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By
EWAN KENNEDY
10 September 2007
Subaru's WRX has grown up. No longer is it the automotive
equivalent of a rebellious teenager who is a bit rough around the edges
and single minded about maximum performance at the expense of just about
everything else. Instead the WRX is now like a mature young man, still a
very positive, power hungry young man who knows exactly what he wants
from life, but a man with a much better understanding of the big picture
and the need to temper enthusiasm and see other things in life.
To start with, the all-new Subaru WRX has an integrated look
that has been missing in the past. In some ways the older WRXs
have looked like standard cars that have been hurriedly modified
by engineers and revheads. This time around they look as though
they’ve been designed from the ground up with WRX genes.
Which might make you expect the bonnet scoop, always the most
noticeably feature, would be smaller in the new WRX than the old.
No way! The scoop is bigger than ever before, but a new direction
is styling sees the complete bonnet integrated around the shape of
the scoop. So there's plenty of style in a front end that’s all
of a piece.
The rest of the WRX's body also works well, especially at the
rear where the integrated exhausts are a striking feature that
shows those behind you that your car is something right out of the
ordinary.
Under that big bonnet scoop, the WRX's 2.5-litre flat-four
engine has been modified to flatten the torque graph. The peak is
320 Nm at 2800 rpm, with strong grunt coming in from only 2000
revs.
Engine power is excellent and turbo lag isn’t too bad, once
the turbo has spooled up power delivery is nicely linear.
On the road the WRX is far more refined than in the past. Gone
is the ‘four-door go-kart’ feel of previous generations,
replaced by a car that still has a huge amount of road grip, but
is significantly more comfortable to ride in.
This maturing of the suspension is partly due to the use of a
new rear suspension system that’s similar to that of Impreza's
big brother, the Liberty. No longer does it require a degree of
tolerance to put up with the firm ride created by the sporting
suspension, now the car can be used as a daily commuter with no
comfort hassles.
The price of the Subaru WRX starts at just $39,990. Incredibly
this is exactly the same price as on its launch way back in 1994,
despite the fact the new car is better equipped, more comfortable
and has scored maximum points in ANCAP safety tests.
Some 70 per cent of sales of the just superseded WRX were
sedans, but for the next year or so this body will not be
available; all of the new-generation cars are hatchbacks.
Those who demand a more extreme car than this latest WRX will
need to hold off until the introduction of the STI version, due
here early in 2008.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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