Car Auto Magazine

Second Place: Hot Hatches: 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX
Introduction
Fourth Place: 2008 Dodge Caliber SRT4
Third Place: 2008 Volvo C30 T5
Second Place: 2008 Subaru WRX
First Place: 2007 Mazdaspeed 3
December 2007

2008 Subaru Impreza WRX
Highs: Rock solid and refined, comes closest to rear-drive moves, the torque is spread thick.

Lows: Understated inside to the point of Accord-ness, looks dumpy next to the Mazdaspeed, worst mpg.

The Verdict: A budget BMW in a plain beige wrapper.
It was swimming with the Sharks only last year, but the WRX emerges from its complete makeover as a confirmed Jet. The lines of the mini-wagon are more taut (if not excessively handsome). The roof looks lower, the rear-end rake is steeper, and the flaring hood scoop is now tamped down into a narrow cheese shaver. There’s no body-color stitching on the upholstery, no epileptic boost meters, no race-boy adverts embroidered on the seats. The black and titanium trim is so understated—red-numbered gauges notwithstanding—that the car should really be called the Impreza LX.

Disappointment? It can’t be measured in milligrams. This ’08 WRX is so capable and willing, such a leap in livability and refinement over its predecessor, that the words “budget BMW” actually crossed our lips without causing gags.

Unfortunately, some of the old WRX remains for nostalgic types. The Evinrude-esque putter of the 224-horse, 2.5-liter flat-four is just as lame, although more damped in the quieter cockpit. The engine’s four-armed intake tract has been changed from aluminum to plebeian black plastic. It might be lighter and cheaper, but it won’t encourage WRX lovers to crack their hoods at the hamburger stand.

Five-on-the-floor seems about as outdated as three-on-the-tree in a world full of six-speeds. The ratio spacing is almost identical to the Caliber’s but without the second overdrive. No surprise that the Rex’s recorded 20-mpg average is at the bottom. The turbocharged boxer spreads its torque thickly around 3000 rpm, so the extra gear was only missed on the interstate. Little joy was derived from shifting, anyway, the stick’s floppy connection to the transmission seemingly done with bungee cords.

So much for the bad. Our back-road bash brought out the WRX’s manifest improvements, including a new solidity in the ride, competence to the brakes, and fluidity in the suspension and steering. Arcs are traced cleanly with well-greased and reactive steering, the suspension restraining roll and pitch but letting the body down over dips and bumps as gently as a ballerina in slippers. Or a BMW on Michelins, we thought. As in a Bimmer, Subaru’s new chassis filters out everything you don’t need to know to go quick with confidence.

And quick it is, the WRX’s all-wheel drive supplying much appreciated rear-drive throttle response in this group. Injudicious right feet easily overwhelm the front tires of the other cars, especially the hyper-boosted Mazda. But the WRX responds to mid-turn gassing by tucking in the front end and tightening the line. From this, great drives are made.

A snore to look at, the WRX keeps its assets hidden from view. Subaru surely is saving all the red-hot visuals for the forthcoming and pricier STI. Could it be? Yes, it could. Something’s coming, something good.