Review: Tamiya XV-01 Impreza WRX STi Team Arai Rally Kit

Bring on the Rally

Rally is not only one of the coolest forms of automotive racing, it’s also one of the toughest. Imagine this: You are strapped into a 300+hp production-based, 4WD rally car traveling at speeds topping 100mph on tight, twisty roads. Everything is a blur as you navigate the roads mere inches from block walls, trees and spectators. It’s flat-out racing and, even though you may be the only car on the road, you must trust the one thing that no other form of racing has; a navigator. You and your navigator must blast through mud, dirt, rain and snow at break-neck speeds, guided only by some notes scribbled on a sheet of paper. Thankfully, Tamiya has removed the no-fear factor and introduced the XV-01, a full-fledged rally car ready to lay the smack down on or off-road.

Features

Chassis
The XV-01 uses a unique, narrow chassis. As you can see, it is 4WD but has a front-mount motor and gearbox system. A single belt runs down the center of the car, but up and over a sealed battery box. This box takes up about 2/3 of the width of the car and is accessed from underneath, makeing battery changes quite easy. The other 1/3 of the chassis is for the electronics with the ESC and receiver hidden under a dust-proof cap. This does a decent job of keeping dirt and debris out, but I would suggest a little more self-installed foam to really keep things clean.

Suspension
The XV-01 suspension works great and has plenty of tuning options, but I have to gripe a bit about the plastic pre-load shocks. I’m not a fan. I know it’s a ‘beginner’ kit but there are plenty other companies out there that are including threaded shock bodies molded in plastic. Sure, I get that this makes the end-user want to purchase the cool Tamiya TRF aluminum aftermarket shocks (which I’m sure most people will do anyway), but I just think the pre-load age is over. Time to step it up.

Drivetrain
The XV-01 includes a pair of 3-gear transmissions at both ends of the car. These transmissions house a pair of easy to build and zero maintenance gear diffs. The front even utilizes an interchangeable spur gear, allowing you to run any manufacturer’s gear. Both transmissions are connected via a long drive belt running down the spine. An easy access cover allows you to check for wear and does a superb job of keeping the gunk out.

Steering
Hidden behind the front gearbox (and under the front chassis brace) is a dual bellcrank steering system. It is bearing equipped and uses steel turnbuckles to connect the servo to the steering knuckles. A Tamiya-issue servo saver is attached to the servo – you can use either a full or short servo in this car. Steering throw is decent and Tamiya even includes a foam pad to help keep debris from lodging itself between the servo saver and the battery box. Nice addition.

Electronics
With the chassis as narrow as it is (and with the use of an actual ‘battery box’), space is at a premium. A full servo will work, but it’s a pretty tight fit. As mentioned before, the ESC and receiver are squeezed into a covered battery box. I got all my ‘normal’ sized gear to fit – here’s what I used:

Servos
The WRX isn’t a heavy car nor does it need some wildly powerful servo to keep it pointed in the right direction, so I opted to drop in an Airtronics’ 94835 Digital servo to handle the steering duties. It’s a capable servo for what I need it to do and boasts a a speed of .13 and a torque of about 89lbs. This should provide plenty of hours of service before needing an upgrade.

ESC/Motor
Rally cars require smooth driving, not brutal power, so I went with a more mild system; LRP Spin Super Brushless ESC and Reedy Sonic 21.5T Brushless Motor. The XV-01 can definitely handle more power, however I think I need to get the hang of this whole front-motor Rally thing before I step up my horsepower game. This system will do me well for now.

Battery
Reedy’s Wolfpack batteries are solid performers for entry level projects, so I went with a 2S 6500mAh LiPo in the Team Arai Subbie. It’s hard case design offers excellent protection during the rigors of Rally and it fits perfectly in the battery box on the XV-01 chassis. I also like the fact that it comes pre-wired with a T-connector (AKA Deans) so it mates right up to my ESC without any issues.

Radio
It’s been a LONG time since I’ve had a chance to wrap my meaty mits around an Airtronics radio, so I was excited to put my new MT-44 to good use. It’s fabulous feel and intuitive menu system make it extremely easy to use (and program) and I absolutely love the lightweight design (thanks to only needed 3 AA batteries to power it!). A great system that be there for you as your skills grow!

Body and Bumpers
The XV-01 comes with a closed-foam, molded front bumper. It’s design has it fit nice and tight inside the Subaru body – that’s good because I’m not going to be gentle with this car! I need as much cushion for the front end as possible! The body, of course, is stunning. You will need to be somewhat patient, though, when painting and prepping it. There’s quite a few stickers that meet up and overlap, so placement is key to a beautiful, final product. I think it came out absolutely stunning.

Wheels and Tires
Tamiya includes a set of white, multi-spoke Rally wheels wrapped in their hard-ish compound Rally Block tires. These are odd looking tires – nothing like I’ve seen in real Rally – but the actually work quite well. The big blocks dig at any dirt surface but are big-block enough to provide really good tarmac traction as well. I was quite surprised by their performance!

Performance
The location of the test was a local dirt area that had a little bit of dirt, gravel and sand; perfect location for all 3 stages of my ‘test rally’. I set the Subie down, checked my trims and let ‘er rip!

Stage 1 included some dirt with a few hilly sections and small jumps. Being a rally car, I wasn’t looking for huge tabletops or triple-double sections, so this area worked out perfect. You wouldn’t equate a 21.5 motor as being a mad powerhouse, but the Reedy Sonic provides plenty of rip in the XV-01! The LRP Spin ESC allowed me precise control of the throttle as I constantly threw the Subie into 4-wheel drifts. The rally block tires offer surprisingly good grip on the dirt and the suspension soaked up most of the imperfections. The combination of the internal dirt shields and chassis cutouts did a good job of keeping the larger rocks out of the car, but as I mentioned before, there was still some dirt in the electronics compartment. I think a rubber grommet fitted to that spot will help out immensely.

Stage 2 led me to a terrain with a little more gravel in it. The XV-01 had a bit rougher time here, but I think that had to do with the fact that the ride height was a little low. Unfortunately I left all the spare pre-load clips at home (see, threaded shocks would have been nice), so I just had to deal with it. This terrain can also cause havoc on the steering systems in most cars, but not this one. The internal fenders were on point, keeping all of the larger rocks out of the chassis and steering area. The smooth LRP/Reedy electronics package was perfect and didn’t overpower the rally block tires. It was cool to see the little rocks being spit out the back of the car – what I really need are some rear mud guards!

The third and final stage was the asphalt stage. To make it as rally-esque as possible, I created a little area with long sweeping turns and a few hairpins. As I suspected, the suspension was a bit soft and exhibited quite a bit of body roll. This can easily be adjusted with a little tuning; springs, anti-roll bars and maybe different shock oil. With their large face lug, the rally block tires worked pretty good, but a full set of street-meats would really bring this car to life.

I did a quick once over after my runs and found a few interesting things. First off, I removed the cover from the electronics case and did a quick temp check on the ESC. Even on a warm day of driving, the vented top was doing it’s job to help keep the internal temps cool. Secondly, other than a little dirt and dust, the chassis didn’t have any major debris in it, meaning the cutouts in the bottom were also doing their job. Finally, I removed the belt cover and gave it a quick inspection – it looked almost brand new. Good to know there might be quite a gap in time between drivetrain maintenance.

Additional

Spec Data

Conclusion
The Tamiya XV-01 not only looks good, but there is function built into it. Covers, vents and cutouts were all integrated to help keep things cool and debris to a minimum. The 4WD system is excellent and the dual transmissions should be maintenance-free. The suspension works great and has all the tuning features you’d want. Even the body is in the realm of a shelf queen. The XV-01 is certainly not a ‘hey lets convert this to a rally car’, it IS a rally car. Good job Tamiya. Let’s do some rally racing!

Connect
Tamiya, www.tamiyausa.com
Airtronics, distributed by AMain Hobbies
LRP, www.lrp-americastore.com/
Reedy, www.reedypower.com

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