Subaru Impreza Review

Customer Test Drive

2009 Subaru Impreza WRX (M5) Hatchback

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Ratings

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Comments
Favorite feature:	Toss up: auto-dimming mirror with compass or remote start
Least favorite feature:	Basic sound system is a joke. Needs sport exhaust--can barely hear revs for precise down-shifting.
Advice to buyer:	Be prepared to drive like a saint or pay the piper. The hood scoop might as well be a flag.
Detailed review:	Caution: when you're driving a WRX, remember to breathe. Love, love, love. Owning a WRX leads to what I call the WRX sneer--the destorting effect of an ear-splitting grin at high accelleration. It's an AWD 265hp turbo wagon that corners like a go-cart--the perfect car for a New England woman in the music business. Great cargo space/rear seating arrangement that hauls five grownups with decent head and leg room or about a dozen djembes, or three cellos, or ten guitar cases or, with 60/40 split seats, any combination of all these. I happily do a lot of the driving :) for about any event...anywhere. A high speed hairpin corner is easy--just downshift and hit the gas--with AWD, that turbo digs in like a cutting pony. More power would just be silly--so the STI is for gearheads if you ask me. My friend who drives a Porsche felt the need to defend his car after driving my WRX. 'Nuf said. He did win a single point from me about transmissions. The WRX 5-speed is geared well, but it feels a bit primitive and slow to me. Hope it breaks in a bit smoother. An overdrive or some kind of 'Highway' gear would be quiet enough for any kind of music even with a performance exhaust, and very green too. Since Subaru is synonymous with New England, the auto climate should have a 'Parka' setting. Picky, picky. This is a nimble, exciting sports car. It has a remarkable safety record, legendary road worthiness, is actually affordable, comfortable, and offers solid resale value because it's a Subaru.
Also considered:	2009 MINI Cooper S 2009 Mazda MAZDASPEED3 2009 Honda Fit
Vehicle purchased:	2009 Subaru Impreza


About This Reviewer...
Name:	Carla Kelly
Location:	Storrs Mansfield, Connecticut
Other vehicles owned:	2005 Subaru Forester
Review submitted:	December 14, 2009

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