Test drive: 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX
Let me start by wishing a merry Christmas to all those who celebrate it. Let's hope you were all well behaved and Santa brought you lots of good stuff. (In my universe, bad little boys and girls don't get a lump of coal in their stocking -- they get a Suzuki Verona.)
One car I certainly wouldn't mind getting as a present is the all-new 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX. Having already reviewed another version of the 2008 Impreza -- the base-model Impreza 2.5i -- I asked Jason Fogelson, About.com's Guide to SUVs, to write up the WRX review, but not before I took the car out for a proper flogging -- and man, what a car it is! There's nothing like the combination of a turbocharger and all-wheel-drive -- this car just grips 'n' goes. Jason, being nowhere near as shallow as I am, found a lot more to like about the WRX besides its handling -- in fact some of the very things I objected to in the Impreza 2.5i came across to Jason as plus points in the WRX. Check out Jason's 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX test drive and review for the details. -- Aaron Gold
Photo © Jason Fogelson
Comments
I cant speak for the 08 SUBBIES but my Dad worked at a Subaru Dealer till 06. I can assure you Ive driven a few and seen many more. I counted 5 SUBBIES he brought home over the years (to test for diagnosing) with over 1,000,000 miles. Yes that is 5 of them had “ONE MILLION MILES” and most had 300,000. And all had original power plants. I did help him with several head gasket replacements, but thats about the extent of repairs on most.
Mine had 260,000 when it got smashed. I dont own a SUBBIE right now, but I will again you can bet.
When I first saw the new Impreza in Car and Driver, I was unimpressed. I thought it looked bland and pedestrian. These pictures do it better justice. Maybe it’s the way the wheels on the WRX fill the arches or the lower bodywork; or maybe it’s the 5 door model featured here vs. the sedan version that I saw in C&D. Whatever the case, I’m really starting to fall in like with this car now. And, to top it off, it really has a good looking butt. Best hatch rump since the Volvo C30.
It just seems like at the low end (ha 26k) everybody makes a little of the car I want but no one completes the job. This engine and AWD system is fantastic but the interior and exterior are just awful. If this could be packaged in the Saab Aero sedan it would be perfect. It is just ugly. Looses all of the charm of the wrx sleeper of the previous model (STI excluded silly wing). Pininfarina? Some one? please help.
Having been a certified salesperson for years Tim, I can certainly appreciate your glowing words of praise as to their durability. Though I never saw one with 1 million miles, I saw plenty of them with 500K+.The Subaru drive train is unmatched by ANY other in my eyes, including M-B and Jeep. The viscous coupling AWD is nothing short of phenomenal. However, in recent years the “little stuff” has proven to be a bit troublesome, but in the big picture there’s really nothing like a “subbie”!