Excellent value; now looks the business; useful interior; great drive
We had to give it back to Subaru
We spent a couple of days a few months back sampling both the new Subaru Impreza WRX and STI versions around Victoria’s high-speed Phillip Island Raceway and the roads over the hills behind Wonthaggi.
But in real-life, owners of the high-performance Impreza need to cover all sorts of variables, including – gulp! – the horror of peak-hour traffic crawling. Then there are children and luggage to be accommodated, deep drainage culverts and high-rise car parks to negotiate…the list goes on.
And that’s the trick for cars like the Subaru Impreza WRX and the likes of the local high performance vehicles from FPV and HSV – ‘Superman’ actually spends most of his time in a suit and tie as Clark Kent!
This time we enjoyed a week with the new Subaru Impreza WRX and put it through our usual test procedures.
Subaru Impreza WRX Overview
Apart from the technology, the really big news for the latest Subaru Impreza WRX is its value-for-money. Despite all the extra goodies, Subaru has kept the same 2010 recommended retail price of $39,990 – which, when compared with rivals, is remarkable.
With its aggressive new looks, improved suspension and an upgraded interior, the latest Subaru Impreza WRX is back to its best – a performance car icon which can accommodate the whole family.
Subaru Impreza WRX Engine
No changes under the bonnet for the latest Subaru Impreza WRX – the famous 2.5-litre, turbocharged, four-cylinder ‘Boxer’ engine retains its hallmark rumble as it delivers maximum power of 195kW at 6,000rpm and peak torque of 343Nm from 4,000rpm.
In fact that revered Impreza exhaust note gets a little more raucous in the latest WRX which adopts the four exhaust tailpipes layout (using 80mm diameter pipes) which was previously exclusive to the STI model.
Subaru says the Impreza WRX returns combined cycle fuel consumption of 10.4l/100kms and exhaust C02 emissions are rated at 247g/km. The WRX requires 95RON-unleaded fuel.
With that marvelous Boxer turbo doing its thing, and Subaru’s legendary symmetrical all-wheel-drive handling the traction, the Subaru Impreza WRX remains immense funs as it sprints through zero to 100km/h in just 5.9 seconds – exactly the same time as the five-door, manual, Volkswagen Golf R which is $10,000 more expensive.
Subaru Impreza WRX The Interior
Our week with the Subaru Impreza WRX reminded us of the practical interior – often overlooked. That’s great news for dads who love to drive - here’s a high-performance four-door sedan with enough rear seat legroom for teenagers.
Changes for the latest models are only details – there’s some new metallic trim features and revised looks/functionality for the conventional gauges.
As usual with Subaru Impreza WRX, it’s immediately obvious the interior layout has been the work of a team who know what performance car drivers like. For starters the height-adjustable sports drivers seat combines with height/reach adjustment for the sporty three-spoke steering wheel to deliver a top-shelf driving position.
The front seats themselves - while not the body-hugging Recaros of the STI version - are still supportive and look great with their embroidered ‘WRX ‘ logos.
We like the smart detail of all Subaru interiors – for example in the Impreza WRX, the nice alloy pedals and the simple yet sporty three-spoke steering wheel with simple buttons for the cruise control and intuitive controls for the climate control and audio systems (some European rivals will soon require a university degree just to lower the interior temperature by a degree or two).
However we stand by previous observations that some of the plastic trim of the latest Subaru Impreza WRX doesn’t match the trims of say the Mazda6 or Nissan Maxima. Subaru’s material is just a tad hard to touch and looks a bit down-market by comparison.
Subaru Impreza WRX Exterior & Styling
We still love the new ‘blistered’ guards/widebody look of the latest Subaru Impreza WRX. It’s how the Impreza WRX should always be.
And it’s not just looks – the extended guards are required to cover the wider tracks (+35mm front and +40mm rear) of the latest Subaru Impreza WRX and also the new rubber which is 10mm wider than on the previous generation.
At the rear, the under-bumper diffuser with an integrated fog light adds to the purposeful stance of the Subaru Impreza WRX.
And the front is distinguished by a new, dark-finish grille, sharper bumper corners and new designs for the fog light housings.
WRX runs on new, great-looking, gunmetal grey 17-inch alloy wheels and our test car was fitted with 235/45 R17 directional Dunlop SP1 Sport tyres.
Subaru Impreza WRX On The Road
By any measure, the Subaru Impreza WRX is a high-performance, high-tech sedan the whole family can live with. Controls are light, the 10.8-metre turning circle accommodates the challenges of CBD car parks and the handy package size, plus good all-round visibility, makes street parking easy (just remember that front splitter is quite low).
Take the Subaru Impreza WRX into circumstances like our high-speed mountain roads test loop and that’s where the ‘legend’ of the WRX comes to the fore. The brilliant traction as you accelerate hard with the Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive system admirably shifting drive for maximum force, the pin-sharp turn-in and brilliant chassis balance…it’s all just so good, especially for a vehicle stickered at $39,990.
And good as the performance is, almost as impressive is the hallmark Subaru low NVH and high levels of refinement.
Subaru Impreza WRX Challenges
While acknowledging the upgraded interior of the latest Subaru Impreza WRX, we still reckon some of the interior trim and dashboard plastics don’t match the best of some Mazda and Nissan products.
Subaru Impreza WRX Verdict
Our week in the Subaru Impreza WRX confirmed the impressions gained on the launch program around Phillip Island – Subaru has listened to the critics and responded with an improved WRX which is back to the best of the breed.
We’ve read criticism of the four-speed automatic WRX and after a week in the commuter traffic with the five-speed manual, we recommended performance enthusiasts opt for the self-shifter – it’s light, easy to use and not all tiring in the peak-hour crawl.
All of this technology and performance for $39,990 is an absolute steal.
Subaru Impreza WRX The Competition
Subaru fans know the WRX is a performance car icon and really all-wheel-drive turbocharged technology in a four-door sedan at this price isn’t common (at least on the official list of cars sold in Australia, but grey imports are a different story).
For example, the five-door, six-speed manual, all-wheel-drive Volkswagen Golf R (yes, we know it’s a hatch) is $10,000 more expensive at $49,990.
And while Honda’s racy Civic Type R is also priced at $39,990, it only drives the front wheels.
