I was going to start this review by writing about how I finally bought a car just because I wanted it. Then I thought about that and realized I bought my Porsche 944 just because I wanted it, and my first Acura, and my Celica and . . . well, maybe I should start by saying I finally bought a car just because it goes really fast. I know what you’re thinking, He bought a Porsche and that wasn’t really fast? In fact the 944 feels about as peppy as a Geo Metro after a spin in my WRX.

▪ Engine and Drive Train
Let’s start with the propulsion system that makes this the first really exciting Subaru product since the SVX. The XT was Subaru’s first car that caught my eye. There is a naming theme here that leads me to believe that the more imagination that Subaru puts into their cars, the less they put into naming them.

A hearty 2.0-liter, 16 valve, turbo charged engine drives the WRX. In typical Subaru fashion, the engine is a horizontally opposed 4 cylinder, also known as a Boxer. This power plant puts out an impressive 227 horsepower. Interestingly the only other builder I know of that currently utilizes this type of engine is Porsche.

The biggest advantage of a box engine is that it lowers the center of gravity of the engine. This engine layout also lowers vibration. Subaru has proven the reliability of this design over the years. My wife had over 180,000 miles on her GL when we traded it in. It was ugly as sin, but ran great and required little in the way of maintenance and repairs.

The drive train puts the power to the pavement through a five-speed transmission. The transmission and wheels link up via full time all wheel drive.

▪ A swift kick in the pants
The test drive went from ho-hum to holy cow in 3000 R.P.M.s. As soon as I let out the clutch the car grumbled and stalled. Hmm, an embarrassing and not so impressive start. I made excuses about how low the clutch was compared to my Porsche and tried again.

The car pulled away from the Dealership’s front door with all the excitement of my mother’s Accord . . . maybe less. When I pulled onto the main road and let the engine spool up to 3000 R.P.M.s the story was pretty different. Suddenly the engine woke up realizing that I was serious and wanted to get moving. I swore I heard a Scottish voice from the back saying, “I’m givin’ ‘er all I can Cap’ain!’. Warp 10 will do just fine, Scotty

Then I heard this strange laughter and looked over to see what the salesman thought was so funny. Only then did I realize that this uncontrollable laugh was coming from my throat, not his. In the blink of an eye the WRX went from blah to making me laugh with excitement.

The slight whine of the turbo is much less noticeable than the feeling of sinking back into the comfortable seats. In a breath the tachometer flicks from 3000 to the 7000 redline. Before the end of second gear you at sixty miles per hour. On the highway, I found myself chuckling all the way through third gear. The speedo read 100 barely into fourth. At that point I decided that I better throttle back a little lest I lose my license.

Three minutes into the test drive, the salesman asked, “What kind of time frame were you thinking about for buying a new car?”

“Well, how long will it take us to get back to the dealership?” I asked him.

▪ Now it’s my WRX
The drive home kept me at least as amused as the test drive had. On the first right turn merge I slipped the clutch and nearly gave myself whiplash as the all wheel drive clung to the asphalt. It was something like being flung from a catapult. (I have much experience at being shot from catapults).

I opted for the bright metallic blue paint job which seemed the most appealing of the colors. This has however turned into one of my few gripes. Apparently everyone else agrees on the blue as the best color choice. At the rink I generally play hockey at there are at least three people driving the same car in blue. I was driving on a four-lane section of I-25 the other day with a blue WRX on either side of me and another in front of me . . . sigh, I got one and now everyone has to try to be like me.

▪ Exterior
The styling of the WRX was not a huge factor in my decision. Honestly I find it a little bland compared to other cars I was vaguely considering such as the RX-8, MINI, S2000, and 350Z. The WRX as a four door simply doesn’t have the sexy lines that all of these sport coupes have.

The beefy fender flares that set the WRX apart from standard Imprezas do add a little to the appearance of the car. The hood scoop, though functional for the turbo intercooler, looks a little silly as it is almost too small and squat. Overall, I think the car looks a bit too short, lacking the more sophisticated lines of the slightly larger Legacy.

The paint job is pretty nice. I still like the color even though everyone seems to have one. I think I would like it a great deal more if it wasn’t so common. The stock aluminum wheels are even fairly nice. Sixteen inch wheels are standard with beefy 205/55 tires.

▪ Interior
How about a Momo steering wheel and billeted aluminum pedals? These are things that most cars get as aftermarket items purchased by loving owners. The leather wrapped Momo wheel is comfortable, the perfect thickness for my hands. The billeted pedals are nicely placed for heel and toe.

The instrument cluster is easy to read in day and night. There are no obstructions and everything is laid out in plain view.

The WRX seats are comfortable and supportive. They are attractive black with splashes of color. The driver’s seat adjusts up and down, much to the pleasure of my not so tall wife. (Yeah, I made her drive it the first time, now she wants to drive it all the time). Legroom and headroom is sufficient for six foot tall me.

The back seats aren’t all that great for 200 pound, six foot tall people. My wife (still not so tall) claims she is comfortable back there though. I make her ride in the back, she makes me wear a black chauffeur’s hat. The whole deal looks really dumb in a car this short.

The cup holders aren’t impressive. The one below the armrest works alright, but drinks sitting in it are in the way of comfortable shifting. The other drink holder seems clever at first. This one retracts into the dashboard. However, it is hard to open and puts the drink right in front of the radio. God forbid you might want to have a drink and tune the radio at the same time.

The trunk is not a high point. It is roomy enough for me to put a full set of Goalie gear (no small task) in it. However, the lid is so small that I have to give it quite a shove to get it there. Another minor gripe is the lack of a fold down rear seat. There is a fold down armrest that you can put skis through (or hockey sticks).

The armrest storage compartment is downright stupid. The car comes with a six disk changer and room for four CDs in the storage section. Duh!

▪ Sound System
The standard sound system is more than enough to make most people happy. The WRX comes with a six disk, six speaker sound system. I don’t listen to music as loud as I did when I was younger (or likely as loud as I will when I am older). Thus the system in the WRX is plenty loud for me.

I suppose if you prefer for others to hear and feel your music, then it will need to an upgrade (and you will certainly need it louder when you get older). The controls on the stereo are intuitive and easy to use.

The sound quality is good enough that I will not update anything on the stereo unless it breaks.

▪ Driving impressions
As mentioned the turbo charged performance is outstanding. My Porsche is downright sluggardly after driving the WRX. Handling is not nearly as impressive as the Porsche though.

The WRX feels top a bit top heavy and unstable in hard turns. In curves where the Porsche laughs mockingly, the WRX demonstrates high levels of body roll. It just doesn’t feel stable. Strangely, the WRX feels a little less squirrelly in a turn under power than it does coasting through a turn.

Snow came only days after I bought my WRX. I wasn’t too pleased at the thought of getting my new toy all dirty right away, but I was amazed at how it screamed right through eight inches of white fluff. This is one of the main selling points for me in the WRX. It is a car that you can drive fast and don’t need to put away in the winter.

Where the Porsche excels in the turns, it doesn’t even come close to the performance of the WRX in snow. Not only does the WRX go well in the snow, it handles impressively on slick roads and brakes confidently with four-channel anti lock brakes. Most cars only have three-channels, one rear and two front channels, essentially giving you three wheel anti-lock stability rather than four.

▪ Costs of ownership
I got a killer lease on my car. I traded in an old Toyota truck with a trade in book value of about $1200. With no other cash out of pocket, my monthly payments are a mere $259 a month for forty months.

My maintenance costs have been negligible for the first sixteen months. My lease included all oil changes (told you it was a killer deal). For my first 11,000 miles the only out of pocket has been $40 for two tire rotations thus far. There has been one recall on the car, a cruise control issue that I will get taken care of on my next oil change in a couple of weeks. (I never use cruise control anyway).

Fuel mileage is pretty good for the type of performance that I get. I average a little over 22 miles per gallon. That’s not bad considering that I generally use the throttle as an on/off switch. My right foot is a little on the heavy side.

▪ Final Thoughts
There are a few small gripes I have about the WRX. My wish list to Subaru will likely prove pointless as the new cars they have hinted at are going to make the WRX seem like a gaudy child’s toy anyway.

In all the car is well built. There are no squeaks or rattles. The road noise is quiet at cruising speed and the seats are comfortable. The acceleration still makes me grin even if I don’t laugh aloud these days.

There are faster cars on the market in a similar price range now. The Neon SVT is in the ballpark of the WRX for horsepower and might be a tad faster and a few bucks cheaper. However, it lacks the all wheel drive that attracted me to this car. Further the Neon is hardly the acme of reliability and longevity.

The Mitsubishi Lancer EVO and newer WRX STI both sport horsepower in the range of 300. They also have a slightly high price tag of approximately $30,000. In this same price range you have to Audi TT which has remarkably similar numbers to the WRX. All of these cars are worth a look.

The WRX is practical enough to keep my wife from hassling me. It is quick enough to keep me smiling. It goes through the snow. I doubt that I would change my mind on my purchase of the WRX for anything else in the same price range.

Also see: 1983 Porsche 944
Amount Paid (US$): 259/mo
Condition: New