In a Nutshell: A relatively nice, small, AWD sport sedan, but the interior and powertrain, despite more HP/torque this year, need work.
Per CL member request, I checked out the new WRX today. I had already written a split-review of the current-generation, 2008 Impreza 2.5i and Outback Sport, but it was one of my older reviews without pictures/images, not particularly well-written or comprehensive, and, in general, I wasn’t impressed with the way I had written it (I don’t think I did a very good job on that review). So, I decided to start over today and do the new WRX that I had a specific request for. It was probably a good idea, anyway, since Subaru made some changes this year from last year’s Impreza/WRX/STI line.
Subaru introduced the WRX line to the American market, after much cajoling from enthusiasts of the previous 165 HP GT version (dropped), about seven years ago. The WRX, a noted semi-rally Impreza version, had been available overseas for years, but Subaru officials stubbornly kept it out of the American market because they thought it wouldn’t sell here (rallying is not big in the U.S.). Once they were finally persuaded to bring the WRX here, its popularity, particularly with young men and the caps-on-backward crowd, took off like Friday night free beer at Clancy’s Bar….dealers simply couldn’t keep them in stock. Unfortunately, the car’s image, led by some Hollywood bull-****** movies like “The Fast and the Furious”, led to a lot of aggressive driving, accidents, and high insurance rates, particularly with the even spunkier Subaru STi version and the Mitsubushi Evo soon to follow. Clutches and transmissions on early WRX models suffered from hard use and fast launches…the AWD prevented a lot of the normal tire-spin, so the drivetrain took a lot of the punishment instead.
The Impreza line, including the WRX/STi, got several face-lifts and mild redesigns in the intervening years…..Subaru stylists and designers couldn’t quite seem to decide what they really wanted the car to look like, but a major redesign did not come until last year…..2008. The 2008 model Impreza line (its dash was shared with the also all-new new 2009 Forester) represented a true, all-new redesign, not just a minor facelift. Many complaints were received by Subaru loyalists about the new hatchback design, especially, with its French-looking, Renault-like rear end and garish taillights. However, the WRX, like the previous version, was also still available as a sedan for those who didn’t like the hatchback. Complaints were also received, both from WRX fans and from the auto press, about the WRX going more “mainstream” and being softer and less sport-like in the chassis. Subaru claimed to address that this year…..I’ll comment more on the chassis, of course, below.
OK…let’s get to the current line-up. For 2009, Subaru has played musical chairs with the whole line-up of its Impreza models. Base, non-turbo 2.5i 4-door sedan and 5-door hatchback models continue as before, with the Outback Sport and its two-tone paint and winter gear continuing to play the upmarket, non-turbo-hatchback role. Last year’s WRX, with the 224 HP turbo four and 226 ft-lbs. of torque, has been rebadged as the new Impreza GT model…the GT name was brought back after several years of demise. The new WRX, in both sedan and hatchback form, has been upgraded (probably because of the competing Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart) to a 265 HP turbo four with 244 ft-lbs. of torque…..and claimed chasis/suspension changes. A new Premium WRX series adds some standard equipment. The top-of-the line STi model carries on, in hatchback form only, with the 305 HP turbo four with 290 ft-lbs. of torque and a special, driver-controlled, programmable AWD system. All non-turbo models get a choice of a 5-speed manual and sport-shift 4-speed automatic. The turbo GT model comes only with the automatic (that’s right…no manual). The WRX and WRX Premium, conversely, come only with a 5-speed manual. The STi models come only with a 6-speed manual. No vehicles in the Impreza line have yet gotten a 5-speed automatic…..an oversight that Subaru has yet to correct, even with the new 2009 models (However, I basically like the 4-speed automatic, even with its relatively low flexibility…it is smooth, quiet, and slick). Subaru offers 5 different AWD differential systems, each tailored to a specific engine-transmission combination……I won’t go into all the details here.
I posted images, above, of a WRX hatchback, as the hatchback generally outsells the sedan, but I actually test-drove a WRX Premium sedan, as there was only one WRX hatchback in stock at that Subaru shop, and it was already spoken for. I sat in both sedan and hatchback models, however, to check for interior room, but my on-the-road comments, below, apply to the sedan, not the hatchback. The dealership requested that I not put a lot of miles on the WRX sedan during the test-drive, as WRX buyers tend to want as few miles on them as possible, so I agreed to hold it down. I did, however, IMO, drive it enough for a general review, though I didn’t find quite as many different road surfaces to try as I’d like.
Details coming up.
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