2008 Impreza Outback Sport (auto)

I've owned my OBS for just over a year.  I chose the OBS over the standard model to gain some extra niceties such as upgraded cloth and wheels, roof rack, cargo tray and heated seats. 

Mechanical and Performance

In general, I'm satisfied with the overall package.  No warranty claims since new.

The boxer engine has that distinctive, slightly flatulent tone of a Volkswagon Beetle.  It is reasonably smooth through the power band and at idle.  The power of a turbo would be welcome but the extra cost of higher octane gas wasn't desired.  The normally aspirated engine seems to run out of breath at higher revs but has pretty decent low end grunt.  In heavy daily city driving (I live very close to work), I'm averaging about 18-19mpg which is lower than expected though admittedly I'm a bit of a lead foot and most others are reporting reasonable mileage numbers.  The filler lid is on the passenger side....the opposite of every car I've ever owned.  Now I can scoop that empty spot at the self serve where the pump is on the right.  I give the engine 8/10.  The engine could be slightly quieter and more efficient.

There are no untoward clunks or rattles in the suspension unlike the junk Chev Uplander I drive at work.  The car handles very well for spirited daily commuting. I don't really care about high speed track performance as I'd prefer to keep my license and transport my kids safely.  In comparison to a '94 Sentra, the OBS handles like it's on rails.  I don't need anything more than that.  9/10

The automatic transmission is passable.  As commonly reported in most reviews, it needs a fifth gear but is a bit slow to engage when the peddle is mashed. The sport shift feature is borderline useless.  We had a recent snow storm here and the configuration of the gate made it hard to rock myself out of trouble. 7/10  Subaru needs to get with the program and get a sure shifting 5 sp auto to market. 

Interior
The stock fabric for 2008 was a Hanes-like underwear material available in nauseating taupe.  Even the steering wheel was taupe which made the whole thing look monochromaticly washed out.  I opted for the much higher quality fabric of the OBS in a sedate black.

The plastics are alittle hard and cold to the touch but are of decent quality.  The door panels lack fabric of any kind but you don't notice that after awhile.  The in-door bottle holders are a thoughtful touch and fit a gatorade bottle nicely.  The steering wheel is thick and leather wrapped.  The wife really likes it. 

Layout of controls is very simple and intuitive.  Everything is within easy reach and there's no need to gawk at illegible writing to get something working.  The air filter in the glove box is a nice touch, especially for those with allergies.

Hatch space is decent with the rears seats up. I can just barely squeeze in my golf clubs horizontally.  Folding down the rear seats, a large run to Costco can be accomodated.  You can't beat the utility of a hatch.

Overall I feel pretty comfortable inside the OBS.  The heated seats were welcome during our last cold snap. 8/10

Fit and Finish
Build quality is very good except for some occasional dash squeaks which seem to be a Subaru trademark.   All the little accessories work as expected and the doors close with a reassuring thud.  The only issue may be the fragile paint.  It seems to chip rather easily though I don't seem to have as much an issue as some I've seen.

The mags on the OBS are sweet 6 spokes.  They look very nice except replacing 50 series tires is going to cost a fair bit extra.

The US model has more frequent service schedule than it's Canadian counterpart.  Weird and frankly unnecesary.  8/10

Aftermarket Audio
The stock radio head unit works but sounds horrible.  It can be easily replaced with a double or standard DIN unit rather easily.  The steering wheel controls can be retained with a PAC steering wheel interface unit.  There's plenty of room under both front seats for amplifiers (esp smaller class D's).  Doors speakers are 6.5" and with the use of shims, relatively deep speakers can be used and still clear the window mechanism and the door card.  My speakers are almost 2 7/8" deep with a large magnet structure.  The 10" subwoofer is in a very small box bolted to back of the driver side rear seat.  Overall, the car is pretty friendly for stereo upgrades.  9/10