Took a new Impreza WRX in WR Blue out today - did about 30 miles over 45 minutes.

My opinions?

Really comfortable seats, nice airy feel to the cabin.

I like how the dashboard illuminates, nice quality feel to everything - except the interior door handles and heater controls which feel cheap.

Started it, no rumble, no noise whatsoever really .... not sure about that, will I miss the burble of my Classic?

Adjusted the seat and steering wheel for rake and reach, it all felt very refined .... really quite pleasant in a 'normal' type way (but should the Impreza be 'normal'?).

Pulled out of the garage onto the highway - no fuss, no noise, just pulled nicely and calmly into the saturday traffic ...... pottered through town itching to 'let her go'.

It was remarkably able as a town runaround - finally reached the countryside and a dual carraigeway .... put my foot down, whooosh a steady, quiet, pull through the gears ............ smooth as a babies bottom - not the neck snapping, gut squeezing, push in the ribs, which my Classic delivers. Quite impressive.

Had a little 'play' around the empty, icing country lanes - brilliant, absolutely brilliant - the steering is a bit 'detached' and very light, but I don't mind that at all.

There was a real annoying 'whistle' from the drivers door mirror which kicked in at 60MPH - and just got louder and louder as the speed built up. There was also a clunking from the rear suspension - sounded like I was kicking up dead branches into the wheel arches (it could have been that, but it was noticeable).

By the time I got back to town it felt like my car, I felt really at home in it, it is lightyears away from the old Impreza Classic I own.

Did I buy it? No, I will await the STi and see if that too has been refined .... the old STi's were never everyday cars (like the EVO was never an everyday car) ..... the WRX was always a perfect compromise, but if the fire-breathing STi has had its raw edge knocked off then I may just be interested.

The salesman and I briefly chatted about the part exchange value of mine and I mentioned that it cost £2000 more when new, 7 1/2 years ago, than the price of the WRX I had just taken out!

He relayed a story, a pretty desperate story really, of a customer who came in to look over the WRX with a view to ordering a STi next spring - this customer had a 06 Plate STi PPP, 30,000 miles on it, he had paid £31,000 for it in 2006, the customer still owed £18,000 on the car .... he wanted to know what it's value was now against the new STi, so he could work out his budget - the price offered by the Dealer??

£12,000 £12,000 ...... talk about negative equity!! The salesman said that he felt sorry for the customer, but the floor has disappeared under the values of the past Impreza's - the Classic values haven't moved much (as they are too old to be affected greatly) .... but the later the car, the bigger the hit and that hit is huge.

A 2006, STi with PPP for £12,000 ........................ that is depreciation on a grand scale

The new Impreza WRX is without doubt a fantastic car - I'm sure it will take sales from the Focus and Civic. On the way home I popped into the Ford garage to look at a Focus ST Wolf and a Mondeo ST DCi ........ they felt like cheap toys compared to the new Impreza, and I was quite pleased about that - as I think Subaru deserve to succeed

 

nice review. New STI looks the business.

 

I wonder, will it be possible to have the new WRX PPP'd? If so then it'd make it far, far more tempting for me in the future.

 

Hey Pete, you blessed us with a car orientated (non oil related) post ! Nice one ! Interesting to hear your thoughts on the new model.

It'll probably be a couple of years before I sell my 01 wrx, but when I do I'll probably go for a 2006 2.5 hawkeye STi. Like the look of them more than the brand new hatchback, supposed to have good low down grunt, and I should be able to afford one in a couple of years !

Andy Mc

 

Forgot an important thing ... they do a TowBar as well

Not sure where it comes out from the rear of the WRX mind you - the WRX has a black plastic 'thingy' which would need cutting I guess?

 

Good write up. Perhaps there is still hope for the new WRX, but it seems it is being pitched to a different market now. Hopefully the STi delivers on its promises.

 

The WRX puzzles me somewhat - in that 350 are available before Xmas and (I think) 650 next year ..... after that it ends. So there will be only 1000 UK WRX Impreza New Shape's ever - does that make it a collectors item, or does it make it a pointless purchase?

 

Yeah right

Nice right up though Pete, thanks.

 

Nice one pete..

If I was in the market to buy another Impreza it would be a late low mileage Hawkeye as the price's they're fetching is (sickening for those that bought them new like the guy in your post ) or excellent for those looking to buy..

You have to wonder however, who in there right mind is going to buy a new UK impreza when residuals are so poor..! It would have to be an EU equivalent at least, although I'm not sure they're the saving they used to be..?

Pete, purely out of curiosity and for comparative purposes, have you ever driven a late newage impreza..?

 

Jase, do you know how much 2006 Sti's (from garages) are going for at the mo mate ?

 

Would also like to know.

Trade in on a tidy MY06 STI is about the £14k+ mark so I think the dealer is a bit of a Dick Turpin TBH. Still shocking but £12k is

 

Great post Pete, you'll get flamed to b*ggery which we all know you enjoy Sounds like just the sort of car than an old fart would like to me ... enjoy!

TX.

 

I also liked but it's out of my price range.

 

Thanks for the positives regarding the thread.

I must admit that I have not driven any Impreza except a Classic, the new WRX written about above and a Black WRX with PPP Blob-Eye (which made me want a nice backbox).

This new WRX is different class to the rest - but, you've got to pay £20,000 to get into one ............... or do you?? I've just been to AllBrandsNew and they will do one on a 57 Plate for around £16,800 and theirs comes with Sat Nav .... an Import, granted, but a nice saving?

If people don't buy they may become a bit of a bargain .... I'm going to wait and see what the market tells me.

 

My daughters partner has just been down to look it over - he is a Focus man through and through ............................. he LOVES the WRX!!

Subaru may have hit the spot very accurately indeed!!

 

Good write up Pete. Sounds to me like you are tempted

I have faith in the new STI although i am in the minority

My order is already in for delivery 1st March and i can't wait.

 

Good review Pete.

I do think the WRX will sell well if people actually drive it. But it'll sell well to Focus and Astra drivers, not the majority of people like us who bought Imprezas for different reasons. But you have to remember, that us lot on Scoobynet are a niche and no way representative of the larger market that Subaru want a slice of.

Me? I'll be driving my classic and when the engine goes I'll get it rebuilt, safe in the knowledge the depreciation has already happened and that I've not lost a packet buying a "new" car. All the while I'll be driving the car I always wanted.

Aside - for the first time since 1998 when I first bought an Impreza I had a ride in a new age car (2004 model I think). Got out of it glad I still had a classic. I amaze myself that I've not got bored of it after all these years.

 

here is my review
Well i have had the WRX out on demo for 2 days

interior excellent seats are superb very refined cruiser and performance is excellent for 235 BHP and really does pull like a train (and i have driven many variations of scoobies)

It does not have the turn head factor and not many people even notice it on the road or parked up .

The thing i did miss is it is totally silent and you can not here the burble of the flat 4 apart from 1-2 gear when revving hard
eqipment levels good and looks ok and fresh and modern design but why did i not get one
simple reason for me the springs were far too soft
I have a little test route and the new WRX shaved 2 minutes off my normal run but when i got to the end of it i flt slightly car sick due to the soft springs ,perfomnace is really good and it had only 300 miles on clock so better will follow

to sort it new firmer springs and a decat and for those who say it is too expensive well i paid £22600 for mine in 2000 so it is a lot cheaper in real turns
fuel economy is a worry with the computer saying 20mpg average over 170 miles and me putting in £38 of petrol so its a thirsty beast


Im looking forward to testing the STi and i will probably keep hold of my classic and bubble wrap it for 20 years as its only woth as PS lewis says £4-5k but things do move forward and i think the new STi will set new standards and sort out the WRX soft springs issue and with a rumoured 400BHP potential it will be the best yet and price for those who say its dear well the P1 was £32k in 2000 !!

I look forward to seeing many new Sti at NBO6 on the 15th june 08


I took it to the CS meeting and im afraid they all said it was ugly but they were like myself eager to see the STi







Flame suit on

 

John, everyones entitled to their own opinion

 

I actually liked the soft springs of the WRX, if the STi is too raw I won't like it at all.

You really don't know how good this car is until you drive it, I was not expecting to like it but without doubt it is a brilliant machine.

The fact that it is not noticed on the road or parked is a bonus to me

I want a good look at the STi - I think it will be utterly fantastic and, if the rumours are true of a £24,999 price point I may well be really tempted - it will be 8 years since my great Impreza first entered the motoring world. I will miss the old girl hugely, but the new girl in town may catch all my attention.

Whoever gets my old Classic will get a car that has been treated very well over its 82,000 miles ..... 100% reliable, day in, day out

 

Well as long as it keeps you wrinkleys happy

 

You haven't driven it, have you??

 

I drove one last weekend, my missus loved it, i hated it, i bought a used (obviously) wr1 instead, i did'nt like the way they've softened everything down and made it just like any other four door hatchback on the market, but i suppose that's what they need to do, to appeal to a far larger market, although it's a bit confusing as to why they want to go for mass appeal if they can only sell 1000 cars a year, also the dealer i spoke to said he was told sti's would be priced around £26.000, to which he said would mean about £30.000 by the time it go's on sale next year, he was also doubtful of the rumoured march release as well.

 

My Dealer said that he would have an STi for me to test in February 2008.

They won't sell many at £30,000 either - you need to find another Dealer

 

Nice write up

Kinda what I expected personally. In my opinion, the newage WRX feels a bit soft - good for an everyday car - but not the raw excitement of an STI. Also, Pete is right about an STI not being an everyday car - as for the vast majority of drivers, they'd hate having to drive one every day - they want something detached, anemic, and uncharismatic. Not a brutal thug of a car that just wants to be ragged everywhere. Dull and quick sells I'm afraid.

 

All the new shape models are cheaper than the model they replace.

If the STI follows the trend and is nearer £25k, I'm interested, especially if it is easier to live with day to day.

I do 24,000 miles a year.

 

I don't listen to dealers, bought my WRX in 2005 for £17k (demo with 23 miles on the clock from Buldog, Twyford, Reading), just sold it for £14k privately with 32,000 wonderbar miles and 2.5 years of trouble-free driving.
Mine was the 2.0l with 219 CO2; so had plenty of offers and the car was mint, not even a mark on the alloy wheels.

 

Strange thing happened today ..... I came off the motorway and the Focus ST Wolf, which I looked at after taking the WRX out in post 1, was 'playing' around the ring road just ahead of me.

I arrived at the lights alongside him, he looked liked the Ford Salesman and had his boyfriend alongside .... he looked across, but I kept my eyes forward, he was going to floor it.

Lights went orange and, childish I know, but I gave my Scooby a good workout ...... he gave a good account but disappeared in my dust

Thats why I drive an Impreza and not a Ford

 

Peter, have you any idea what that sort of driving does for your mpg ?

I'm shocked

 

Quick, call the police ! Someone has nicked Pete's Scoobynet password !

You'll be off for a remap and putting silly priced oil in your Scoob before you know it !