From the category archives:

2008-2009 Subaru WRX

AutoExpress reviews the new Subaru Impreza diesel.

“A hefty 350Nm of torque makes for exciting acceleration, but it is the smooth power delivery which steals the show. Plus, superb flexibility means the Impreza is just as happy being pushed hard on a B-road as it is cruising around town.

However, while the permanent all-wheel drive is predictably foolproof, the chassis isn’t as adjustable as the STI’s more complicated and sporty set-up. And it shows when you take a corner – the car understeers rather than tucking in its nose.”

Read more…

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The New York Times reviews the Subaru WRX and the Mitsubishi EVO.

“With the performance side of the Impreza and Lancer lines now extending from the 237-horsepower Lancer Ralliart and 224-horse Impreza 2.5 GT on up to the Evo MR and WRX STI, the $25,690 WRX and $33,710 Evo GSR are the middle children. In a lot of ways, they’re the sweet spots of their respectivelineups.

The WRX now offers most of the STI’s thrills for two-thirds of the money, and the 5-speed Evo GSR is quicker than the more expensive MR. With its noncomputerized transmission, the GSR will be easier to modify, an important consideration for the legions of Evo owners who bump up their horsepower.”

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2009 Subaru WRX

The 2009 Subaru WRX was reviewed by Alvarado Post, and it looks like they enjoyed the car a lot!

“Subaru has definitely raised performance and handling to a new level because this car is an absolute blast to drive.

Handling is outstanding — simply outstanding.

While I could literally gush over how crisp the re-tuned suspension and steering systems perform, I’m even more impressed with the increase in performance Subaru has managed to deliver in the 2.5-liter Boxer turbocharged 4-cylinder engine.

With a base price starting around $26,000, the Impreza WRX includes a long list of standard features, including: 60/40 split fold down rear seat back, audio system with CD player, automatic climate control system, cruise control, digital clock and outside temperature gauge, electroluminescent instrument gauges, incline start assist, leather-wrapped steering wheel with controls for cruise and audio systems, performance-designed front seats, power windows and door locks, remote keyless entry, tilt-and-telescoping steering column and intermittent wipers.”

Wow! Intermittent wipers!

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Ken Block performs a road test of the Subaru WRX – a real world road test.

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Car and Driver has a long term road test of the 2008 Subaru WRX STI. It looks like they got a bunch of mechanical issues with the car. The review is pretty extensive and is worth a read.

“The first few months with the STI were smooth sailing. [...] Around the 11,000-mile mark, second gear began repeatedly popping out of its engagement, and into service the STI went.”

“Engine problems cropped up with just 23,000 miles on the clock. [...] An air-fuel-ratio sensor was initially suspected and subsequently replaced, but the new sensor proved no fix. Finally, after months of trying to track down the unhappy ghost in our engine bay, a new engine control unit was installed, curing the problem. [...] It took so long to identify the issue that Subaru asked the dealer to do a compression check on all cylinders, to make sure driving the car with the surging issue hadn’t caused it to go out of spec. As it turned out, the compression was indeed out of whack, so a new short block (which really means most of the engine beyond the cylinder heads) was installed at 32,066 miles.”

“[...] when the car was functioning properly, it was an extremely capable and fun-to-drive machine.”

“The all-wheel-drive system proved fantastic during the winter months and the suspension provides a much more civilized ride than that of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.”

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Chris Powell, a reader and new owner of a 2008 WRX, left an interesting comment on this blog about the new 2008 WRX. Seeing as the new car has received pretty bad comments from readers of this blog, I think Chris’ opinion is worth sharing.

He says:

Interesting list of quotes from the trade magazines, even more interesting comments from the readers of this blog. My only question is, do you own one? Well I do! I think the car is great. I’ve had it a week now and traded in my 2003 WRX Wagon for the 2008 5 door.

The previous blogger Timis posted “make a comparison with latest VW Golf / Audi A3 / BMW 120i / Opel-Vauxhall Astra models”. Well he is right, only one big difference, it’s a Subaru! I upgraded the car with STI metal pedals and a short-throw shifter. Unfortunately that is all you can get right now from SPT at Subaru. I’ll add intake and exhaust upgrades from the dealership as soon as they become available.

The first thing you notice (apart from the more stylish and mature look of the car) is the sound of the doors when you close them. They sound and feel much more like a BMW or Audi rather than that “tin” door feel of my 2003 WRX. As soon as I took off from the dealership I immediately noticed the lower end torque of the 2.5 Liter engine versus my old 2.0 liter block. You also notice much more of the hood out the front windshield in the new version of the car.

The handling is completely legendary Subaru. Just yesterday I flew in to a 90 degree left turn on the way to work. I remember quite distinctly in the old wagon that I tried the same turn some years back “a bit too fast”. In that “incident”, I under-steered and nearly slid off the road on the right hand side of the corner as I came out of the turn. This time in the 2008, I hit that hard left (well in to the oncoming lane), and only slid a half lane to the right. I was in much better control of the situation. I was probably well over 100-110kph around the turn in third gear and I mean a two lane, hard 90 degree left (we drive on the right here in the US just in case you haven’t been here). It was only then that I noticed the car also has additional traction control and I saw a wonderful little orange indicator light come on in the dash to let me know I had lost traction. I‘m going to light up that baby more often! I didn’t have any indicators like that at all in the 2003.

All in all, the car is very impressive and with the new quiet in the cockpit, the 6 C/D stereo sounds much, much, better. Buy one if you can, we only had five, 5 doors here in Houston (Sept. 07) and the charcoal grey one is smoking tires on the street as you read this!

Well it sure sounds like a fun car to drive and I’m glad people are actually enjoying the new car!

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A few weeks ago, the new 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX was unveiled at the New York Auto Show. According to the many comments I’ve received on this blog, current Subaru owners and fans are quite disappointed by the new look and lack of performance upgrade. But what do other news source and blogs think of the new WRX? I’ve compiled a list of facts and opinions found on the internet since the beginning of the month.

What do others think of the new ‘rex?

Scoop has an interesting quote from Chris Rickards, the General Manager of Subaru of New Zealand: “More than 60 percent of Impreza purchases are either made by women or influenced by women. Increasingly we are finding women seeking style and performance as well as safety in their new car purchase.”

IGN says: “Subaru has never been known for making ‘pretty’ cars, and its latest ride – the 2008 Impreza WRX – is most certainly not a ‘looker’”. But then, no Impreza has ever been pretty. To be honest, every Impreza known to man has been more than a bit ugly, but just like you say to the hot cheerleader that won’t date your ugly ass, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.”

theage.com.au says: “While the WRX has been toned down to be more conservative in an effort to appeal to a different audience, Subaru insiders suggest the range-topping STi model will be more radical than ever. [...] The leaked images of the new hatchback-style Impreza model have already stirred debate on motoring forums, and the official pictures of the more conservative WRX range are guaranteed to polarise more opinions.”

Subdriven says: “Developed around the product concept of new, more refined designs for comfort, the latest Impreza incorporates sophisticated styling and rich interior design, roominess and space, and outstanding comfort and utility, while offering a pleasant and safe ride enhanced by Subaru Symmetrical AWD (All-Wheel drive) with the Horizontally-Opposed engine.”

Motor Trend, who was the first to leak pictures of the new car, says: “How does a kid racer mature without growing up? In the case of the Subaru Impreza WRX, it loses the fender flares and becomes a hot hatch, that Euroesque ideal of the small, fast, cheap car. And it becomes more liveable, more sophisticated. [...] Unfortunately, this first look at the new model-now a five-door hatchback as well as a four-door sedan-hitting showrooms in September doesn’t include a drive. The news is about everything but getting behind the wheel and flogging it sideways in the dirt or snow.”

Autoblog says: “It looks better in person than in photos, but we’re not yet ready to commit to, you know, actually liking it. Inside, the Impreza has a roomy feel, but the overall quality left us feeling a bit unsatisfied.”

Jalopnik says: “Subaru wiped the cosmoline off its new Subaru Impreza WRX, in the upcoming sedan configuration. It’s the one an informal survey of Jalopnik comments chose as the best looking of the new Impreza models. And it does look pretty good in three dimensions, if slightly more generic that its blocky predecessor.”

Auto123 says: “The new Subaru Impreza is here. Having lost its aggressive boyish good looks, the 2008 edition of the Impreza is now more mainstream and should actually attract more potential buyers. [...] Unfortunately, the engine choice are directly carried over from the previous car; too bad for those that were hoping for big power increases for the WRX.”

Mobile Magazine says: “Although I’ve never owned a Subaru myself, I’m a fan of the carmaker because of their sporty Imprezas (particularly the STi) evoke a great sense of power in a beautiful all-wheel-drive package. The newly unveiled 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX ditches the pig nose fascia found on the current model, replacing it with a wider, sleeker grille.”

Sunday Mirror says: “SUBARU took the wraps off their new WRX this week – and the four-door has to be the most handsome incarnation of the new Impreza line-up. With more than a hint of the BMW 3-Series, I particularly like its gaping bonnet scoop, and for once there’s a frontal aspect that isn’t going to frighten small children. [...] Die-hard Scooby fans may be disappointed, but I think this is absolutely the right way to go with the Impreza, moving its market away from a bad boy’s toy to a 30-something’s skateboard. In the process it’s bound to steal sales from the excellent but ubiquitous 3-Series.”

Hamilton Spectator
doesn’t care about the appearance: “There has been some fan griping on the Internet about the bigger size and ‘Camry-like’ new look but most WRX aficionados, having gone through previous cosmetic makeovers, swear they don’t care what it looks like as long as it still rides, handles and performs like a WRX.”

New Zealand Herald thinks the new hatchback’s been designed with women in mind. “The five-door hatch is moving upmarket with a more stylish design to appeal more to women buyers and break into the European hatch market.”

Motor Authority says: “Subaru of America senior vice president Timothy Mahoney has told Ward’s Auto that most WRX fans have come to accept the new design. “The WRX is a really emotional product and it has a very loyal following,” he said. Mahoney then went on to explain that most people came around after seeing the car up close, referring to the 100-odd WRX enthusiasts that attended a special post-show event hosted by Subaru.”

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After some unofficial pictures of the 2008 Impreza WRX hatchback were leaked last week (yes, it appears the photos were real after all), Subaru has released official information on the new car.

Here it is in its full … glory?

2008 Subaru Impreza WRX sedan
Sedan version of the new WRX. Picture from Inside Line.

It does not look so bad, but Subaru fans’ expectations were very high regarding the new Impreza. It’s much better than the hatchback model in my opinion. Still, the antenna is killing me! It makes the car look so cheap.

2008 Subaru Impreza WRX sedan interior
Sedan interior. Picture from Inside Line.

And what’s with the beige interior? I sure hope it comes in a choice of color. While the cabin has definitely been improved, it looks like the interior of a spaceship.

2008 Subaru Impreza WRX hatchback front
Hatchback version of the new Subaru. Picture from Inside Line.

The 5-door hatchback WRX will replace the current wagon model.

2008 Subaru Impreza WRX hatchback back
The new hatchback from behind. Picture from Inside Line.

The 2008 Impreza WRX sedan is destined for the North American market only. It will use the same 2.5L engine as the hatchback version and will come in either a 5-speed manual transmission or in a 4-speed automatic. Power output is expected to be roughly the same as the current model, about 224 hp and 226 lb-ft of torque, but reachable at 5200 rpm and 2800 rpm compared to last year’s 5600 rpm and 3600 rpm respectively. While the sedan is 4.9 inches longer than the current model, it will actually weight less, losing about 50 pounds.

The WRX STI version is expected to be announced early next year. And you guys with a 2004-2005 WRX out there: hold onto it dearly. As a fellow owner, the 2008 WRX is not what I was hoping for and I won’t be getting one anytime soon.

Source: Inside Line, Car and Driver

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Apparently, some new pictures of the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX were “leaked” by the magazine Motor Trend. A user of the NASIOC forums claims he received the May issue of the magazine, in which a hatchback version of the new WRX is featured. I think it is a bit far fetched and it might be a marketing move by Motor Trend, but if you want to see the pictures head to this thread at NASIOC.

One thing I hate about these pictures is the external antenna. I think it makes the car look cheap (and very much like a Mazda 3). I like my ‘05 WRX for this: it has no external antenna.

I won’t be posting any more unofficial information or pictures of the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX until it is officially announced, probably in ten days from now on April 5th at the New York Auto Show. There have been far too many rumors already on the subject!

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There will be a 2008 WRX

February 16, 2007

Recently, the British magazine Autocar has stated that Subaru had no plan of carrying over the WRX model in 2008, instead offering only the base Impreza and the more powerful STI models.

It appears the rumor is not founded: Autoblog was contacted by Michael McHale, Subaru’s Director of Corporate Communications. Michael McHale let them know that Subaru is going to offer the WRX model in 2008.

Furthermore, he also mentioned that there WILL be a sedan version of the redesigned 2008 Impreza. He did not confirm the hatchback rumors though. Well that’s two good news. It looks like we’ll be able to buy a 2008 WRX sedan after all!

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