You know what? The WRX is simply not in the same league as Audi or BMW when it comes to buidling a finely "crafted" automobile, and that is what I want in my next car. Frankly, the WRX can't hold a candle even to my 99 New Golf build quality, when you look the car over carefully.
YES, it has all that horsepower and torque (above a very rough 3000 RPM threshold) and the handling is rather impressive (comparable in my experience to the A4 sport set-up).
I am just not the kind of guy to redline it and drop the clutch at all the stoplights, and that seems to be the way to "extract" the goodness of the WRX when you read the reviews.
I am a firm believer that it isn't how fast you go (or how quickly you get there), but how WELL you get the job done, and how satisfying the experience is along the way. Drive the WRX. Sit in those cheap seats and feel the plasticky switchgear. Then you will know.