2002 Subaru Impreza WRX - Cars Worth Noting - evaluation - Brief Article

Automotive Industries,  Jan, 2002  by Andrea Wielgat

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

A Rally driver for a day.

That's what I felt like behind the wheel of the Subaru Impreza WRX sedan. Mine was appropriately named Rally Blue (think wild royal blue) and I could just picture myself in a race suit and helmet, driving through the mud toward the finish line.

But alas, in reality I was wearing a business suit and driving on one of Detroit's busiest freeways. Still, the Impreza is as fun on the freeway as I would imagine it is out on the rally circuit.

Much of that it due to its 2.0L 4-cylinder turbocharged engine, which produces 227 hp at 6,000 rpm and 217 pounds-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm. The WRX hits the zero-to-60 mph mark in a claimed 5.8 seconds. And it's the same engine that serves as the basis for Subaru's Impreza World Rally Championship and SCCA Pro Rally Group N cars.

My-rally-car-for-the-day had Subaru's standard 5-speed manual transmission coupled with continuous all-wheel drive. But the WRX is aiso available with a 4-speed automatic transmission teamed with variable torque distribution all-wheel-drive.

There are lots of fun things to like about this car. Its Momo leather-wrapped steering wheel is hefty while its in-dash CD changer convenient. And I loved the aluminum-alloy pedal covers with rubber grips.

At about $24,000, the WRX is a little more expensive than competitors Acura RSX Type S and Toyota Celica GT-S, but significantly less than the AWD Audi S4 or BMW 330xi.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Cahners Business Information
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group