With members all over the world we have often reviewed cars before they even become available in other markets. The New Age Impreza WRX was one such car.
Subject: [iwoc] Boring bits about the new WRX.
From: Tim Hardisty
Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2000 16:14:45 -0000
I drove both a 5 door and a 4 door MY01 WRX last week. I won't repeat what has been said about the drive/performance other than to say it is, to me, a much better overall package.
Some "boring bits" for anyone considering a WRX for everyday motoring - note that I currently drive an unmodified (apart from FAQ suspension settings) MY98 5 door UK turbo so everything is in relation to that: -
It has a dash mounted cupholder. Just what I've always wanted
OK, I can't resist some comment on the drive:
Steering is lighter, but once you get used to it, it is communicative.
Verdict? Well, I think I probably am right in Subaru's target market sector
I've ordered a WR Blue Mica 4 door; delivery due January.
Thank you for listening, hope it's of interest!
Tim Hardisty Subject: [iwoc] WRX (my2001) test drive - LONG!
Fellow IWOCer Colin Carter and I were able to take the WRX saloon,
which I had photographed on Wednesday during its PDI, out on a test
drive yesterday (being Quenbys demonstrator). I also got some more
photos, including some better interior shots, which have been put up
onto the website.
my2001.html
The WRX does not come (yet) with bucket style seats but to be honest
from getting into the car and out again I did not really notice. They
are quite supportive and easy to get on with, unlike the seats in the
97-2000 cars which can be a bit painfull if you do not sit in them
correctly.
The dashboard layout seems strange and big compared to the smaller one
in the previous car and tells you things like outside temperature and
the like. As reported before the "bright" switch is now located to the
indicator switch. I found for optimum steering wheel position I lost
the top of the speedo. The metallic surround on the centre console
looked the part and I would think the walnut trim accesory pack might
look a bit odd.
Pedal position was ideal/no different? Yes those blue drilled metal
pedals had now turned silver in colour (i.e. no blue plastic "onion
skin" protective covering).
Turn on the ignition and start up the engine. Mmm very quiet. Into
first, the clutch seemed lighter and away we go. Pulling away it felt
so smooth and boy was that engine quiet. In fact I commented to Colin
that it must be electric! It was very impressive the way the engine
pulled from low down as we went down Baldock High Street, definately
non turbo. Moving through the traffic the first application of the
brakes was surprising. They are the same 4 pots up front as found on
my P1 and the normal MY99/2000 turbos but they cetainly felt better.
The reassuring intercooler hump told you that it was an Impreza but
the wierd eyeball wings told you that it was not. In fact that bonnet
line looked well strange.
Approach the first bend and apply those brakes. Wow they are good. No
doubt they'd smoke after a few hefty stops like the previous versions
but the feel is excellent. (I never looked inside the engne bay to see
if all Subaru had done was beef up the mounting bracket/fit a MRT
support ;-).
Feel through the steering was a disapointment. Too much assistance?
Even with 17in wheels fitted you could not feel what was going on. The
ride was good, maybe too soft and luxurious compared to my P1! The
car cornered well which was surprising concidering my previous quote
on the soft ride. Apply throttle and....nothing. OK so it does get
faster, and a fare rate of knots...but not like what I'm used to. OK
so I am a P1 owner but it had no kick whatso ever.
Trying a bit of spirited driving, the car works well. Keep the revs up
(oops sorry guys;-) and you are flying. BUT brake for a bend, slow
down, let the revs drop and accelerate it seems an age. OK the car had
not done many miles and we were not silly in it as I do have some
sense of mechanical sympathy but the mid range torque was
disapointing.
Half way through the drive we swapped over and I became passenger to
Colin. He is going to do a write up from his driving point of view but
here is mine from the passenger seat. First noticeable thing was that
soft ride. Very soft in fact (I let Colin have a drive in my P1
afterwards and was shocked how hard the thing is!). OK so I don't
travel well, but I might have got car sick on a long journey.
On the return towards Baldock we were into the sun and the little sun
visor between the two main sunvisors came into action. IMHO its about
half the size it should be to be of any use. Colin thought anything
was better than nothing but I thought why goto the expense of
supplying something thats too small? Scoobysport upgrade please?
Playing with the radio we came to the conclusion that it was pretty
naff...then again it might have worked better with the aerial up.
Still no electric aerial Subaru, tut tut. Switch gear on the dash was
a step up although the fog light switch isn't aparently as its the
same one as fitted previously (didn't notice myself).
Handling is very good out of the box but I preferred a harder ride
(with the P1 I've got one!). The feel through the steering should have
been a lot better though.
If Subaru had built the new Impreza with a 3 litre normally aspirated
lump in the engine bay then this is how it would have driven I would
think. As a piece of automotive engineering they should be commended
as it has now made the car civilised for Joe Average who does not want
a huge rush of turbo mid corner. For us enthusiasts having a turbo
will allow relatively cheap modification and tuning and I'm sure that
a tweek of the mapping will satisfy all of us on IWOC ;-)
Regards
Steve
ps pictures will be up onto the site soon...including the one where we
managed to get the car air born over a hump backed bridge (only
kidding Donald/Nick ;-)
Subject: [iwoc] WRX Test Drive with Steve Breen. This is a comparison with my own MY97:-
Had a test drive, with Steve Breen, in our local dealers' demo WRX and I have to agree, it does look better in the metal than in a picture.
This one is on 17" wheels and 215 section tyres and on these it rides well. The suspension is more supple but without sacrificing too much increase in roll. The turn-in is sharper (17" inch wheels!!) and the brakes feel like the next generation compared to mine. Road noise is better suppressed and wind noise not obtrusive at the speeds I was able to attain on B roads.
I found the steering to be overly light and lacking in feel which spoils the pleasure of being able to "read the road" through the superb Momo steering wheel. The clutch is also lighter than mine, no complaints there, and the gearbox is slicker, though why this should be I don't know as it is supposed to be the same unit.
As has been well mentioned before, the most noticeable differance in driving is in the power delivery. Where mine gives a noticeable kick in the back at around 3000rpm, this engine does not really feel like a turbo, more like a larger capacity normally aspirated one, plenty of 'oomph' but lacking that sudden rush of power that I find so adictive.
So, would I want one? The answer has to be I could happily live with this new model but I won't be changing my current one for it until I have too.
As a post script, after the the test drive, I drove Steve's P1 home through the leafy back roads of north Hertfordshire, now that is a car I just might consider swopping to! But Steve makes a very nervous passenger
in his own car with his "mind my wheels, look out there's a car coming" etc. etc. Very off-putting when you are enjoying yourself.
Colin.
Subject: [iwoc] Driven new car in UK
Hi all,
Just to say I got the chance to drive the new WRX this afternoon in
Scotland, on some good roads. It's not all bad news, as the car is actually
very good to drive. Not quite as focussed as the old one, but it goes along
A and B roads just as quickly, and soaks up the bumps a lot better.
Drivetrain is a lot smoother, and the feel of the brakes has improved a lot.
The engine in particular is much quieter and smoother.
Switches etc have a very nice feel to them, and whilst still not up to
German standards, the quality of the interior is an improvement over the
previous models.
Considerably quieter than the old model at Motorway speeds, so ideal for
those who spend most of their driving on this type of roads, and easier to
drive at city stop/start speeds as well.
It does "feel" slightly slower at speeds above 60mph, but look at the
speedo confirms the car is still very fast. If you hadn't come from the
previous Impreza, you would be *very* impressed by the new car. It doesn't
have the kick in the back of the old model either, but as the power comes in
a bit earlier, the whole power delivery is a lot smoother, so it actually
feels slower than it is.
The looks of the car are still an acquired taste, especially the headlamps.
It does look a lot better in the flesh, but you can't see any of this from
inside ;-)
Overall, I think if people can live with the looks, the car will sell in
large numbers, and appeal to a wider (dare I say slightly more mature)
audience than the previous car. Once Prodrive work their magic on the engine
side of things, I have no doubt that performance will be better than the
outgoing model. Given that most Imprezas are only driven hard for less than
10% of the time they are on the roads, I reckon the new car will be better
for 90% of the owners for 90% of the time, and the remaining 10% are those
who would probably modify their cars anyway to make them faster and louder
anyway, and I guess it won't be long before some of the tuning firms have
the necessary goods to keep this type of customer happy.
John
Subject: [iwoc] Test drive of STI VII (long)
I was able to have a test drive in a STI VII this weekend.
I thought you all might be interested in some impressions. I own a Jap-spec
non-STI MY97, so a lot of the impressions I made are in comparision to my
car.
The intercooler duct is taller than the WRX NB, due to a larger intercooler.
Blue mica, silver, black and white body colors will be available. For the
RA, only white is available. The roof-mounted air intake is available only
on the RA.
A Suretrac limited slip differential is now available as an option for the
front wheels. The RA version comes with a mechanical limited-slip on the
rear and the driver-controlled center diff. The driver-controlled center
diff is *not* available on the standard STI.
I was only able to take the STI out for a 10 minute ride in the rain with
very few curves, so I can't comment on the handling.
The clutch feels lighter and the stroke seems shorter than my Jap-spec MY97
WRX. The six-speed is a work of art! None of the stiffness when shifting
from neutral to first, and the shift throw is nice and short. The
transmission has a very solid, precise feel to it. According to the dealer,
the first five gear ratios are the same as the previous STI RA. I really
enjoyed shifting that transmisson!
Acceleration and turbo response felt very similar to my WRX, perhaps with a
little bit more power all around. It definitely feels more faster than the
WRX NB, with more power around 5000rpm.
I was surpised at the lack of noise (quieter than my WRX) and the overall
ride quality (comparable to my car with 215/45 tyres). This was the first
time for me in a STI, and I expected more noise and ride harshness.
According to the brochure, the RA model does have more stiffer shocks.
As expected, the brakes felt like a major improvement from the stock brakes
on my WRX. No sponginess at all, the Brembos were similar to the
transmission in that they have a solid, precise feel to them.
I expect that a lot of existing WRX owners here in Japan will choose the STI
over the NB, as the STI feels more like the direct successor to the old
model. A lot of the problems that plagued the old series like brakes and the
notorious transmission have been addressed. The only problem I see with the
new STI (not commenting on the controversial looks :-) ) is the price, which
is now comparable to an Evo 6.
Good points:
Bad points:
Page last updated 18th March 2001
The semi-automatic climate control seemed to work a treat.
It is very quiet on the motorway, except the 5 door had some wind noise at
the top of the drivers door. Dealer suspects misaligned door on that example
rather than generic problem.
The stereo is much much better. Not as good as many will want, but quite
good enough for me.
The 5 door's rear speakers are door mounted as expected and I'm pretty sure
the 4 door's were too.
The 5 door has a natty "umbrella holder" in the boot - basically a hollow
behind the rear seat with a lift up flap.
The 4 door's seats do not fold down, although there's a ski flap.
5 door has split folding rear seats, but couldn't judge the "roller blind"
as it was missing.
The useful storage thingy by the driver's right knee is filled up with a
keypad for the alarm.
The headlights are a marked improvement (no, not in looks - in light output
;-), but are not staggering. Probably still needs driving light conversion,
but a definite improvement.
There's an outside temperature readout in the dash.
WR Blue Mica looks excellent. DBM looked boring to me. No other colours
seen.
The spoiler is a bit of an afterthought and, IMHO, doesn't do much for it.
The wider arches on the 4 door, however, make all the difference compared to
the 5 door.
5 door's sports seats looked the part but were a bit tight on my gradually
spreading behind.
4 door's seats look fine, and more comfortable for me and for SWMBO; and
they seemed to hold me in when driving around the twisties.
Very very smooth engine and, yes, missing the 3000rpm-ish whoosh. But the
speedo still climbs very rapidly. Initially disappointing, but once you
settle in to it the overall package is so much better you begin to forgive
it.
The brakes are phenomenal compared to my MY98. I really thought the brakes
on the MY98 had completely died when I got back into it after a 60 mile
drive in the 5 door!
Handling and road holding at least as good - it feels very sophisticated
compared to MY98.
- I really enjoy the handling and power, but I also want some creature
comforts. I have to drive the family around at weekends, and I use it for
business and take customers out in it. My MY98 is great when I'm in it by
myself, but is a real pain on the motorway if you want to have a
conversation (remember it's a 5 door). And, yes, the looks do grow on you. I
keep looking at other cars on the road these days and think they look just
as cr*p - have you looked objectively at a Clio's headlights for example?
And I think the 206 looks like someone's stamped on the bonnet and squished
the headlights out sideways. Don't agree? Well - everyone has their own
opinion and that's just fine by me. And, as has been said, when you're in a
WRX, you can't see it anyway!
MY98 5 door UK turbo - for sale if you want it otherwise the dealer gets it
for 10,500 UKP.
From: Steven Breen
Date: Sat, 18 Nov 2000 23:22:07 +0000
First impressions.
On the straight and narrow (and curves).
On getting out of the town and onto a country road it was full steam
ahead....but immediate disapointment. Imagine a straight line power
"curve" and you can imagine how the new WRX performs. No drama, no
kick in the pants...it just gets faster.
Conclusions
From: "leocolin"
Date: Sun, 26 Nov 2000 16:21:27 -0000
From: "Stewart, John"
Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000 17:56:47 -0000
From: "Tom Sakai"
Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2000 22:08:26 +0900
Exterior
Those huge gold Brembos look cool! Looks like a lot of folks with 17 inchers
on their current WRXs may not be able to use their old wheels, though. As
reported, the STI is fitted with 225/47-17 tyres, but it looks like 235s
might fit on the rear.
Interior
The instrumentation has a shift indicator. Set the rpms to whatever you
want, and when the revs go over your setting, a lamp in the tachometer
lights up, together with a buzz that sounds like an alarm clock. :-)
The car comes with a set of aluminum pedals as standard.
Mechanicals
The engine has been redesigned, with a new "semi-closed deck" design. Most
of the engine internals, such as cams and pistions are STI-only components.
The turbo and intercooler have been enlarged.
Driving impressions
Cheers,
Tom
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