Well here we are another day
another Subaru...or is it? The new WRX is a car of fantasy
in a way. I never thought in a million years that the United
States of America would be shipped such an Awesome car. The
reality here is not quite the same as the rest of the world
though. For some years now Europe has been getting a myriad
of Japanese import Imprezas ranging from the more standard
Impreza Turbo to the all powerful 22B and Prodrive's P1. The
latter two performing such feats as 0-60 MPH in 4.6-4.8 seconds
and boasting well more than 300hp...even though the Japanese
ADVERTISE a 280hp limit.
The Euro market is also no stranger
to the Impreza that wears the WRX nameplate, where it fills the
gap between the more mundane Impreza and the beasts of the breed
like the 22B and P1. The whole time we here on the other side
of the pond have been getting Subaru's answer to the American
rally enthusiast...the 2.5RS. The 2.5RS had a body inspired by
it's rally race bred brethren which by first glance looked like
it would be a major contender on the street or track. But it was
lacking something critical for it to earn the respect of the American
sport compact market. It wasn't exactly just looking the part
though. The all wheel drive (AWD) and sporty nature of the chassis
and suspension tuning made it quite a contender on weekend autocrosses
and other light performance duties. But it also didn’t quite
meet the expectations that some of the die-hard Subaru fans were
expecting from a car that shares the same lineage of the rocket
ship, champion rally cars.
After what seems like eons
of waiting and hoping, the American market finally gets
it's chance to develop the buyers market for the car so
many have wanted and yearned for. Subaru's answer to the
huge amount of emails and letters begging for a Turbo
charged Impreza like the ones we occasionally see on ESPN
or Speedvision has arrived. The 2002 Subaru Impreza has
arrived in an all-new package. Updated looks, interior,
and engine. The new Subaru WRX finally comes to the U.S.
market in full turbo charged glory!
Fender flares, rear wing, MOMO
steering wheel, 5 speed shifter, supportive seats, 227 hp/ 217
ft lbs torque, a 0-60mph time of 5.5 seconds, Viscous limited-slip
rear differential, and full time all wheel drive make one heck
of a performance bargain for just under 25 thousand dollars. The
list doesn’t stop there though, the car is tuned straight
from the factory with vigorous driving in mind. New buyers will
even find a years SCCA membership in the glove box, encouraging
them to take the car to the limit at real sporting events. Already
I've been seeing scores of WRXs bringing in very good times at
the local auto crosses, and the car is quickly turning up at different
track events all around the nation. The enthusiast community recognizes
a performance value when they see one and the new WRX is a bright
beacon for budget/practicality minded motorheads. However, lets
not forget that the new Impreza WRX is also a decent sized four
door sedan. There is ample room for four and with as much comfort
as anything else in this price range. The Trunk is spacious, the
ride height is "normal"and the assurance of all wheel
drive, along with it's other host of standard features, makes
it one of the safest cars in it's class as well. You get an awful
lot of car for the money...a performance bargain that you have
to spend much more to beat, and the utility of a 4dr sedan that's
as comfortable on the open roads as it is on a track. And if you
THINK that you need an SUV for hauling things...keep in mind there
is also a WRX wagon available. Sans the fender bulges, the WRX
wagon fills the gap nicely for supreme utility and performance
driving at bargain prices.
Now, let's get down to the most
important aspect here. The driving. How does it drive? First off
we have to be introduced to the car's interior, where you will
do your piloting. Upon entry and seating I noticed just how wonderful
the seats felt. I was immediately cupped and held in place by
some very supportive and comfortable cloth seats. I don't know
who designed these seats, but they are the kind that once you're
in you don't really want to get out. Good stuff. You're greeted
next by the great looking, and feeling, MOMO steering wheel, which
is absolutely great in the hands and inspires one to really want
to turn some excitement out of it. All of the controls and accessories
seem to be in reach and easy to operate. The interior material
quality is very nice indeed and is a definite improvement over
the past models of the Imprezas, and as far as aesthetics go,
I feel are on reaching VW's level of quality. I noticed that for
me the cockpit seemed somewhat cramped, yet at the same time had
ample head clearance and room for passengers. Perhaps I just had
to get a little closer to the wheel to get a good feel for the
pedals. In fact this is one of my main gripes in the car, I just
couldn't seem to get my seating position right. I drove two different
cars on two separate occasions, both identical other than the
fact that one was optionally fitted with the factory turbo boost
gauge and an arm rest that fits between the seats. Now the boost
gauge in itself is a cool option, but as far as being useful,
I think it's up in the air depending on the level of driving one
might do with the car, For some who tend to track the car more
often the gauge would be a good choice, or for those who tend
to take a bit of tuning to their cars to tweak performance. Otherwise
I would say it's just a waste of money, in that you would rarely
look at it, and in MOST cases people have little to no idea what
they are reading anyway. Just a thought. The armrest though...in
my opinion...is a definite throw away! This thing is horribly
wrong for a car that begs to be driven like this one does. The
armrest FEELS like an afterthought. It gets in the way on every
shift and the only way I was really ever comfortable driving with
it, was if it was in the open position and out of my way. Not
very practical. The only other interior gripe I would have is
to carefully consider Subaru’s optional Titanium shifter.
We drove another WRX that
was basically un-driveable because of a striped out titanium
shift knob. It came off in our hands on every shift, and even
when just trying to reverse the car. BUT, the knob coming
off isn’t the reason I would caution against it. The
main reason is that every time it came off in our hands, we
noticed just how heavy the thing felt. This is titanium? So
my thought would be...why pay more for a lightweight metal
if it's heavy, EXPENSIVE, and doesn't feel that great...even
when it works? Yet another option for one to consider before
buying. The pedals are drilled aluminum and really add to
the sporty nature of the car and the interior atmosphere.
