2008 Subaru Impreza WRX

2008 Subaru Impreza WRX - The new car’s interior is improved with higher-grade materials, even if soft-touch pieces are in short supply. The WRX has nicely supportive front sport seats and rear pews that regular-size adults no longer need dread. (Linebackers, however, need not apply.) Our test car was fitted with an optional Premium package that ordinarily includes a 100-watt, 10-speaker stereo with an in-dash six-CD changer; an auxiliary input jack; and heated front seats. Order the navigation system, however, and one ends up with a single-CD player. Base WRXs come with an 80-watt stereo and CD player, automatic climate control, keyless entry, steering-wheel-mounted cruise-control and audio buttons, and curtain airbags.

Under the unattractive skin, the WRX gets some major upgrades. The 2.5-liter horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine remains essentially the same, except that a new intercooler, intake manifold, and turbocharger result in the power and torque being delivered at lower revs. Maximum power remains at 224 horsepower, now available at 5200 rpm (previously 5600 rpm), and the 226 pound-feet of torque are produced at 2800 rpm instead of 3600. Also carried over are the five-speed manual and four-speed automatic gearboxes.

Other than the greatly increased interior space, the first thing that strikes one about the new WRX is how civilized it has become. Wind, engine, and tire noise are more muted, and the ride is a huge improvement, almost cushy on broken pavement. The increased thrust at lower revs means that top-gear passing performance is sharper, with the 30-to-50-mph increment now taking 10.7 seconds (down from 11.0) and the 50-to-70-mph mark improving from 9.0 seconds to 7.3. In practice, it means the driver no longer has to shift down two gears to get past that pesky semi on a back road. The shifter retains the old WRX’s rubbery feel.

Although the WRX is much more usable in everyday driving, it has lost the raw edge it used to have while tearing up back roads. Sure, the steering is accurate and nicely weighted, and the handling is faithful, with mild understeer under power and controllable lift-throttle oversteer when readjusting in the middle of a turn. But the mud-and-snow-rated Bridgestones squirm around like a presidential candidate under hard questioning, and the car has more cornering roll than we’d like.

So it’s a different kind of WRX. It’s softer, more rounded, and may be more palatable to more people, but it feels like a sportier sedan rather than a rally car for the road. Subaru says it was aiming to broaden the WRX’s appeal and leave the more expensive zooted-up STI as the hard-core choice. Plus, Subaru adds, the engine is as tunable as before, and there will be suspension parts and wheel-and-tire packages galore on the aftermarket to satisfy the existing fan base.