Scooby-Dooby-Doo!

Subaru Impreza 2.5i
AT A GLANCE

Performance: 4.0
At 175 hp (~125 net hp), full-time AWD, and rally-inspired heritage, it is one of the most best performers in its class.
Interior: 3.0
Good driver amenities, but not for your backseaters or long-haulers.
Durability: 5.0
Subies are known to last long.
Driveability: 4.0
Smooth handling with a touch of understeer. A highly responsive drivetrain.
Value: 4.0
For $18k, this is a lot of bang for the buck.

OVERVIEW

Subaru re-packaged its compact sedan Impreza for the 2006 model year. Gone is the classic 2.0L engine and in its place is a 2.5L workhorse for all models. The exterior is re-styled as well, with a new front grille design, sharper side flares, and comma-shaped headlights. The WRX and the STI return with a vengeance while the RS is replaced with the 2.5i. The result of these changes is a slightly faster car with a more corporate appearance.

Being a hardcore Gran Turismo and Colin McRae player, I loved driving the Subies in those games. After saving up enough for my first new car, I went to the dealership and bought a basic 2.5i for around $18,000. I’ve owned the car for almost two months, and now is a good time to express not only my opinion of it, but also my friends and family who have ridden in it. So, I’m going to take a unique approach to this review and write this in an interview style.

Let’s meet the interviewees.
Myrna: A 38 year-old mother of one and a postal worker. Myrna has driven virtually nothing but SUV’s with automatics all her life.

Greg: A New York artist fresh out of college. Greg has been a mass-transit guy all his life. He is built like an offensive lineman.

Gerard: Another New York designer still in college. Gerard just got his license. Like Greg, he is built like a football player.

Lenn: A 33 year-old dental practitioner and amateur auto-crosser. She drives a modified Lancer Evo, among other vehicles.

PERFORMANCE

The 2.5i’s boxer engine pulls about 125 net horses on a dyno (remember that the 175 horsepower quote is measured from the flywheel, which doesn’t take into account weight, wheel drag, etc.) and about 133 lb./ft of torque. The amazing thing about this car is that the torque curve is consistent throughout the RPM band. Its normally aspirated design means there is no low-RPM drag attributed to turbocharged engines. The problem is, this model will not give the high RPM kick of the WRX and STI models.

Lenn: The Impreza is definitely not as fast as my EVO, but it gets off the line faster. I think for the first half second, the Subie would be ahead, but once my turbo kicks in, forget it. But I’d have to say that for a stock, the handling is pretty good. If you got better tires and a differential controller, you could beat out some of that understeer.

There is one particular stretch in the Harlem River Drive where the AWD shows its colors. After you turn out of the Cross Bronx Expressway, there is a sharp-angled, steep decline where my old Jeep Cherokee would slip, tires would squeal, the chassis would lean significantly, and go a bit airborne if taken over 50 mph. With the Subie, the car simply stuck to the tarmac, maintained a consistent line through the turn, and barely leaned.

Greg: Dang cerberus435. If we were in the truck, I’d be peeling Gerardo off me. But that was pretty smooth.

Lenn: The car handles very well, but I wouldn’t use the 2.5i for auto-crossing (organized racing on closed tracks). The understeer just kills it. The STI is better because of the way it’s tuned and the differential controller lets you dial down the understeer.

INTERIOR

This is by far the weakest category for the Impreza for its passengers. The front occupants are all right. Both seats are manually adjustable, though the driver seat is height-adjustable as well. There are 2 center console cup holders in the front and 2 hidden ring cup holders in the back. Other simple luxuries include a center armrest compartment, vanity mirrors, ceiling grips, lockable passenger compartment, AM/FM CD player with 20w x 4 audio, air conditioning, and cruise control.

Gerard: The back seat is mad tight. At least it has this foldable armrest in the middle, but Greg and I can’t fit back here together. The Jeep is roomier, even though it didn’t have the cup holders or armrest. I can’t use my iPod adapter on your plug because the shifter gets in the way. Isn’t there a line input where I could plug the iPod into the stereo?

Unfortunately, there isn’t. For a youth-minded car, I’m surprised it didn’t come with a line-in jack for your mp3 player as a standard option.

Myrna: The console armrest is too far back. I like resting my elbow on the armrest while changing gears. The cup holders get in the way sometimes when I’m shifting. The visibility is much better than in my 4Runner, but the door pillars are so thick and the rear windows are so small that checking my blind spots can be hard. The stereo is cheap. The bass distorts when I play Maneater (Hall & Oates) pretty loud. The weather-stripping is too tight. The windows squeak when I roll them. I think the inside is okay…

Lenn: Yeah. This is typical for rice burners. Don’t feel so bad. At least everything works and the layout is simple. I like that you can lift the rear armrest so you can put your kites through it. But I don’t know why you can’t lift the seat like you can with the wagon.

Greg: The doors feel fragile.

That’s because the door is frameless, to decrease weight. The negatives of the interior justify the one-star drop in the rating. Some things that are glaringly missing are rear windshield wipers, lighted vanity mirrors, lights-on warning chimes(important for forgetful people like me), and foldable rear seats.

DURABILITY

In stark contrast to the Impreza’s lack of interior features is its abundance in durability. The frame is very stiff and heavy; the car weighs over 3,000 pounds dry. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the car its “Top Pick” while the government tests gave it 4/5 stars overall. This is due to the strength of the car and positioning of the airbags.

Myrna: It makes me feel at ease that this car is safe. I’ve read reports of Impreza drivers walking away from most accidents. The AWD and the car’s responsiveness helps too.

In terms of reliability, this is my first Subaru so the verdict is still out there. However, its history has been commendable. I read an article where it states Impreza owners keep their cars for 8-12 years. It’s not uncommon to find good condition Imprezas with over 6-digit mileage still selling well on eBay and car ads.

Gerard: I heard that Subaru cars are hard to maintain because they use special parts. How are you gonna maintain it?

My suggestion to all Impreza owners is to join an online community called NASIOC (North America Subaru Impreza Owners Community). Everyone there provides useful feedback on how to maintain your “Subie”. For instance, Mobil 5W30 is the oil of choice and most Subie owners buy their parts online and have the local shop install them.

DRIVEABILITY

When it comes to my stick work, I consider myself average with a dash of double-clutching and heel-n-toe here and there during spirited driving. Previous sticks I have driven include a 1995 Toyota 4Runner, a 1987 Conquest, and a 2001 Mitsu Eclipse. The Impreza’s clutch is a challenge to get used to; the friction point is high and narrow for my tastes. The gas pedal is so sensitive that I have to drive barefoot if I want precise throttle control. I was so not used to it that I actually stalled driving the car out of the dealership. But one minute, four traffic lights and a bruised ego later, I got the hang to it. The clutch may not be very forgiving, but the throws are shorter than what I’m used to and the engine is lively even at 1200 RPMs in 3rd gear.

Lenn: This car has a good torque curve. It can beat my Evo off the line, though the turbo will eventually kick in and leave your Impreza in the dust. The stick also bites better when you floor it. The Impreza just demands to be driven hard.

And other drivers demand it as well. As other reviewers pointed out, it is not uncommon to get stares and challenges from other rice rockets. The Impreza carries a rally heritage to it, and due to the cross-compatibility with its faster WRX siblings, can be made to look and perform like them. It is far too tempting to flog it all the time with the 2.5i, even if it isn’t the WRX.

However, during the normal bumper-to-bumper grind of NYC traffic, this car is absolutely boring and tiresome to drive. Maybe because it’s a stick, though I’ve never strained so much when I drove the 4Runner through traffic. Maybe it’s the cramped and simple interior. Or maybe this car just demands to be driven hard.

VALUE

For $18,000, think about what you are getting here:

AWD standard. ABS standard. Front-side airbags standard. Security system standard. CD player standard. Power features standard. Daytime lights standard. 175 gross horses standard. A CHAMPION rally heritage standard.

A comparably equipped Civic EX has 140 horses, front-wheel drive, has more luxury options (like an mp3 player, folding rear seats, 160-watt speakers) and costs $19,000.

However, I am impressed with the Mazda3 package, which is comparable in features to the Civic EX, but has more horsepower (160hp) and costs $17,400. I was extremely tempted to get this, but the Impreza’s reputation as a solid and nimble handler was too big of an upside.

Lenn: You got a very good value for your car. The thing is, Subarus are hard to negotiate the price down and they hardly give you any manufacturer’s rebates. The only good thing they have going is the 0 APR financing, but only for 2 years. And their 3-year/36k warranty sucks. My Evo comes with 5-years/100k warranty.

Indeed Subarus are difficult to get good deals on. The best price I got in New York was $17,900 for a show car with 8,000 miles on it. Most places were selling at $18,200 - $18,900 plus $625 destination. After four different places, I finally bought mine in New Jersey for $18k flat with the destination taken out. After tax, title, license, etc., the final price came out to about $19,700.

Myrna: Cerberus435, I think you could’ve done better. My husband managed to cut $2,500 off our new Toyota 4Runner.

Then again, that’s a Toyota.

ODDS & ENDS

The most controversial part of the new Impreza is the aircraft-inspired front grille. Subarus are never known for style, but this particular look was split even.

Gerard: I like my brother’s grille better (his is a 2004 WRX.)

Greg: It looks classy.

Myrna: It looks funky.

Lenn: It looks like an Alfa Romeo.

Whether you like the grille or not, Subaru will discontinue it in future models. Thus, like the bug-eyed 2002 before it, the aircraft grille (also known within the Subie community as “the flying V” and I’m not gonna tell you what the “V” stands for) will enter its resting place in history.

FINAL THOUGHTS

While being the basest of all Subaru models, the Impreza 2.5i has just enough features to satisfy and racy adult. It has enough pep to compete with top-model compacts of other makes and enough amenities to keep four reasonably sized occupants happy.

However, since it’s so close to the end of the model year, you may be better off waiting a few months until the 2007s come out (excluding the 2007 STI Limited Edition, which is basically a 2006 STI with a less discrete wing.) The 2007 is reputed to be the next generation of the Impreza line.

The 2006 is the last chapter of the second generation Impreza. It’s been a good ride.

ADDENDUM

One frequent question I'm asked is, "how come you didn't get the WRX?" There are several reasons:

* The WRX costs at least $6,000 more ($24.5k MSRP) than the 2.5i.
* The WRX uses a turbocharged engine, which demands premium fuel and more judicious driving technique because of the extra power and effects of boost.
* The WRX's MPG is 20/26.
* Cosmetically, the WRX isn't much different from the 2.5i.
* The insurance is higher on the WRX.


Subaru Stability and Toughness

Hurricane Ernesto rolled by the tri-state area last week bringing with him nasty and slippery road conditions. While most cars were going 50 on inch-deep roadways, the Impreza had no problem retaining normal driving speeds, albeit with a bit more slip than normal, in slippery surfaces.

Also, I came across this video involving a Subaru getting sandwiched by two semi's:

http://www.scoobyblog.com/2006-07-10/video-semi-truck-sandwich/
(courtesy of Scoobyblog and CBS News)

Such a horrific crash that totaled and disintegrated the car, yet the driver survived with minor cuts and bruises.

Scooby Snacks

I'm sure you all remember the Scooby snacks. After Scooby eats one, his senses kick up and he becomes a better performer. Same with the Impreza. After upgrading to Falken tires, sway bars, HPS brakes, and replacing the sound system, the car has turned into Frankenstein! The handling is now razor sharp. The new Falkens make the old Potenza RE92's feel like horse dung. And the upgraded Xplod speakers and dash not only provide a great input device for the iPod, but the car now sounds sooo much better.

These simple modifications have brought the rating of this car up to five stars. The extra $1000 spent on them is well worth the effort.