So I finally test-drove a WRX...

...and I was goddamn impressed! None of the complaints that I heard about the car seemed to bother me at all. Rough ride? Maybe for a 40-year-old businessman. Too noisy? I thought the engine/turbo noises were awesome. Low-grade interior materials? Didn't seem any worse than my beater Camry. The transmission was nice and smooth too, despite what I had heard about the clutch/shifter. The backseats had plenty of room, more than enough for my 230-lb. friend and my 6-foot dad. The sound system was decent (I'd probably put in aftermarket speakers anyways), the air conditioning was plenty powerful, and the interior seemed very well laid-out.

Naturally, my mom wanted to know about the safety, reliability, and mileage, but she soon found out that the WRX is a champion in all three of those areas. She seemed pretty happy with the Impreza's crash test scores, along with its history of tight build quality and long life.

But enough about that; it was once we took the car out to the backroads and pushed it a little harder that I really fell in love with the car. The acceleration was phenomenal, and I didn't even notice the soft power delivery below 3500 RPM. The AWD gave me a good enough launch that I didn't really feel the turbo lag at all. The handling was tight as a drum, and the car could easily be tossed back and forth at 30+ MPH without even coming close to skidding. I was thoroughly impressed with the rally-car-style performance, and my dad couldn't keep the smile off of his face when he drove it.

Just to be totally safe, I have to test-drive the competition, but I'm pretty sure this is the one. My parents have agreed that if I do well in school this quarter, they'll each chip in and get me one at the end of the month. I'm going to have to get a part-time job to help pay for the insurance, but for a WRX, I don't care. This is one the best-looking, most fun-to-drive cars I've ever seen, and it still manages to retain all the practicality of a Japanese econosedan. Subaru: excellent job. :smokin:

:thumbsup:

Just to be totally safe, I have to test-drive the competition, ...Like what? Without going up to the STi vs. EVO level (and price point), it's tricky to find a car with which you can compare the WRX (at least in the U.S. market.)

Your lucky. I wish I coulda chose to upgrade to a WRX. Oh well, maybe in the future.

jay: I hear ya, there isn't much competition in the WRX's price range. One car that I will probably test, however, is the Dodge Neon SRT-4. It makes similar power and it costs quite a bit less. But I'm pretty sure it'd be worth the extra three or four thousand for all-wheel-drive instead of front-wheel-drive, not to mention the impeccable reliability of a Subaru. Besides, I really don't like the way the Neon looks, both on the inside and on the outside.

Dodge SRT-4 is not a Neon, but it is still a Dodge.....

The SRT-4 is to a neon. That is one of the packages for it or something trust me i'm looking at cars right now. Then that ias like saying that he SRT-10 isn't a Ram or a Viper (they both come with that) it is a neon

I think you're getting your models confused, the SRT-4 and Neon are different cars, perhaps you're thinking of the Neon SXT?
If you go on Dodge's website, they even list the SRT-4 and Neon as different models.

Are you saying that the Ram SRT-10 is a different Truck they are listed as different models

The website doesn't put Neon because people see 'Neon' and 'high-performance' in the same sentence and just laugh. The SRT-4 is a Neon in the same sense that the WRX is an Impreza; just like the base model, but turbocharged and tuned.

so really then if you think about it 5 post ago then that was a lie is the sense that the srt-4 is a neon true. think about that

I agree the basis of the car is the same, and doing the research they are close in every respect, but I am sure a lot more Neon owners wish their car was an SRT-4 than SRT-4 owners wish their car to be called a Neon.

As you say, Neon and performance aren't exactly associative thinking.

BTW, I checked several automotive sites and some do refer to the SRT-4 as a Neon and some say it certainly isn't.

*shrug* It's not a Neon in the sense that it doesn't say Neon on the car or on Dodge's website. It is a Neon in the sense that, well, it IS a Neon, with performance parts and upgrades. But I don't ever hear anyone saying that the WRX isn't an Impreza, or that the Evolution isn't a Lancer. So to me, it's a Neon.

You don't hear anyone saying the WRX isn't an Impreza because the WRX is an Impreza. It's an Impreza WRX.
We're not talking about the same thing here.

i went to got test drive a WRX b/c i was in the market for the STI...i had my dad with me and all and the guy wouldn't let me test drive it....gavee some bs about when people buy these cars they don't want a lot of miles on it...let's talk numbers 1st...

my dad was like lets go...when people talk like that u don't need to give them ur business.....i was really looking forward to that test drive

The dealership I went to had a bunch of WRX's sitting around, and they had a couple of them designated as test cars, so it wasn't really a problem for me *shrug* But if I were to buy a new WRX, I wouldn't want many miles on it either, because there's a chance that during those miles some idiot could have messed around in the car during a test drive.

Get real... SRT-4 IS a neon.
It doesn't matter how you call it, "neon SRT-4",
"srt-4" or "WRX" or "impreza WRX"...
WRX is an impreza and SRT-4 is a Neon.
How Dodge calls it is simply a marketing strategy.

Exactly. Trying to proclaim the Neon as a performance vehicle would sound totally ridiculous. The reason Subaru can get away with it is because the WRX has already made a name for itself in Europe and Asia, whereas the Neon has always been a soft and gentle economy car.

well that is true they don't really give too many test drives in the STI unless they're pretty sure you have intent on buying one. same thing with SVT Ford cars, the RX-8, and pretty much any special edition car. that's just the way it goes. i'm sure we would all love to take a test drive in one of those, and just because you come up there with your dad they're not going to let you just take it. so you pretty much have to know someone at the dealership, know someone with an STI, or be able to convince the shit out of the dealer that you're ready to buy. sorry dude.

let's face it the only thing anyone would buy the SRT-4 for is a cheap car that goes fast in a straight line. in my opinion, there really isn't else nice about that car. looks ugly (inside and out), crappy suspension and brakes, it's made by Dodge so how long can it possibly last, and it's Neon (doesn't matter that it doesn't say Neon on it)...people still look at it and say there's that Neon SRT-4, or there's that Neon that's kinda fast. definately a waste of money.

didn't want to test drive the STI...was in the market for one and wanted to test drive the WRX...i know the whole deal about test driving specialty cars hence the reason for wanting to test drive the WRX instead

Heh, I showed up with my dad to a dealership I've never been to and they didn't hesitate to let us test-drive the WRX. The dealer just drove first for about five minutes to show me and my dad some things about the car, since neither of us have ever driven a turbo AWD.

The SRT-4 is a great bang-for-buck car, and the handling as actually very good, but you can only take an FWD car so far. I prefer the WRX because it looks much cooler, the safety ratings are unbeatable, it's much more reliable and AWD is far superior to FWD.

Good man. Go for the WRX.

Yep, maybe in about five or six years when I'm out of college, I'll go for the STi.

ive tried one but it was the 2002 one. still really nice. got to use it in the snow too!

Yeah, they pretty much just let me walk into the dealership and drive the WRX. And yes, I tore up the neighboring deserted parking lot in it. And then I bought one (albeit not the one I autocross-test-drove in... didn't want one somebody had already driven hard :-))