Subaru Impreza

[Djerms]

Hi guys my boss approached me a while ago asking for feedbacks regarding this car. I think he intends to get one.

All I know is its in the same class but a little bit more expensive than the evo. Need to know the details sana. Pros and cons vs. its class competitors, first hand experiences in driving it, and if it is generally a good buy.

Paging Ninong Hens. Hehehe.

TIA guys.

[AG4]

All I know is its in the same class but a little bit more expensive than the evo.

Actually its a bit cheaper than an Evo.
Technically its the WRX STI that competes with the Evo.

Impreza WRX (230PS 5-speed M/T): P1.73M
Impreza WRX STI (280PS, 6-speed M/T): P2.25M

Lancer Evo IX RS (280PS, 5-speed M/T): P2.44M
Lancer Evo IX MR (280PS, 6-speed M/T): P2.87M

*If he wants an Impreza WRX sedan, this will be the last WRX sedan we'll see because the new gen WRX sedan is only for the North American market(at least for now), while the upcoming WRX STI is expected to be based on the hatchback Impreza WRX.

[niky]

The 1.7 million peso WRX is a little milder than the STI or the Evo... meaning it won't beat you up as much if you use it as a daily commuter. A lot of people sell off their Evos with low mileage because it's too stiff and hardcore for daily use, while the regular Impreza WRX is meant to be a daily driver, as the STI is their answer to the hardcore Evo. There are 1.6 liter and 2.5 liter non-turbo Impreza models elsewhere to round out the model range. While I don't bemoan the fact that they don't sell the 1.6 model here (1.6 liters to push that heavy car? ), it's a shame they don't have the 2.5 Impreza RS to provide a 1 - 1.2 m peso entry model. It's slower than the WRX, yes, but it's quick enough for Philippine roads and it still has that great AWD.

There are no class-competitors for these two cars... nothing in the 1.7 - 2.5 million peso range comes close in terms of driving excitement to these turbo-charged rally rockets.

Maintenance is more expensive, and maintenance intervals are usually shorter than more modern cars (5,000 kms versus 10,000 kms for some), but it's not Mercedes or BMW level expensive.

Unfortunately, that's all there is. The looks and interior of the WRX are definitely old-fashioned, and even your garden variety Civic has more style, space and useability. Of current Subaru products, the Legacy is actually the one with the most style and the sharpest looking interior... but it doesn't come in turbo form here, unfortunately.

[kyle618]

also warn ur boss that the heavier than usual clutch (compared to the uber light civic clutches) would take some getting used to if he is not used to heavy clutches. pero for 1.7m it doesnt have any competitors when it comes to performance except for the slightly slower Forester 2.5XT(also 230hp but a bit heavier and only available in A/T) which would be my choice if i want the turbo without the hassle of the heavy clutch in city driving. either way im sure he'll be happy with his choice.

[Si 06]

1 option in the 2m bracket pero front wheel drive nga lang but is turbo charged 263hp 6sp mt sarap ang handling even with the traction control off (masarap pag naka off kasi pag naka on sa 3rd gear lang magbuboost ang turbo),lambot ang ride at clutch Mazdaspeed3 hatchback.

[AG4]

There are 1.6 liter and 2.5 liter non-turbo Impreza models elsewhere to round out the model range. While I don't bemoan the fact that they don't sell the 1.6 model here (1.6 liters to push that heavy car? )

A little off-topic...
The natuarally aspirated Impreza 2.0R would also be a nice alternative.
Its powered by a 160PS 2-liter DOHC boxer engine.
If priced right(P1.1M area) it would be a nice AWD alternative to the FWD 2.0 liter Civic and Mazda 3.
Impreza 2.0R (export market model not sold in Japan)

(looks similar to the 2.5 model)

For 2008, a 2.0 liter model will be part of the all-new JDM Impreza range (20S), too bad its a weaker 140PS SOHC engine and not the old 160PS DOHC engine used in the 2007 Impreza 2.0R.

[Djerms]

Thanks for replying guys. I'll be forwarding this thread to my boss in a while.

My boss is already aware of the heavy clutch and I don't think that it'll really bother him...He's a cowboy!

I was planning to convince him in getting the more powerful STI but I think he'll enjoy the WRX more when it comes to daily driving to the office...thanks Nikky.

I don't think my boss will settle for the forester. One of the younger generations kasi yun...you should've seen his smile and excitement when he told me that he's planning to get the WRX.

I forgot na what Hens is driving. Is it a WRX or an STI? Really wanted his reply sana pero I dont think he visits the board that much these days.

Anyway, sana more replies.

Thanks to all!

[kyle618]

I forgot na what Hens is driving. Is it a WRX or an STI?

sti ata un sa kanya...

[eggman]

May 30K cash discount ngayon sa Impreza WRX this month kaya bili na!!

Hindi nga lang puwedeng pang-family tong Impreza dahil ang sikip ng rear seat passenger space nito..Oh well ganyan talaga!

[yuichi]

i love this car, and i could smell,someone in Tsikot.com is getting one

heard that considererd "exotic" na from 2006 model to the previous ones, dahil shortwheel-based at hatch na 2008 model.
sabi ng isang insider sa Subbie na kelangang magiging agile at highly manueverebale yung latest model para makasabay sa Ford at Citroen na naghahari sa WRC nagyon...hmmmm, lets see!

[niky]

RE: 2.0... would be nice... but the AWD system is heavy, which would make it slower. It would be embarrasing to drive an Impreza and to get smoked by a 1.8 Civic. Of course, between the Civic and the 2.5, it's still close, but at least you've got lots of torque.

Either one (2.0R or 2.5 RS) would be nice, though... to round out Subaru's offerings and give them good market volume.

[pup2]

Ahaha. Parang ako nung nagpunta sa showroom. We went there to check out the forester and legacy. Nung makita ko yung WRX (I believe it's the one with the sunroof), yun pa yung sinakyan ko ... tapos binatak ako ng misis ko -- pang binata daw yun eh. hehehe.

[AG4]

RE: 2.0... would be nice... but the AWD system is heavy, which would make it slower. It would be embarrasing to drive an Impreza and to get smoked by a 1.8 Civic. Of course, between the Civic and the 2.5, it's still close, but at least you've got lots of torque.

Either one (2.0R or 2.5 RS) would be nice, though... to round out Subaru's offerings and give them good market volume.

The Impreza 2.0R M/T is quicker with a 0-100km/h run of 8.8 sec., while the A/T is slow, taking 11.6 sec!

Couldn't find data on the Civic 2.0, but here's one from the similar Canadian spec Acura CSX 2.0.
2.0 M/T 0-100km/h is 9.1 sec, while the A/T's 0-100km/h is 10.2 sec.

Anyway, I think Subaru has no plan to go mainstream, since they didn't bother offering the Impreza models below the WRX.

Imagine if Mitsubishi only sold Evo's, Eclipses, Outlander V6's here.

[niky]

The Civic 1.8 MT can get the job done in 8.6 seconds. After having driven one, I can believe the numbers. It's so close to the numbers for the 2.5 RS that it'd likely be a matter of who's the better driver...

The Civic 2.0 MT, nobody has satisfactorily timed one. Someone told me that they hit a limiter when they tried to do drop-clutch launches with it. Will try to confirm this. I've seen conflicting reports regarding US-built 2.0s... someone even reported a 9 second time for the 2.0 Sedan... the Si Sedan, with 200 hp. Darn electronics...

Maybe they have no plans of going mainstream, but it would be a good idea to have at least a low-ball model just above 1 million pesos. They would have quite a lot of buyers for that one.

[Jun aka Pekto]

Imagine if Mitsubishi only sold Evo's, Eclipses, Outlander V6's here.

OT.

I see the Evo, V6 Eclipse GT, and V6 Outlander in Mitsubishi Phil's web site? Doesn't that mean it's available in the Philippines? If it's not, then they should take those cars off.