Japan and they have a reputation as offering the best ECU tuning. We have worked with Prova for a few years, and they used our original AccessPORT programmed for their tuning with great success. When we set out to design the new AccessPORT, we did so with a lot of what the Japanese market would want in mind. Needless to say, we are very excited to have them offering the new AccessPORT to their customers in Japan.

Cool to see the AccessPORT displaying either English or Japanese! The boys back home should be proud of their efforts.

In addition to testing for the vehicles they already have tuned maps for, we also collected the data from a few new CAN-based ECUs such as the newest Legacy models w/ SI Drive, the brand new Impreza S-GT (WRX to us in the Americas), and the all-new Impreza STI!! I was able to read the data using a production version our new CAN cable, which worked perfectly.

To make a successful day of testing even better, Tanaka-san (Prova) was kind enough to let me drive the new STI on some back streets behind Prova’s headquarters. Not knowing the roads, and definitely not wanting to damage a brand new STI that wasn’t mine, I took it very easy to just get a feel for the new STI’s personality. After my relative crawl around a few back streets, Tanaka-san took me for a more spirited drive so I could really feel the car.

Overall, my impression is positive. Just like the new WRX (S-GT), the new STI has become a bit more civil and refined. It’s quiet, rides relatively softly, and provides less feedback than the previous generation. For many people, this is a step in the right direction. I can imagine it’ll potentially appeal to a wider base of people, though I can share in some other’s concern about the enthusiast that fell in love with Subaru because of how the cars once drove. Having driven a JDM Version 6 STI GC8 a number of years ago overseas, obviously each year of the STI brought to the US, and now this one I can honestly say the trend has been headed in this direction for awhile and the new STI i’s a lot “softer” than ever. The handling has great potential, but in stock form there was quite a bit more body roll, vagueness in transitions, and overall the damper valving lacked some of the ‘crispness’ I’d expect from a STI. While the rear end exhibits much less squat under acceleration than the previous generations, the front end had a lot of pitch (mostly brake dive).

One of my personal favorite Subaru vehicles is the Legacy GT, and the new STI reminded me a LOT of it. I love the Legacy GT so saying the STI reminded me of it is no knock against it. However I do wonder if I’m a new car buyer and want what the Legacy GT provides, why not just buy a Legacy GT. Perhaps I have a flawed perception of what “Impreza STI” stands for based on prior experiences…I guess I expect it to be a bit edgier with a personality more suited to a driving enthusiast. Things perhaps not everyone would want to live with everyday but… I understand what Subaru is trying to achieve and I think STI did a fine job of it. Is it going to make everyone happy? Maybe not some of the current STI owners, but I can see it having a wide appeal particularly for those looking to do no more than enjoy daily driving it.

Outside, the new STI does look the part. Sitting next to a standard S-GT (White, ignore the STi badges), the flared fenders and other touches do lend an aggressive attitude. I’m sure the looks aren’t to everyone’s liking, but it does stand apart from a standard WRX and does so tastefully. Again in line with the direction Subaru is obviously taking with this vehicle: Mainstream acceptance. I, for one, just hope they don’t get lost in the crowd.

Inside, the optional Recaro seats are fantastic to sit in. I understand why we don’t get them in America, since a majority of us are too big to fit in them, but for my frame they are great! One big complaint I had over the last generation STI was the interior and specifically the fact that it wasn’t cohesive. Red lights, green lights…maybe white gauges if you got the optional package. Looked very parts-bin with little attention to detail. It seems the team that designed the new STI’s interior didn’t suffer from the same degree of A.D.D. and it all ties together nicely.

The new suspension design and chassis have great potential, and I’m excited to see what we and other tuners can get out of it. We’ll have to wait and see how the USDM version is, but I’m afraid it’ll be as soft if not softer for us American and our crappy roads. Again, nothing the tuner market can’t address… After all, that’s why us “tuners” exist. If the car appealed to everyone’s tastes equally, there’d be no desire or need to modify.

I’m excited for us to tune the new STI to bring back some of it’s heritage as a slightly more hard-core enthusiast’s car that just on the edge of what works well at the track yet can be enjoyed on the daily commute to work. Overall, that’ll be the ‘COBB Tuned’ goal.

Finally, many thanks to Tanaka-san @ Prova for his help and faith in us to get the AccessPORT ready for Japan. Koji @ Bridge for all his assistance on too many things to list. Yoshida-san @ Prova for the business opportunities and taking time to share your expert driving impressions with me. It was an honor!

I’m off to Takasaki in the morning to visit with Nukabe and Cusco. Check back for updates soon.