Kalamon's Car Reviews #3 - Subaru Impreza 2.0 RC

This was actually the first car I tried when I started my "quest for a new vehicle". And it sort of inspired me to look for something cool rather than purely functional. The Subaru dealership is located 2 minutes away from our office, so I pass by it every day. Funny thing is - Mitsubishi dealer is also located there - as if they had decided to go for a 1:1 duel from the very start :).

Anyway, upon entering the place, I noticed a car (which turned out to be the Impreza I would be test-driving later that day) that was amazingly ugly. I mean - the back side is in my opinion actually not that bad (despite complains that it looks like a Daewoo Lanos) - I happen to like it a lot. But the front is undoubtedly a major disaster. The dealership also had the "profi" version of Impreza on display - called WRX STi - which looked marginally better, but was still not a work of art. Not being easily discouraged by loks alone, I got inside the profi model and started adjusting myself in the driver seat. Apparently this caught the attention of the sales guy. Who was a weird looking individual - dressed in proper salesman suit, but at the same time, tattooed all over his body. He offered me a test drive, I accepted.

The interior of the Impreza is much better than its exterior. It has this spartan feel to it - no obvious luxury or numerous buttons and dials to be found - but at the same time, it is solid and feels like it is designed with a driver in mind. Seats are comfortable, but sporty, the car "just fits".

But the real question is how it drives, isn't it? Well, it actually is a great car to drive. I love the 4-wheel drive - no over- or understeering on this car, even when I tried aggressive turns at speeds that were positively dangerous :). The suspension is also great - we have tried in on the crappiest road we could find in the neighbourhood and the car passed the test with flying colors.

The feature I liked most though is the "gear reductor" thingy, next to the gear stick. It gives the car an amazing accelleration boost, which you might need sometime, by cutting the gear shift ratio in half.

Another fature I liked is the "growly", roaring sound of the boxer engine, which is quite delicious.

Any negatives (apart from the looks)? Well, the loading space is quite limited (ca 300 liters), but like I said previously - I don't need another family car. I need something with a sapce for just one person, which is cool and not overly expensive.

Overall, I liked the car very much. But for godness sake - please Subaru, give the front-end a bit of a facelift. If you do, I will absolutely purchase this baby. But as of today - the competition from your arch-rival is a bit too tempting to pass on.

Next time - The Rival - Mitsubishi Lancer Sedan Intense 1.8