" It has virtually no lag and delivers fantastic response from as low as 2500-2600 rpm."
Wheels Magazine
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APS (or APS Engineering) and their ‘improved’ STi. Every additional
engine component fitted to this car has been manufactured by APS, excepting
the Unichip ECU with adjustable boost control (APS is the local distributor).
This blue STi runs the Super Sprint kit - $5,500 worth of exhaust (from the
turbo back), Unichip, cold-air intake, a new air-flow meter and filter, a
twin-vent blow-off valve and an upgraded top mount intercooler (not fitted
to the test car). No internal hardware is touched. |
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A front-mount intercooler (included in this car) adds $2,816 (minus the cost of the top-mount – roughly $1,300), but gives no extra power. It’s there to work with more serious engine upgrades. Result? Outstanding response. Anywhere, anytime the APS STi is swelling with turbo-boosted torque. Mid-range acceleration is phenomenal ̵ the APS car is half a second quicker in fifth from 80-120 km/h than the standard STi is in the same gear from 80-110. It’s as fast to 160 km/h as the regular STi is to 140, and the stock STi is anything but slow. Full-bore launches are an interesting contrast, too – wheelspin theatrics but a slight hesitation before take-off from the standard car, season finale-style drama from the APS car with maniacal launch frenzy and not a single moment of delay. But the figures, as always, only paint part of the picture. In the real world, the APS Sube is very throttle sensitive – a toe twitch is all that’s required to dial in more movement. It can feel a bit jerky, but become accustomed to its flighty ways and the APS STi is simply awesome. It has virtually no lag and delivers fantastic response from as low as 2500-2600 rpm. The standard car is half-asleep below three thousand. And despite being tweaked for improved low to mid-range thrust, the APS STi still has plenty to give from 6000-7500 rpm. Power doesn’t fall away at all, and it’s produced in a very smooth, if searing, fashion.
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