Jazz
18th December 2008, 17:17
Evening all. Firstly- Jap car haters don't bother with this thread, you'll hate it. Thanks, have a nice day.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/jazz_360/WRXPPP.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/jazz_360/WRXPPPpic2.jpg
How it looked after our, ahem, test drive.
Now for the rest of you lot, here is a write up of this unassuming mid-sized family saloon I tested this afternoon at a Subaru Main dealer in West Horsley, Sussex. It is a 2003 Subaru Impreza WRX PPP, which included a few small Prodrive upgrades like a growly exhaust and some ECU tweaking, and as a result power jumps from a pretty chilly 222bhp to a hot and spicy 261bhp, which puts this thing right up to standard STi levels. Peak torque in the WRX is now 257lb ft at 3500rpm, which is higher than a normal STi’s 243 at 4000 rpm. Interestingly Prodrive present a 0-60 mph time of just 4.8 seconds, while the STi is 5.2, which goes to show how effective the input of Prodrive has been to evolving these vehicles.
On appearance, it’s admittedly not the sexiest thing since Jessica Jane Clement, but then Subarus are not about sizzling design or tarty curves, they leave that to the Alfa’s of this world to do. No, Scooby’s are all about the driving experience, and on that front, they deliver more often than not. And this car is a fine example of that. The forecourt was full of big-winged racey STi’s and a few butched up Foresters, so this little WRX, with its modest 17 inch alloys and subtle rear spoiler was tucked away in a corner quietly, but on the road, it showed me what it was really all about.
Right, first thing is first. Subaru salesmen are NUTTERS, that is now official. The friendly chap who took me out firstly knew the car from top to bottom, and he explained that he would take me for a drive to ‘demonstrate’ the performance of the car. After patiently allowing it to warm up, off we went- and this particular chap was a very good driver. He explained that he and his colleagues are taught how to properly drive these cars with dedicated training, and it really showed.
The growl of the boxer engine, amplified by the beefy exhaust was music to my ears, it always reminds me of a pseudo American Muscle car, although sadly once you’re going for it you don’t tend to notice it much anymore, it sort of blends in.
Right, enough details. Was it quick? Like, seriously, properly quick? Well quite simply- Yes. It was a bit of an animal beneath that subtle styling. Power was available throughout the rev range (mainly from 3k) and even at the top end revs it didn’t seem to run out of steam. It took a while to get used to a few things though a) That bonnet scoop is something I’m not used to and was a tad distracting at times, but given time I would get acquainted with it and b) the clutch has a very short travel, so quite a few times I was over revving it while trying to crawl forward. But that again, is something I’d get used to. 60mph seemed to just come and go like that, and it was so easy to get it to just surge forward. Plenty of poke then.
The handling was even better though. Admittedly, the steering didn’t have the same meaty feel as my Honda, but it was still good and responsive, and the chassis was nothing short of excellent. To put it into context, I chucked it round a sharp corner (on the salemans instructions), he told me to keep on the throttle, but I bottled and let my foot up for a second and the tail came out beautifully. It clipped the grass and I could hear gravel spitting against the bodywork, and I felt like a rally driver. It was a bit unexpected though, but I nailed it again, applied opposite lock accordingly and fixed it with some messy manoeuvring- first time I’d ever done that. This car showed me just how much of a rookie driver I was, it sometimes takes a really focussed driver’s car to make you realize that. I felt like the WRX was laughing at me, and saying “is that all you got son?” I was trying and I couldn’t hit more than about 60mph through the narrow, twisty lanes we went on. The salesman later told me he is regularly able to hit three figures through there, which made me feel like even more of a rookie.
The bottom line is that this is a superb-handling, planted and very rapid little weapon, and yet unlike a STi you would never know, its subtle styling doesn’t really give much away. Even the seats were comfortable, the ride was compliant and it was civilized when it needed to be.
This car makes me even more sad that Subaru have pulled out of WRC, the genetics are so obvious in the WRX PPP. I have been a massive fan of my Accord Type R since I got it, but now I’ll admit I have found a reasonably priced unmodified car that beats it hands down for driver appeal. Nothing is perfect though- interior wasn’t as good as the focus ST I recently drove, steering wasn’t as meaty as my Honda, and the brake pedal lacked the bite I was expecting. But for fun factor, I’ve never been in another car that has given me such an adrenaline rush. And by simply looking at it, you would never know the beast that lies within.
Verdict- Simply excellent. It does just what you’d expect a Scooby Turbo to do and more. 9/10
Comments welcome.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/jazz_360/WRXPPP.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/jazz_360/WRXPPPpic2.jpg
How it looked after our, ahem, test drive.
Now for the rest of you lot, here is a write up of this unassuming mid-sized family saloon I tested this afternoon at a Subaru Main dealer in West Horsley, Sussex. It is a 2003 Subaru Impreza WRX PPP, which included a few small Prodrive upgrades like a growly exhaust and some ECU tweaking, and as a result power jumps from a pretty chilly 222bhp to a hot and spicy 261bhp, which puts this thing right up to standard STi levels. Peak torque in the WRX is now 257lb ft at 3500rpm, which is higher than a normal STi’s 243 at 4000 rpm. Interestingly Prodrive present a 0-60 mph time of just 4.8 seconds, while the STi is 5.2, which goes to show how effective the input of Prodrive has been to evolving these vehicles.
On appearance, it’s admittedly not the sexiest thing since Jessica Jane Clement, but then Subarus are not about sizzling design or tarty curves, they leave that to the Alfa’s of this world to do. No, Scooby’s are all about the driving experience, and on that front, they deliver more often than not. And this car is a fine example of that. The forecourt was full of big-winged racey STi’s and a few butched up Foresters, so this little WRX, with its modest 17 inch alloys and subtle rear spoiler was tucked away in a corner quietly, but on the road, it showed me what it was really all about.
Right, first thing is first. Subaru salesmen are NUTTERS, that is now official. The friendly chap who took me out firstly knew the car from top to bottom, and he explained that he would take me for a drive to ‘demonstrate’ the performance of the car. After patiently allowing it to warm up, off we went- and this particular chap was a very good driver. He explained that he and his colleagues are taught how to properly drive these cars with dedicated training, and it really showed.
The growl of the boxer engine, amplified by the beefy exhaust was music to my ears, it always reminds me of a pseudo American Muscle car, although sadly once you’re going for it you don’t tend to notice it much anymore, it sort of blends in.
Right, enough details. Was it quick? Like, seriously, properly quick? Well quite simply- Yes. It was a bit of an animal beneath that subtle styling. Power was available throughout the rev range (mainly from 3k) and even at the top end revs it didn’t seem to run out of steam. It took a while to get used to a few things though a) That bonnet scoop is something I’m not used to and was a tad distracting at times, but given time I would get acquainted with it and b) the clutch has a very short travel, so quite a few times I was over revving it while trying to crawl forward. But that again, is something I’d get used to. 60mph seemed to just come and go like that, and it was so easy to get it to just surge forward. Plenty of poke then.
The handling was even better though. Admittedly, the steering didn’t have the same meaty feel as my Honda, but it was still good and responsive, and the chassis was nothing short of excellent. To put it into context, I chucked it round a sharp corner (on the salemans instructions), he told me to keep on the throttle, but I bottled and let my foot up for a second and the tail came out beautifully. It clipped the grass and I could hear gravel spitting against the bodywork, and I felt like a rally driver. It was a bit unexpected though, but I nailed it again, applied opposite lock accordingly and fixed it with some messy manoeuvring- first time I’d ever done that. This car showed me just how much of a rookie driver I was, it sometimes takes a really focussed driver’s car to make you realize that. I felt like the WRX was laughing at me, and saying “is that all you got son?” I was trying and I couldn’t hit more than about 60mph through the narrow, twisty lanes we went on. The salesman later told me he is regularly able to hit three figures through there, which made me feel like even more of a rookie.
The bottom line is that this is a superb-handling, planted and very rapid little weapon, and yet unlike a STi you would never know, its subtle styling doesn’t really give much away. Even the seats were comfortable, the ride was compliant and it was civilized when it needed to be.
This car makes me even more sad that Subaru have pulled out of WRC, the genetics are so obvious in the WRX PPP. I have been a massive fan of my Accord Type R since I got it, but now I’ll admit I have found a reasonably priced unmodified car that beats it hands down for driver appeal. Nothing is perfect though- interior wasn’t as good as the focus ST I recently drove, steering wasn’t as meaty as my Honda, and the brake pedal lacked the bite I was expecting. But for fun factor, I’ve never been in another car that has given me such an adrenaline rush. And by simply looking at it, you would never know the beast that lies within.
Verdict- Simply excellent. It does just what you’d expect a Scooby Turbo to do and more. 9/10
Comments welcome.