written by on 23/07/2008
More power and torque from the 2.2-liter engine highlight the in the Subaru Impreza Wagon. Great all around, reliable, fun to drive. Cheap, AWD, performance, ergonmic interior, comfortable and fuel economic. Extra traction in slippery conditions and, works in combination with the Impreza's well-sorted chassis to provide excellent handling. For power, the car I notice has been equipped with a unusual horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine. BOTTOM LINE - Power: 106 kW / 142 HP @ 5,600 rpm/ 149 ft lb, 202 Nm @ 3,600 rpm. That is like so fantastic.
written by on 24/03/2008
Well I have my 95 import and I love it having previously owned a 03 UK spec have to say the import although heavily modified is great car currently runs around 350bhp and flies I now do not bother racing anything unless it is worthy as it is not worth the fuel to show a corsa how fast it is cossies Evo's etc only.
I am looking at buying a cheap little car so I can prolong the life of the car and this is probably Subaru ' s only downfall I recently blew up my gearbox which is a 2002 model and have only just got it sorted!
parts are expensive however thanks to cheaper imports more shall I say less able drivers are now crashing them more often so at least there are some 2nd hand parts around!
All the Subaru sites are great with really helpful members and regular meets so we can compare and chat and even get advice from other owners. I can only think of rs and cossie owners who are similar (anyone else feel free to shout) but one the whole once you have owned a wrx you don ' t change!
written by on 05/03/2008
Just wanted to say from my point of view i owned a cossworth and an Impreza i now still have the impreza 98 sti 330 bhp best handling and all speed ect but lets all face it Subarus brake easily under constant rough use they cant handle the roughness for long most other cars can handle pain longer. End of the day impreza wins hands down from the noise out put of the engine full stop.
written by warrenhodgett on 13/05/2007
AWD - in the wet you still feel like your on rails. The Subaru Impreza Turbo is quick, really quick. Momo steering wheel is amazing. Bucket seats great too. Wagon is good for surf boards! Brilliant.
written by hydrilboy on 08/02/2006
We have had 2 different styles of scooby. 1st was the original 2.0sport wagon (we have dogs). The Subaru Impreza Turbo is great. Pretty quick, reliable and cheap for insurance. Then we opted for the WRX MK3. Bought it in a garage 450 miles from were we stayed. Picked it up and fell in love eith it after that. 1 year on both myself and my wife have 6 points and my mum who is 60 has 3 points, though even after this . Today when we all get in it and drive off, it puts a smile on our faces.
written by The Final Fury on 13/07/2005
Subaru Impreza Turbo: You get pushed back into your seat as you pull away and then at 3000 rpm the Turbo kicks in and psshhh......off you go.
This is a seriously fun, fast car for sensible cash. Mine was an import at 225BHP, now 260BHP (officially) 0-60 in 5.6secs and tops out at 155mph (on a track of course).
Drive one and then you'll want to buy it, I was messing about when I said I wanted one. Drove my friends not believing a word she said. The following day I went and collected my own!!!!!!
And you can get one for around £4k-£5k.
Newer EVO's have better acceleration, but are so much more expensive to buy and run.
written by scomrie on 04/10/2003
I have had many cars ranging fro Peugot 106 xsi, 306 xsi, escort rs2000 to the jag i still have and this Subaru Impreza Turbo 1999 is the best car io have driven. sounds like a v8 with the growl. If you have not driven one, you should. It will make you go and buy one.
written by Big Pete. on 16/04/2002
I have owned many cars. Have loved others more (Calibra) than the Subaru Impreza Turbo, but none comes close to the neck snapping performance of this animal of a car. I have NEVER driven a car that can make you believe you are flying, you are also invincible of course!! You can choose your gap in traffic, you can arrive late at a roundabout and be round and gone before anyone else has even noticed you WERE there!! It REALLY IS that fast.
Everyone should be made to own one!! It should be a legal requirement that all drivers should, at least once, experience a real car - the Subaru Impreza Turbo IS that car!!
The Wagon is the most practical
Written on: 20/11/2002
I drive a 2002 subaru impreza it is imprezive. This thing as you all say is a beast.
I have made a few alterations but not becuase it was nessesary but becuase I want more.
I have driven a lot of cars from Mercs to bmw M3 and then I bought myself this baby. It is a true dream and this car will keep me young forever. This out perform any standard car on the roads. I Travel a lot and I didn't even have a slightest problem with this Monster.
If one of you need to talk to me Contact me on
[email protected]
written by Chisel. on 22/03/2002
You will never hit the limits of the Subaru Impreza Turbo car on a public road. Hit 3000rpm and ride the massive power/torque rush - but unlike many cars with big power outputs, the stiff chassis can handle it, and the four-wheel-drive grip won't let go.
This car can be economical if the driver keeps the engine
below ~3000rpm and minimises hard acceleration. Difficult, but not impossible!
Only other minor complaints would be the braking (on pre-99 cars with 2-spot front calipers - later cars with the STi "SUBARU" 4-pot fronts are much better), the amount of brake dust on the fronts with the standard pads, and the weak stock headlights. All can be fixed :-)
Written on: 29/05/2002
Disagree somewhat with the 'never reach it limits on the road'. Untrue. Can be done easily and after just a few months of owning the standard my99 you start looking for more power etc. then the modding starts if you are serious. Even the 4 pot brakes are v poor and prone to chronic fade if driven hard. My avergae fuel consumption over 9 monhs is 16.4mpg. And the bit about driving conservatively cannot be done. If you want to drive like that .... don't buy an impreza.
Written on: 04/06/2004
Hi all. I think what the man meant here is that you hit the DRIVER's limit way before the car's. Subaru understeer? Yeah, like every "public" car. But if you really know how to drive, you actually want it to understeer to better use the foot lifting trick. What is that? Simple. Take a curve more quickly than what the car can take (or what you THINK it cannot). When you fell the front slide toward the exterior, release the gas pedal completely. Then you'll feel the rear slide and the car will start facing the dierection you want to go (the curve's end). When the curve's end is straight in front of you, hit the gas hard. Why does the understeer help? Because it tells you when to release the gas. Without it, you can misjudge and get off the road.
Written on: 28/09/2002
Errr, yes you will hit the limits - the famous Impreza understeer - take care in the wet or you will be down the body shop making excuses! Saying that, the last time I pushed hard in the dry the car cornered neutral in third flat out - leaving my passengers stunned and me hungry for more!!
written by Marty Kavanagh. on 01/02/2002
Well, I used to love my V-Tec CRX but the women in my life ganged-up on me and insisted that I grow up and get a "proper four door family car" ..so what else could it be other than a WRX ('95 five door wagon, silver used import ex Japan). Well I don't think that they've noticed the "funny bumps on the bonnet" yet.
I collected it on Jan 1 2002 and promptly bought a K&N air filter, a pack of MOBIL 1 oil and oil-filter, a turbo boost controller (set to .8 bar approx 12psi) and a low pressure 'triple entry turbo' rear silencer box.
- NOW it goes almost as well as my beloved SiR CRX (!!), but being a wagon the new big-bore exhaust was (still is) very boomy and headache material so I've now added an intermediate expansion box which will hopefully soothe my ears once it gets a bit sooted-up in a week or so :-) .
If you want a "practical" family obligation type car that goes - this has to be it, but think twice before fitting an "open" exhaust .. and be ready to buy shares in your favorite oil company as the best I can get is 23mpg.
Written on: 25/02/2003
These are fantastic cars in ever way although the build quality is not up to German standard, as for the fuel costs, fit an ecotek valve i get over 30 mpg now, and i don't hang around!
Written on: 04/10/2003
Bingo my friend! For exactly the same reason (wife's
<br> objection ) I abandoned my Gti (Peugeot 1900,tuned) for an Impreza GT AWD turbo (year 2000).
<br>I completely agree with your comments. Fantastic everyday driving, specialy on our roads (Greece), but need to be fed frequently!
<br>
<br> K. Makris, Greece
written by Marcus. on 27/09/2001
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!
Written on: 04/11/2003
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!
Written on: 08/11/2004
Yes but you are talking about a tuned cosworth!
<br>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!
<br>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!
<br>At the end of the day its a blue badge sierra rust bucket!!
<br>Impreza`s rule!!
written by Paul Wild. on 04/09/2001
A frighteningly fast car with handling and road holding to match its performance. Very practical too with 4 doors and a large boot. I used to own a V6 Calibra until my wife ordered me to get a more practical car so I got the Impreza. The only downside of owning the car (besides fuel consumption, which it to be expected) is that the body panels are very thin and pick up parking dints very easily. Apart from that I have been very pleased with the car.
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Wilster.'s Response to 19653_Big Pete.'s Review
Written on: 28/09/2002
I own a '99 Impreza Turbo. Although I bought the car for its performance, so many people ask me about fuel economy. On the last three fill ups, I got 30,28,28 mpg. My driving has been mixed urban, with at least 3 races per fill up, plus zooming past ditherers. What a car!!