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January 13, 2003
Full Test: 2002 Subaru Impreza WRXA Sports Car in Sedan Clothing
Despite Subaru’s enthusiastic press kit claim that the new Impreza WRX boasts a higher power-to-weight ratio than Audi’s S4, the current king of all-wheel-drive sport sedans, a week with the new hot shot from Japan made one thing obvious: The WRX ain’t no Audi.
And thank God for that.
Had Subaru grown a big head and actually tried to position the WRX directly against German sedans like the S4 and BMW 330Xi (similar to the way it’s trying to position the Legacy Outback VDC upscale), it might have ended up with nothing more than the world’s most overpriced and overweight Impreza, destined to get lost among the multitude of sport sedan wannabes that frequently attempt to tread on the hallowed ground of the Germans.
Instead, Subaru remained humble and focused on one simple objective: ultimate driving performance. It’s evident in nearly every aspect of the car, from the thickly bolstered sport seats (cloth, no slippery leather), the racecar-tight suspension (very communicative would be a polite euphemism), and a simple, yet functional interior that wastes no time trying to impress the country club set.
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The overall theme is tastefully subtle, until you get to the headlights, of course. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they do provide the WRX with a look all its own. |
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From this angle, the car exhibits a definite “sleeper” look, with no garish wing or flimsy side skirts giving away the car’s underlying ability to wipe the concrete with just about any sports car on the market. |
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An uncluttered gauge cluster, thick Momo steering wheel and straightforward climate controls give the interior its simple but sporty look. |
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The result is a street-scorching four-door sedan that can embarrass every sport coupe and pony car in its price range. Sure, a Mustang Cobra or Camaro Z28 will smoke the little Subie from a light, but lead those same knuckle-draggers down a twisty mountain road, and the WRX will be waving bye-bye from its tastefully wingless trunk lid.
Japan doesn’t have much to counter with either. Toyota’s Celica has an equally athletic chassis, but with 57 fewer horsepower and 87 fewer foot-pounds of torque, can you guess which one will come blasting out of a corner faster? The Acura Integra Type R is a sport coupe that shares the WRX’s no-holds-barred performance philosophy, but its platform is dated, and its engine still lags behind the Subaru in both horsepower and torque by a wide margin.
So how does Subaru’s new overachiever accomplish all these amazing feats of asphalt athleticism? A good chunk of the credit goes to the 2.0-liter turbocharged flat four under the hood. Producing 227 horsepower and 217 ft.-lbs. of torque, this engine cranks out an amazing 113.5 horsepower-per-liter, a level of performance typically reserved for mega-dollar exotics and high-strung racecars. To churn out such impressive numbers, Subaru engineers specified an aluminum-alloy block and heads for strength and light weight, dual overhead camshafts and four valves-per-cylinder for precise fuel and air control, and an air-to-air intercooler to keep the incoming oxygen cool and dense.
The unusual horizontally opposed cylinder configuration makes for a unique sound, a little bit Porsche 911, a little bit VW Beetle (both cars employ boxer engines of their own). Rev it up, drop the clutch and the Impreza responds with a bit of a whimper, as noticeable turbo lag prevents the blown motor from unleashing the 200-plus ponies from under its aluminum hood. Only after the tachometer has swung past 3,500 rpm does all 14.2 lbs. of boost chime in to propel the four-door from zero to 60 in 6.3 seconds on its way to a 14.9 second quarter-mile time at 90 mph.
Under full boost, the turbo’s torque curve remains flat much like the 2.5-liter engine in the RS model (still available, although in sedan form only). It’s nowhere near as smooth as the more refined sixes in the S4 and 330Xi, but then again, no four-cylinder on the planet is. Compared to the loud and buzzy four-pot screamer in the Celica, the 2.0-liter in the WRX is whisper-quiet, with no annoying cabin noises even while running near its 7,000-rpm redline.
So you still might be saying to yourself, 227 horses, 14.9 in the quarter, that’s nothing to write home about. Your average Mustang GT has 260 horsepower, 300 ft.-lbs. of torque, and will run low 14s all day, so what’s the big deal?
The big deal is that the Impreza’s standard all-wheel drive can take all 227 of said ponies and transfer them directly to the ground without so much as a hint of wheel spin. (We’ve heard that WRXs with the stock 16-inch tires generate additional wheel spin off the line for slightly faster acceleration times, but we can’t confirm this.) We enjoy laying stripes as much as the next guy, but there’s something to be said for being able to mash the throttle on a wet road and still feel every ounce of horsepower pushing you back in your seat.
There are actually two different all-wheel-drive systems used in the WRX, depending on the transmission. Cars equipped with the optional four-speed automatic get Subaru’s Variable Torque Distribution (VTD) all-wheel-drive system, its most advanced system ever offered. It employs an electronically controlled hydraulic transfer clutch and a planetary gear center differential to distribute power in a 45/55 split between the front and rear axles.
The VTD system uses multiple sensors to measure front-and-rear driveshaft speeds, throttle position and gear selection. Then it actively transfers power accordingly between the front and rear wheels for optimum traction and handling. Enter a turn under braking, and the system will bias the power toward the front for greater steering control. Lay on the throttle out of a turn, and the VTD will send the torque out back for maximum thrust; all of this done in a matter of milliseconds completely imperceptible to the driver.
Or so Subaru tells us. Our WRX test car was equipped with the five-speed manual that gets a slightly less sophisticated, but no less capable continuous all-wheel-drive system. This setup uses a bevel gear center differential and a limited-slip viscous coupling that splits torque 50/50 to the front and rear axles. The system is pretty straightforward, if the front wheels begin to slip, additional power is routed to the rear and vice versa.
After putting this system through its paces on a rainy Southern California afternoon, we can tell you that Subaru’s claims of imperceptibility with this system are valid. Despite tight hairpin turns, gobs of throttle and freshly drenched roads, we never managed to break the WRX free from its roadway death grip. It’s a unique driving experience that few vehicles can offer, and frankly, after nearly two hours of flogging the car through a heavy downpour, we were hooked.
Of course, all the credit can’t go to the drive system alone. The reworked suspension certainly did its part when it came to delivering the rock-solid performance that so thoroughly dazzled our staff. Imprezas have always impressed us with their incredibly stable chassis and predictable handling. With the WRX, Subaru has taken that level of performance one step further and endowed the sport sedan with a setup that foregoes comfort in its quest for unmatched performance. If you’re looking for a great day-to-day driver that provides a little fun on the weekends, look elsewhere; this isn’t the car for you.
With that little caveat out of the way, we can tell you with a clear conscience that the handling capabilities of the WRX are nothing short of phenomenal. Pick out a wicked, tortuously twisty road on any given map, and this Impreza will swallow it whole and spit out the street signs. There’s virtually zero body roll and quick changes of direction do little to upset the ultra-stiff chassis. The shifter isn’t ultra smooth, but it finds the gates easily and gets the job done with little fuss, and the aluminum alloy pedals are perfectly placed for heel-and-toe downshifting.
A revised rear crossmember that is lighter and more rigid than its predecessors contributes to the rock-solid stability along with a raised rear roll center that effectively “tilts” the car forward for more neutral handling, a trick gleaned from Subaru’s many years competing, and winning, in the World Rally Championship. Our test car also benefited from the addition of the optional 17×7-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 215/45R17 Bridgestone Potenza tires. These were likely contributors to the car’s buckboard ride, but nobody seemed to be complaining after returning from yet another afternoon joyride highlighted by repeated doses of the Impreza’s abidingly addictive grip.
Lateral acceleration is one thing, but the need for instant deceleration is another, and the Impreza’s standard four-wheel discs never missed a chance to wow us with their Herculean stopping power. Wearing 11.4-inch ventilated rotors up front and 10.3-inch solid discs in the rear, our WRX tester stopped from 60 mph in an incredible 115 feet. That’s equivalent to BMW’s big-buck M5, widely regarded as the benchmark against which all other performance sedans are measured, and shorter than the last C5 Corvette Convertible and Porsche Boxster S we tested. Even after repeated test-loop floggings, brake fade was nonexistent, contributing almost as much to the Impreza’s emerging reputation as its boisterous engine and unflappable suspension.
Then again, life is not all test tracks and switchbacks, so the Impreza’s revised interior is a welcome addition. The chrome-ringed gauges look sharp and deliver all the pertinent information with a minimum of clutter. If all sport sedans came with a Momo steering wheel like the WRX’s, the automotive world would be a better place, and the simple three-dial climate control design is always a welcome sight.
Not all is perfect, however. Although the general fit and finish of the materials was good, there’s still a noticeable look of cheapness to the interior that is so far removed from the elegant designs of BMW and Audi that you start to wonder if you wouldn’t mind adding a few extra pounds (and dollars) to get some decent-quality stuff. There’s also a distinct lack of passenger room, with the back seats barely able to accommodate two adults comfortably, let alone a fifth.
If it sounds as though we’re being nitpicky, you’re right. The car is so dead on, so perfectly suited to our performance-hungry appetites, that putting it down because of sub-par cupholders and a distinct lack of interior space is no more than nit-picking. Considering its price point, the lack of luxury inside isn’t a surprise, but it’s not as though the car is a total stripper. Standard features include an in-dash six-disc changer, cruise control, front and side airbags and a keyless entry system. Not bad for $23,995, a sticker price that places it in a virtual no man’s land of sport sedan competitors. That undercuts the Germans by a full $10K and anything cheaper is pointless to bring up.
Subaru only plans on importing 10,000 WRXs to the States in the first year, so if you want one, you would be well advised to act quickly. We suspect that once word gets out (and after a few Mustangs and Integras get their gearshifts handed to them), the first run will sell out quickly. After being teased with news of Japanese versions of the car for years, a strong contingent of performance enthusiasts is anxiously awaiting the introduction of this first-ever stateside edition. One drive and they’ll realize what we already know: It was well worth the wait.
Technorati Tags: Subaru, Impreza, Turbo, Subaru Impreza, WRX, Subaru Impreza WRX, All Wheel Drive, Test Drive, Road Test, MY02
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