Comments on: Subaru Impreza 2.5i Review

By: Mr. Gray

Mr. Gray — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 23:24:14 +0000

My wife and I bought a 2008 Impreza 2.5i for her to drive and we LOVE it! Ok, so it doesn’t have razor-sharp suspension like my Mazda, and the steering is a little floaty for my taste, but I still really enjoy driving it. Some people criticize Subarus for feeling cheap, but to be honest, I like the fact that it doesn’t go overboard trying to isolate you from the machine. I was skeptical about the new appearence, but it sort of grew on me and now I like it. The sound and feel of the unique boxer engine retains that distinctive Subaru charm.

More to the point, We live in the Seattle Area and it has been snowing every year now for several years. Everyone who told me that 4WD was a waste of money is now eating their words. The little Subie proved it was worth every penny. For those who don’t know, the Seattle area is about 80% steep hills, so when it snows, all hell breaks loose. With 4WD, chains, and the new hill start assist feature, we easily chugged through the snow and ice, conquering hills that no one else dared attempt. Now our Subie is the envy of the neighborhood!

If you want to be able to go practically anywhere no matter what the conditions, but don’t want to buy a needlessly huge, gas-wasting monstrosity, AND you want legendary Subaru toughness and reliability, get an Impreza!

By: Ryan

Ryan — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:21:26 +0000

Terrible…

By: LastResort

LastResort — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 17:11:35 +0000

A quick response to a older comment by DrBiggly.

The fuel line fix is not a recall, it is a Technical Service Bulletin. Meaning that it is not always covered by SoA for vehicles out of warranty. Some dealers have done it, some haven’t.

By: casper00

casper00 — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 07:00:16 +0000

dam it looks ugly….and why are there only photos of the wagon, what about the 4 door sedan?

By: mlbrown

mlbrown — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 17:48:13 +0000

The AWD system has a lot to do with why people like Subarus, but it’s not everything.

Sure, other cars look better, go faster, etc. But beyond saving you from ever getting stuck, Subarus are terrifically rugged cars and in that regard are matched by very few other makes.

My family and I have had quite a few Subarus over the years, and the newest among them is my 1998 Impreza L. That’s right, the L. With the 2.2 liter engine…138 hp, 145 lb./ft.

I’m convinced that the car is mechanically indestructible. It’s about to turn 200,000 miles on its original clutch and transmission…and exhaust…and cooling system…and brake system save for the wear items…you get the idea.

Having said all that, I drove an ‘08 2.5i and was a little underwhelmed. My ‘98 has a little bit of a farm equipment feel to it. It’s noisy, unrefined and the interior is god-awful cheap.

The new one is a lot nicer, and a lot easier to drive, but it does not have the same go-cart type feel of the one I have now, and honestly, it felt slower than the ‘98, even though it’s not.

Also, a 2.5i Legacy is not that much more expensive than the new Impreza, and it has a way, way nicer interior, a little more room and a much classier appearance.

-Matt

By: kjc117

kjc117 — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 05:36:02 +0000

AWD is the saving grace for Subaru and the Impreza. Otherwise there are other makes that stomp the Impreza, the Elantra comes to mind. In fact, they have simular design theme although Hyundai pulls it off better than Subaru.
I think this redesign will test the Subies loyalty base.

By: tankd0g

tankd0g — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 04:13:57 +0000

Audi does make FWD versions of some of their cars, only for a price point. I’d be a little embarassed to own a FWD TT, it’s kind of like saying you to the world you could “almost” afford the real thing.

By: tankd0g

tankd0g — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 04:11:36 +0000

I assume that it’s Subarus with limited slip center diffs that are damaged by hand brake turns. My Rav4 with open diffs has no problem with this, clutch in or out, I’ve been doing it for years. It’s kind of a necessity on an AWD car in snow, unless you are a preverted sort that gets a kick out of understeer.

By: DrBiggly

DrBiggly — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 23:49:45 +0000

Wheatridger,
I’m pretty sure that in the manual it warns against ebrake maneuvers. Though technically in the STi it disengages the center differential when the ebrake is pulled, or at least is supposed to. However, the STi is the only car in the lineup with the electronically controlled and variable center differential unless the ’08s come with it; haven’t delved fully into their tech specs yet. A big disappointment is just how quiet the ‘08 WRX is; you might as well be standing next to a sewing machine while it is idling.
-Biggly

By: Wheatridger

Wheatridger — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 23:26:03 +0000

Many of us who drive Subarus just don’t share the concerns I read here. “Lost driveline power?” So what?

Down in the sunbelt, I imagine, you judge a car by how easy it is to break loose the wheels. If you live where rain and snow turn to ice and mud, you’re trying not to do that so much. So you’re more concerned about traction than power. In the Forester line, you can buy a turboed XT if power’s your goal. I didn’t, but even the standard boxer four brings torque sufficient to pull a small fiberglass camp trailer. My Subie continues to impress me with practical performance beyond the raw numbers.

I’ve owned several AWD cars. None of them were fuel economy champs (25 mpg or a little better at cruise), and none of them were particularly powerful. But they’ve had a sure-footedness that no two-wheel drive system can match. I think it’s because with less hp per driven wheel, the task of delivering power to the road interferes less with the tire grip requirements of cornering.

My only beef with Subaru’s AWD system is that you ruin the center diff if you make too many handbrake turns on ice. Ask me how I know…

So Subaru has a good thing going. It’s a specialized car for a specific market, unduplicated by any other part-time drivbe switching system. But what about Audi, that other AWD-only maker? Does anyone think they should go two-wheel-drive?Most Audis lack the generous clearance that makes Subarus so well suited to mountain-dwellers, so what’s the point there? Why do they need AWD? Only to distinguish them from VWs?

By: DrBiggly

DrBiggly — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 20:17:48 +0000

Chaser: I never had a reason to believe that they were fudging the numbers. The AWD drivetrains really are not efficient; lots of extra rotating weight to accelerate that just doesn’t exist in FWD or RWD platforms. Not the least of which to mention that the stock flywheel in a WRX is some 26-28lbs, which is also why they rev so slowly. The WRXs also have a 1.1:1 adapter in the diffs that the STis and others do not have making the gearing for the WRX notably taller. Go to an STi, where the power output is higher, but hugely so, and suddenly the vehicle is very very different with greatly improved differentials, no funky reducer, and a bulletproof 6-speed where 6th is still just a touch shorter than the WRX’s 5th gear. Stock STis dyno in the 240-260 range at the wheels. The WRX really gets the short end of the stick as the STi is notably better in every essential category for performance. Though the biggest complaint are the very overvalved struts… :)

By: Geotpf

Geotpf — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 18:53:16 +0000

Subaru has found a good niche, and they are sticking with it. It would be very foolish of them to offer FWD products at this point, from a marketing standpoint.

By: tankd0g

tankd0g — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 17:03:48 +0000

…and expensive and just as bad on gas. Simply lopping off the center diff and rear prop shaft wouldn’t make the cars competitve with the likes of a Civic. Either they toss the whole drive train or they go after BMW’s 1 series.

By: Frank Williams

Frank Williams — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:58:16 +0000

tankd0g :
Subarus are set up better for RWD than FWD, they don’t have a transverse mounted engine which is what you need to make FWD cheaply.

Except earlier Subarus (with the same engine configuration) were FWD with AWD optional.

By: Chaser

Chaser — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:39:29 +0000

So was Subaru fudging the numbers on the old WRX’s or does AWD really have that big of a loss? Near 30% seems awfully high.

By: tankd0g

tankd0g — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:23:44 +0000

Subarus are set up better for RWD than FWD, they don’t have a transverse mounted engine which is what you need to make FWD cheaply.

By: DrBiggly

DrBiggly — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:19:10 +0000

tankd0g: Chaser is correct as the ‘02-’05 (2.0L) WRXs claimed 227hp at the crank and managed anywhere from 155-170whp. Peak. As far as building RWD vs FWD, folks are speaking as if it is already out at the dealerships and though it may be an inevitability, it certainly isn’t for sale yet. Subaru would have quite a bit of work to do to make RWD cars while the FWD vehicles’ R&D are already done and would not require a significant redo of..well, everything. If you’re going to remake a vehicle for gas mileage, which would be the only reason to abandon their decade-long stance of AWD-only, FWD is uncontestedly the most efficient package. While hoonage potential, pistonheadedness, and driving enthusiasm may go right out the window along with the extra driveshafts I can’t see Subaru completely abandoning the performance offerings. My bet is that it will be all for attempted CAFE satiation.

-Biggly

By: P.J. McCombs

P.J. McCombs — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 23:33:13 +0000

Thanks for this review. I love a good dissection of a car that actually pays the home office’s bills (globally, anyway; IIRC, the WRX accounts for a relatively large percentage of NA sales).

It’s all too easy for enthusiasts to ignore these entry models and “skip to the good stuff.” I’m curious to see, for example, how glowing the ‘08 Malibu reviews are once journos get out of the full-boat leather-lined 3.6 LTZ.

By: dror

dror — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 02:35:33 +0000

Martin Albright!
The words “generic looking” and Mazda3 should not be in the same sentence, defiantly not the 5 door.
I guess you probably find the 3 box design of the new Camry “thrilling” ?

By: tankd0g

tankd0g — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 01:27:05 +0000

With that longitudely mounted engine, what they should be building is RWD not FWD.

By: Chaser

Chaser — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:41:29 +0000

You lose a lot of that power through the drivetrain with an AWD car. I think I read that the previous generation WRX was only putting around 170 hp to the wheels.

By: tankd0g

tankd0g — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:27:29 +0000

170hp/170ft. lbs. or torque and a 3000lb car and it’s not a rocket? Something doesn’t add up here. Are they are lying about one number or the other? That should be kicking the crap out of a Mazda3 Sport.

By: Jonx

Jonx — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 06:26:12 +0000

I’m not a fan. The evolution of cars can be sad. Cars that were great because they were simple grow fatter, more rounded, more plain. It is what it is, but it’s sucks to see the WRX lose the quirks that made it so unique.

Jon
http://www.sportscardriven.com

By: Wheatridger

Wheatridger — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 05:12:09 +0000

Subaru’s long-awaited answer to the gas mileage challenge is an upcoming engine that will use… none. They’re testing a turbodiesel boxer four right now, for sales in a year or two. That’s when I’ll consider trading in my Forester, unless the Tiguan TDI (w/5-speed) shows up first, at popular prices. With the Subaru slugging down 25 mpg, the replacement won’t come too soon. But the Forester is the smallest car that will do what I need it to do. One of my family cars has to haul things up to the mountains, including a one-ton trailer.

By: NICKNICK

NICKNICK — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 01:26:30 +0000

i hope that they don’t go FWD.
i hope they make a new justy and use haldex with it to fit CAFE.
my ex’s S40 T5 AWD gets an honest 31mpg on the highway because it’s esentially FWD until there’s slippage.
I’d hate to see subaru go FWD because inevitably people with drive FWD with lousy tires and get stuck. that’s bad advertisement. i see tons of stuck and overturned SUVs every winter, but subies are never stuck. even though it’s probably more the driver than anything (conservative driving hippy liberals vs. spaced-out tweaker soccer mom on bald all-seasons in a tahoe), it would look bad to the unwashed masses to have subarus look like anything other than sno-cats.

i hope toyota doesn’t water down subaru. the thing i love about subaru is that i can get all wheel drive with the boxer rasp/rumble without paying for a porsche. take those away, and there’s no point–i can get the illusion of japanese quality from a billion other places.