Need some general information on WRX plase

[knaffie]

I am going to be graduating college in May and I am finally going to get a new car. I already have a S10 4x4 that I am going to keep for pulling trailer / hauling loads / going in the woods etc. What I want is something that gets good mileage, yet is sporty looking and pretty fast. I always had my eye on Grand Prix GTP or Grand Am GT, but I was checking out the WRX after I saw it on a TV commercial. Pretty decent HP out of a 4 cylinder motor. Not to mention AWD would be nice in the winter up here.

I would just like to hear any general information or factual opinions people have about the car - anything at all. Specifically, I was wondering:

What kind of milage does the car consistently get?

How does the car hold up (with only 36,000 mile / 3 year warrnaty, I wouldn't want things to start going to hell soon after it is up)?

How does the car ride (smooth and nice or rock hard like a sports car)?

How is the premium sound system (other manufacturer's premium sound systems are a joke).

What are some of the good performance upgrades that work well (exhaust, air filtration, looks, etc.)?

How does the car work in snow? I am concerned with the functional air scoop ingesting snow, as well as the low stance of the car working like more of a snowplow in more than about 2" of snow.

Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[MOG_22]

You can't go wrong with this car. It's the best value in it's preice range, and is faster than a lot of cars that costs thousands more. Now to your questions. Gas mileage is about 25mpg average, it's high for a car with turbo and awd. Subaru has solid reliability, the awd will be a dream to drive in the snow and rain, as well as taking it out on the twisties now and then. The ride is really smooth, you can be going 40 mph and accelerate all the way to 100mph and you'll think you're going 70mph. Really, I've been in one and it always amazes me how smooth this car really is. The sounds system is a bit of a question, a well trained ear will be very picky, but the average person will think it kicks ass, you can always go aftermarket on this. But it is sutiable for jamming on the streets. Some aftermarket upgrades you might consider is an exhaust and tires. An exhaust with a larger diameter will let your turbo kick in quicker, maybe 25k rpm vs. 30k rpm. The tires will be needed if you want to drive the car hard in bad weather such as snow or rain, the stock tires are ok, but you WILL want to upgrade. This car is design to drive in snow and dirt, so there your concern about snow and the scoop will not be a big issue. Again, 227HP turbo out of a 2L engine for 24K is a steal, there is just no other car in it's class, and some in higher classes struggle to compete. One thing are the seats and interior, you might not like it if you're used to BMW or even Honda, but otherwise, the car is a dream.

[Darkstarwrx]

I agree with you on what you said, except for the gas mileage, very few get 25 mpg. You would have to really baby it or be on the highway all the time to get 25. Consumer Reports said that one of the only low points of the WRX is fuel economy, they got 21 mpg overall.

[MOG_22]

Ha ha I meant 2.5K rpms and not 25k rpms for the exhaust. Sorry about that. Imagine a car with the ability to rev 25k rpms. MONSTER!!!

[LjasonL]

1.gas milage is good for a turbo awd car, but thats about it. its not gonna touch any of the japanese economy cars for milage, but then its not an economy car...

2.problems with transmission. i have lost 5th gear myself and when it was apart they found 1st and 2nd were worn pretty badly as well. now to be fair i drive my car REALLY hard. warranty covered it all. if u go to www.i-club.com u will find many people with the same transmission problem. rumor has it when they fix it under warranty the new part has the same part number but its different... i cant verifiy this but i know my new gears work better than the origional ones ever did. and ive never heard of anyone having the replacement gears go out, so i guess they fix it. who knows maybe theyve had so many complaints they put the rights ones in from the factory nowadays.

3.ride is EXTREMELY smooth. unrealistically smooth for a car with such good cornering ability. test drive one, and ram the hell out of some pot holes to see for yourself.

4.who needs a premium sound system? aftermarket! but the stock system sounds good, for a stock system anyways.

5.anything to do with airflow will improve performance greatly. boost controller, as it comes stock with low boost for its 8.0 compression. upgraded intercooler works well too.

6.i had mine out in snow, driving normally when other cars were struggling to just get around without wrecking. during a light snow i took a corner marked as "20mph" at 60 with little effort, this being DURING SNOW! also got into a big parking lot while it was snowing to have some fun sliding around, well the damn thing just wont slide, i even got to 40mph, turned as hard as i could, revved it and dropped the clutch in the middle of turning, and all it did was turn really sharply. and the functional air scoop doesnt feed the intake, so dont worry bout it sucking snow in. it is to cool the intercooler, and snow falling through onto the intercooler would actually help improve your performance.

and i think pretty much any car will work as a snowplow in 2 foot deep snow.

[border_project]

i agree with all of you guys.
wrx is more reliable than the grandprix. better handling, you'll feel way more comfy and better gas milage.
accesorizing and modifying the car for more power is easier and more fun
get a lot of power.