Having spent 3 weeks in Hawaii I have so many reviews I want to write, the only way for me to do this is in the order of experience. I kept a log of each day so I will be writing them as they were done not whether they have 5 reviews or 50. This review is on the 2002 2.5 RS Impreza Subaru sedan. The first thing we did after claiming our bags at Kahaluii Airport in Maui was to go to Alamo and pick up this terrific car. We spent 5 nights on this island so I had plenty of time to get to know it.

The car’s features

~The Subaru we rented had a manual transmission with all wheel drive. What I learned from www.suburu.com is that "this all wheel drive (AWD) system automatically distributes power between (AWD) front and rear wheels based on traction needs. Manual transmission models, which we have, have a viscous-coupling locking center differential."

~ The car comes with power window and door locks.

~ 3-point seat belts for all positions- This car is a 4 door and a 5 seater with 3 seat belts in the back. I will talk about space in a moment.

~ A CD player and radio with great sound. We used a CD when we took “The road to Hana” since there is a CD that you can get to accompany you on that trip.

~ A 4 channel, 4 sensor Anti-Lock Brake system

~ Cruise control

~16-inch aluminam alloy wheels

~ Standard also are: side-impact door beams; child safety rear door locks; internal child safety trunk release

The specificiations

-Type: Horizontally opposed SOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder
-Displacement: 2.5 liters (150 cubic inches)
-Horsepower: 165 @ 5600 rpm
-Torque (lb.-ft.): 166 @ 4000 rpm
-Valvetrain: 16-valve with single overhead camshaft design (SOHC)
-Fuel System: Sequential multi-port fuel injection system
-Ignition System: Low-maintenance distributorless electronic
-Engine Management :ECM Engine Control Module manages fuel injection and ignition Management systems and features learning, self-diagnosis, limp-home and anti-knock capabilities
-Fuel Tank Capacity :15.9 gallons 2002
-EPA Mileage Estimates (mpg, city/highway) 21/28 (manual transmission) 22/27 (automatic transmission)

~I admittedly don’t know what much of the above means but it may be important to you. I will tell you that my husband, the accountant, calculated the mpg and we got 22 miles per gallon of gas. Most of the roads – let’s say all of the roads, were not highways so I would expect to have gotten a lower end number.

~One thing I noticed were oversized headlights as in the newer Mercedes. These just added to the sporty look the Imprezu has.

The interior:

~I like to talk about storage space because for me that is important in a car. The Impreza has very large map pockets one each side of the door.

~There is an arm rest in between the driver and the front passenger that goes up or down and lifts up to reveal extra storage.

~There is a small, middle visor which I had never seen before in a car.

~The seats move forward and backward manually as well as in a recline position. The recline is almost totally flat.

~There is plenty of leg room in the front and plenty of height. My husband isn’t tall – 5’ 11” but he has been in cars where his head touched the roof. Not so here – there is plenty of room.

~The back is roomy for 2 people of 3 average sized adults. Three large adults would feel cramped in the back for any extended drive.

~The interior was cloth and very comfortable.

~There were two negatives about the inside of the car: Although there were two cup holders in the front, they were small. They were smaller than what I am used to in every other car I have been in, in fact. We put drinks in the arm rest that lifts up, but if you have other stuff in there you will be holding your drink on your lap. I hope the 2003 has upgraded that. The second negative was the clock. There was one but it could only be seen at night when the lights were on.

~The car comes in the following colores: Aspen Blue Ridge Pearl, Midnight Black Pearl, and Silver Metallic. Ours was white.

From the website:

-Wheelbase/Length 99.4/173.4
-Width/Height 68.1/56.7
-Track: front/rear 58.5/58.3
-Headroom: front/rear 38.6/36.7
-Legroom: front/rear 42.9/33.0
-Curb Weight (pounds) (w/Manual Transmission) 2965
-Curb Weight (pounds) (w/Automatic Transmission)3020
-EPA Interior Volume (cubic feet) 87.6
-EPA Cargo Volume (cubic feet) 11.0 (trunk)
-Towing capacity (lbs.) 2000

In case 11.0 means nothing to you for trunk space like it means nothing to me, I will tell you that we thought the trunk space was excellent. We were able to get both our bags in it with no problems at all. We could not do that with the next car we rented.

How the car handles:

Now that we got the above over with, I can tell you what I think of the 2002 Impreza Subaru. I love it! In fact, I was so spoiled by it, that my husband and I got into an argument at our next island when I saw the car we were renting!

In order to understand how this car handles, I will just tell you a sentence or two about Maui. Maui’s roads are very narrow. In fact for 55 miles (taking 2 ½ hours) we drove on a one lane road that curved dangerously around cliffs. This car was amazing. Truly amazing. It handled about as well as my BMW, well almost. In fact my husband commented that it could be used for a BMW commercial. What happens with the BMW when you turn a corner, let’s say, is that you stay up, while the car turn. Well, the same was true for the Imprezu. It was a pleasure to drive and to be a passenger in. (I think that is called torque steer but you’ll tell me if I’m wrong.) There is great information which I am not going to quote because you can read it yourself at:

http://www.kbb.com/kb/ki.dll/kw.kc.rp?kbb.MA&02360&11&02IMPREZA2

http://www.kbb.com/kb/ki.dll/kw.kc.rp?kbb.MA&02360&11&02IMPREZA1

The shifting mechanisms were no problem. It shifted easily and smoothly. It accelerated amazingly well and at the end of 5 days, I knew that I would not hesitate buying this car. I urge you to go to the above website if you want even more information than can be included in this review.

In summary:

The Impreza Subaru is awesome. It has no tinny feel. It feels strong and stable. It is amazingly quiet, we virtually heard no outside noises or wind and it is affordable at about $20,000.

With the spoiler you have a very sporty looking car which would appeal to the 20 somethings and without it (or with it!) the car has the look and stability of one a senior would enjoy.

If you have any questions about this car, feel free to e-mail me. I feel I spent enough time with it to know it well enough to answer some basic questions you may have that I didn’t cover.

If you would like to read my other car reviews, here are the links:

If you are interested in other car reviews, here are my links:

2000 Nissan Altima
2001 Chevy Malibu
2002 Chevy Prizm
1998 Dodge Ram Van
1996 Nissan Sentra
2001 Pontiac Sunfire
1999 Toyota Camry
2001 Hyunda Accent
1998 Chevy S-10 Pick
1999 BMW 323is
2002 Subaru Impreza
2000 Suzuki Swift
2001 Chevy Metro
Amount Paid (US$): 18, 995/base
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: 2.5 RS Standard