Subaru Impreza Turbo Review

Overall Rating

Unbelievable 4 wheel drive traction, sticks like a cat on carpet. Fantastic acceleration, body hugging racing seats,
V8 like sound! "Pillar-less doors", electronic immobiliser making it virtually impossible to steal.
Subaru quality with legendary Impreza Turbo status.

Drive it hard, watch the "premium fuel" guage move quick!
Clutch behaves like no other.
door rattle, slight oil weep, blown headlight (easy repairs)
Passenger door key hold slight damage due to pathetic attempt to steal it.
That's about it.

It was 3 months ago a total stranger decided to pull out in front of my Honda Integra and wipe the front end out. So, in desperate need of another car I went to a local auction. In the back of my mind I had always wanted a WRX to find out what all the fuss was about and just my luck there was one on offer. It was actually a green '98 wagon. Not the one for the "station wagon" look I got it because of two things, 1. Price, 2. WRX.
Actually I love the wagon, the boot is 100 times more practicle than my friends sedan version. Ok, i'll get to the point. I have owned several other reasonably good cars including '93 Suzuki Swift GTi, '85 Mitsubishi Cordia Turbo and a '97 Honda Prelude VTiR, I can honestly say the WRX leaves these cars FOR DEAD! Even the '97 Porsche Boxster I hired for the weekend didn't rate as high as this weapon. If you appreciate precise handling and fantastic acceleration, get a WRX, you won't be disappointed. For the price (second hand) there is nothing else close (well, at least in Australia). Minimal turbo lag is followed by a extreme rush of power that just seems to go on forever with no wheel spin thanks to constant 4 wheel drive!
The engine produces a v8 like growl with that hair raising turbo whistle. Sorry for sounding too excited. Get one and you'll smile in your sleep!

Members' Comments onMarcus.'s Review

• plater on 4th Nov 2003

  Impossible to steal......you are having a laugh aren't you, just this month "What Car Magazine" asked locksmiths to access 38 different vehicles without specialist equipment, these "Thieves" were into all but 10 in under two minutes and guess what...yes the impreza was the worst of the lot, they took just 45 seconds to gain access fire her up and away , suffice to say the article will be running in this months issue. The scooby is without doubt a remarkable performance machine and no one can mistake that deep throated burble as one drives by, but in the uk every second person seems to own one, there are literally tens of thousands of them on the roads, between you and me though here's a secret.....for a lot less cash and a lot more street cred you can have a better, faster car...a Sierra Sapphire RS 4X4 Cosworth - stage 3 with 350 BHP ,That equates to 4.0 second 0-60, 12.5 second 1/4mile and a top speed in excess of 165 MPH , all this whilst cossetted in Raven Black leather recaros.....Oh yes - The scooby is good but the cossie is better.......much better and always will be!

• imprezajjs1 on 8th Nov 2004

  Yes but you are talking about a tuned cosworth!
  not standard,if you tune a impreza it will eat your cosworth!! In standard form the impreza is a far quicker and definatly a better handling car!
  I have had both cars, a g reg 2 wd cosworth, now I have a 265bhp impreza and it sounds so much better!! I got 1 just because of all the fuss and now understand WHY!
  At the end of the day its a blue badge sierra rust bucket!!
  Impreza`s rule!!