Rank: Formula 3 racer
Joined: 11/10/2006
Posts: 5,074
Location: Manila, Philippines
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Review: Subaru Impreza 2.0R
Surprisingly Civil
Words: Niky Tamayo
Photos: Ken Tamayo
The word “Sooh-bah-roo” has become synonymous in recent decades with the flash of blue and yellow econoboxes ripping down narrow dirt tracks at the speed of light, turbocharged boxer engines chattering away as the tires scrabble for grip. A Subaru is basically a Porsche 911 with bigger rear seats and the boxer engine on the proper end of the car. That’s the front end, by the way, which is why the Subaru has bigger rear seats. And unlike in other small cars, that engine is aligned north-south instead of east-west. In layman’s terms, that means it’s not lying sideways in the engine bay. Which is strange, because the base Impreza model has, for the past seventeen years, been available in front-wheel drive, which is easier to manufacture if you lay the engine sideways between those front wheels.
But Subaru isn’t known for front-wheel drive. It’s made a name for itself building four-wheel drive rally monsters.
Of course, the Impreza 2.0R isn’t a rally monster. It isn’t even very quick. Despite the class-competitive 150 bhp from its 2 liter mill, the long-legged four-speed automatic and the extra inertia of that AWD drivetrain mean that it takes nearly 12 seconds to get from 0-100 km/h. For a car that’s being tagged as a “hot hatch”, that’s not even lukewarm.
Of course, hot hatchery isn’t simply a matter of straight-line speed. A Honda Jazz isn’t any quicker, but is tremendous fun. But the Honda Jazz isn’t the Impreza’s prime competitor, the Ford Focus is. (the 1.6-only Mazda3 doesn’t count)
Compared to the Focus, the Impreza certainly looks the hot hatch part. The sleek, low hoodline comes courtesy of the boxer engine, which lies down flat and doesn’t take up as much vertical space as a traditional inline-four, and clever packaging gives the body a pleasing shape. Some of the styling cues are kind of bland and anonymous compared to stylish newcomers like the Civic and Lancer… but then everything is. While it may not be to everyone’s taste, the Impreza certainly brings to mind its big brother, the STi, especially with the body-kit and aftermarket wheels fitted to our tester. But even the stock kit looks good, and I’m personally fond of the stock 17” mags. Those wheels fit perfectly under the Subaru arches, which don’t seem to suffer from super-sizing as on many compact cars.
The interior of the Subaru likewise exudes rally ambience. Dark leather, race-bucket style seats and a wrap-around dash give the Impreza a sporty feel. It’s a bit old-school, but it makes you feel right at home, and material quality is good. Controls are all easy to reach and legible and everything falls quite easily to hand. The low-set seats also put you closer to the road, although this compromises long-distance riding comfort for rear passengers. Despite having to clear a rear differential and a taller suspension, the cargo hatch isn't that much smaller than in the Focus. The scalloped doors (more elbow room) and generous head-space make the Impreza feel much roomier than the Focus hatchback, though it still takes second seat to the Civic and the Lancer in this regard.
Where it doesn’t take second seat to the competition is in ride comfort. True to its rally roots, the Impreza has a long-stroke suspension that easily absorbs bumps and potholes. It’s not quite as syrupy as the Corolla, and there are times when rough roads can cause some upset stomachs in the back, but it’s a fair bit more liveable than most of the other cars in this class.
Of course, Subaru fanatics don’t expect their cars to be mushy. They expect them to drive like sports cars. In this regard, the Impreza both disappoints and appoints… errhh… impresses. The soft ride translates to a lot of body roll in corners, and the steering is oddly mushy compared to the sportier cars in this class (Focus/Mazda3, Civic, Lancer), but the chassis is stable and the balance is quite neutral. It’s not exactly exciting, but there’s a cure for that. More on that in a bit…
On the highway, the Subaru’s long-gearing and strangely quirky adaptive transmission frustrate. 2nd and 3rd gear are long beyond belief, and the car is reluctant to downshift when you floor it, yet oddly prone to swapping gears when you’re cruising. Despite this, the Impreza makes an excellent provincial trip car. Mixed highway/city economy is a class-average 7 km/l, despite the heavy wheels, automatic transmission and AWD.
At this point, most people would start to sing praises of all-wheel drive and how much safer it is. In reality, all-wheel drive isn’t intrinsically any safer than front-wheel drive. What really matters is how predictably a car handles and how much grip the tires have. Thankfully, the Impreza is covered on both accounts, as it handles very well and has sporty (and safe) Bridgestone Potenza rubber as standard. That all-wheel drive advantage comes into play when you’re trying to drive off-road… though the low ride height means that off-road, in this case, is limited to light mud and gravel.
It all could have been so much better. And it is. That cure I was talking about? The 2.0R MT. We drove it last year and were blown away. While the automatic feels safe and neutral, the manual car is more biddable and playful, with better weight shifting when you lift-off the throttle and a keener feel. Rally-style sideways antics are on the cards if you so desire. The shifter is sweet and easy to use, and the clutch is surprisingly light for being connected to such a heavy drivetrain. And it’s reasonably quick, to boot… the manual transmission allowing the raspy boxer engine to really sing. And it’s got better off-roading chops, too. The 2.0R MT has a low-range transfer case for driving in deep mud. That’s an important bit of off-roading kit most so-called SUVs nowadays lack.
Does it sound like I’m griping that we didn’t get a long-term test of the manual car instead? Yes. Yes, I am.
Doesn’t mean we didn’t enjoy the Impreza. The stereo was pretty good, it was painless to drive in traffic, and everyone kept trying to steal the keys from me. It’s an excellent family car, comfortable, capable and safe. It's certainly much better in many of the aspects car buyers look for (space, ride, looks) than many of its competitors. And boy does it look sporty.
Unfortunately, it just isn't as sporty as its manual equipped sibling or its WRX big brother… which is a shame, because it gets everything else perfectly right.
The Good
Good looks, great interior
Good ride comfort
Engaging engine note
Secure and capable handling
The Bad
Needs more gears
More power, too
Rear seat a bit too low... but that's a quibble
The Verdict
More cruiser than sportster. Certainly looks and feels the part, but those who want rally excitement should go for the manual variant or the WRX. Still, an excellent everyday car.
This review was delayed by front-page problems with the site.With apologies to all for the delay.
http://motormanila.blogspot.com
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Rank: Pro license
Joined: 9/25/2007
Posts: 423
Location: qc
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fugly...
the stock looks better.
nope... my car is just stock!---im just a modified driver
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Rank: Formula 3 racer
Joined: 11/10/2006
Posts: 5,074
Location: Manila, Philippines
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Yeah, the skirts make the car look a bit chunky, but I like the ROTAs... more no-nonsense in design than the stock 17s.
Still... I'd rather have Glenn's car. Padala mo na yan dito! Hehehe.
http://motormanila.blogspot.com
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Rank: Pro license
Joined: 9/24/2007
Posts: 418
Location: Orlando
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Not digging that front bumper... 
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Rank: Formula 3 racer
Joined: 11/10/2006
Posts: 5,074
Location: Manila, Philippines
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Haha... we'll see if we can get the sedan with the stock bumper as a test unit next...
http://motormanila.blogspot.com
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Rank: Bumper car
Joined: 6/10/2009
Posts: 33
Location: Makati
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Just in case you guys want an official head-to-head between the Focus TDCi and Impreza 2.0R A/T ala Motioncars -- we have both. In white 
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Rank: NASCAR racer
Joined: 11/22/2006
Posts: 2,241
Location: Japan
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xerex wrote:Just in case you guys want an official head-to-head between the Focus TDCi and Impreza 2.0R A/T ala Motioncars -- we have both. In white
tempting!!
dont judge a car unless you have driven it!
bigbigcar.com..THE NEW HOME OF THE MAKATI MENYEKS!!
carlocaraddictsworldofcars.blogspot.com
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Rank: Bumper car
Joined: 6/10/2009
Posts: 33
Location: Makati
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yes it is, batchmate just email me if you are interested
mabocaling@me.com
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