Took one out for a run.

Not bad at all - a bit 'floatie' and 'wandering' if you know what I mean? Very, very light steering ... a bit scary to start with!

Not 'planted' like my Classic ... but certainly fast (even if it doesn't feel as fast!) ..... nice touches like Cruise, AirCon, Anthracite Wheels, Prodrive backbox (but still no burble or rasp) ..... really not sure, especially at £21,450!!

And, of course, the boot is very small .... by that I mean shallow.

I was told that the WRXS is a limited Special - I guess that's what the S stands for??

 

The steering can be improved with whiteline bushes. Add to that suspension improvements like springs, ARBs and drop links and the handling will match if not improve upon your classic.

To be honest though, I wouldn't pay that kind of money for a hatch back... even one with an RS or STi badge on.

 

The dealer said that Subaru will let me have £1,000 to spend on the options - they will even fit them for free ....... and, Subaru may allow them to offer me a 'Loyalty Bonus Discount'.

Also looked at the competition, RS, ST, Mazda3, Astra .... I have a natural bent to Subaru - but, the mags only give it 2 1/2 out of 5 stars - the above competition get 4 1/2 stars!

When I bought my Classic, the Impreza was rated as the performance car bargain of the decade, if not ever and was rated 5 stars ..... so it has proved to me daily, for the past 10 years.

 

Things have changed since then SS,

The classic didn't have to contend with:

Eco warriors
Running costs of Subarus compared to equally powerful euroboxes
200bhp+ Competition much more varied and equally as cheap to buy (if not cheaper)
Very quick diesel alternatives which tick all the boxes

The new Subaru is never going to get 5 stars... ( even the diesel, the 4x4 drivetrain saps 20% of the already low 150bhp engine ) it just does not fit the " save the planet" image we get stuffed down our necks daily.

 

But the Top Gear Challenge Legacy Diesel did 700 miles on a tank. Pretty good for a 4x4 diesel

 

impreza diesel can be mapped to 180bhp and still give 40+mpg....
martin

 

Blue Dragoon... but still lost out to the 3.0L twin turbo Jag!

P1doc.. sure..any diesel can be mapped and still return mpg... but my old man's 150 TDI A6 Avant out drags the diesel Legacy and returns 45mpg all day...

My point is subaru's diesel technology is behind the others, or they need to start thinking 2WD

 

The Legacy is giving lower C02 levels than equivalent VW's and Audi's.

VW/Audi 2l TDI 170 or 140 PS 4Motion models are 168 or 169 soots.


Legacy 4x4 2l TDI 150 PS is 151 soots.

The Jag had a bigger tank too and 199 soots!

 

VCAcarfueldata.org.uk - Database Search

 

[quote=SunnySideUp;9231931]The dealer said that Subaru will let me have £1,000 to spend on the options - they will even fit them for free ....... and, Subaru may allow them to offer me a 'Loyalty Bonus Discount'.

Whats the loyalty bonus discount worth? I dont think you would end up paying over £21K if you were serious. I got a decent discount on my WRX 08 by getting a new one registered as a demo

 

The 1k to spend could surley spec the WRXs up to a very temping trim level with a few extra toys!!

Not sure I would spend over 20k though on one.

 

I think the Leather WRX Seats are about £1200 ... so, not much change there then.

Towbar £292 .... + Electrics at whatever, £60?

£1000 doesn't go very far!

And, yes, £21,450 is a very high price considering the competition ..... but, I do like Scoobies!

No idea whatsoever what the loyalty bonus could be? Would they do enough to swing a sale? No idea whether these cars are selling in any great numbers?

 

I still have my my00 classic wagon and a wrxd which is now averaging 45 mpg 500 to the tank mostly short fast journeys so guess I would get 48 mpg if I did longer journeys
steering is light but you get used to it and slightly softer sprung but again can be sorted
performance now that it has 8.5 k miles on is near enough idenical to my classic although miss the noise but very refined
build quality is great and a very easy car to live with
mine cost just under 23 k on the road don't really care about the price as I will keep it for years my ten year old classic has cost me £40 a week unreal terms and worth it for the smiles it gives me
the new shape in blue , red or black looks fantastic especially with tints and gold wheels
seats aree good especially heated and sound system is the best I've had in any car boot is slighty smaller but very wide with the seats folded down
wrxd is slightly dearer depends on how many miles and fuel economy matters to you
I have the best of both worlds a classic for the weekend and the rawness and the easier to live with (and modern) newage for day to day

 

I actually think the steering is good. Yes it does feel light when you first drive it but once you are used it there's plenty of feel there. If you want the burble back you can always buy a quality cat back exhaust for £300. I actually think the WRX-S is an underrated car and is excellent value for money for what you get. The well respected motoring journo Chris Harris said that he actually prefered the WRX-S to the STI.

 

The WRX-S has a Prodrive exhaust ... but still no burble - I think it has been killed off.

 

No it's still there, just very quiet. It has the unequal length headers. I've had a look on Youtube at some of the hatchbacks with aftermarket exhausts and they sound great.

 

I have had the Prodrive 330s quad tail pipe back box fitted to my WRXS and although the sound from inside the car is little different, there is a definite increase in 'burble' from the outside. Warranty unaffected by the way.