-AWD handling -dependable Subaru reliability -good torque -aggressive design -strong aftermarket support -

-cheap interior -transmission could be smoother -not enough hp to match aggressive design

I didn''t buy this car, but did extensive test drives on my friend''s. After driving a FWD for years, I was very impressed by the handling of AWD. It has good low-end to mid-range torque, but lacking at higher rpms. Dependable Subaru reliability. I was most disappointed by the interior -- plastics and seats all felt very cheap.

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BOXER MOTOR SEEMS STRONG, AWD, INTERIOR FABRIC COMFY AND ROOMY. TOO SOON TO TELL BUT HOPEFULLY REALLY RELIABLE.

GAS MILEAGE NOT TOO GOOD. (ONLY ABOUT 275 TO A TANK FULL) CUP HOLDERS IN STRANGE SPOTS, TOO MUCH HEAD ROOM FEELS LIKE I''M IN A TRUCK. WOULD BE NICE IF A LARGER MOTOR WAS AN OPTION, BESIDES THE EXPENSIVE WRX

SO FAR SO GOOD, THE CAR LOVES TO CORNER,HANDLES GREAT. UNFORTUANTELY IT LOVES IT''S GAS TOO. IT''S A FUN CAR, AND HARD TO BEAT THE PRICE. LOOKS REALLY SHARP WHEN YOU REPLACE THE OEM RIMS WITH 17" OR 18".

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NONE

handling,AWD,Driving lights,descent room.

No trunk lights,came with rough type of tires from factory,but runs smooth on the new ones.parts are expensive(but do last when took care of!)

Great car!Interesting feel in the great handling.AWD is awesome.Runs smooth at 105+ with quiet ride and semi quiet engine at such high speeds.Got an awesome sound,and alot of power for a 4-banger.I will never go back to 2wd ever again.

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None,This car is unique in its own special way!

handling,AWD,Driving lights,descent room.

No trunk lights,came with rough type of tires from factory,but runs smooth on the new ones.parts are expensive(but do last when took care of!)

Great car!Interesting feel in the great handling.AWD is awesome.Runs smooth at 105+ with quiet ride and semi quiet engine at such high speeds.Got an awesome sound,and alot of power for a 4-banger.I will never go back to 2wd ever again.

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None,This car is unique in its own special way!

highly dependable, parts last for specified lifetime if cared for, which isn''t hard to do great look, aggressive and flashy, but not too flashy, just enough to turn heads... just have to get some mesh inserts for the scoops... performance is awesome... even for the AT that i have... AWD is a definite plus... does extremely well in wet and snow... great fuel economy... has gone through (3) 8hr drives and saved me plenty of cash... and made the ride more enjoyable...

Parts are expensive... but what did you think when they''re manufactured out of the country. Stock stereo wasn''t that good, but you don''t buy a car for it''s stereo... that you upgrade later on Tires, the RE92''s are horrible... however there are plenty of tires to upgrade to...

I gave an auto dealer some cash and he went to a car auction in CT and came back with this... and i couldn''t be happier first off, it came with 33K miles on it... and leather interior... AT, stock tires, and not much else... i immediatly put Dunlop SP 5000''s on it, which quieted the road noise down and added traction... the car handled great... beyond great... for stock it was a FUN ride... i''ve had it up to 100mph and nothing shook... it ran just like it did at 25mph... this car likes to go fast and does it really well... i''ve put a front strut tower brace on, and have plans for further suspension modifications to help firm up the ride even more.... then a few more performance parts... but that''s months down the line... bottom line... stock or modified... this car is a GREAT RIDE and perfect for anything in my mind... there''s decent room in the back seat of the coupe so 2 passengers is no big problem.... i love my scooby....

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none, my first sport/compact car purchased... and they''ll be more after this one dies... years from now... and then i''m getting either another RS or a WRX... hard to say...

AWD, Speed, Handling, Body Style, the looks you get from people as you pass them

if any I'd have to say the cupholder. If you have a sweaty drink it can drip on your radio. But nowhere near enough of a problem to complain.

If you havent driven one of these cars yet and are simply reading the review you'll be missing out on 90% of the experience. No words can truly describe the feeling you get when you sit in the seat for the first time and hear the engine growl to life (yes it growls). The impreza handles like a dream. No matter what the weather you'll feel like your glued to the road with the AWD. Its a comfterable ride, even passengers in the back have no complaints (but id keep it at two max). I prefer the sedan model to the coupe because it feels roomier and you dont have to worry about people climbing in and out. Driving is definitely an experience to be savored.

This is the car for someone who wants to have the sporty feel and performance to back it up. You'll find a community of impreza drivers who are immediately you're best friends (check out www.i-club.com to see) Don't buy this car if you dont want to get looks of awe and the occasional guy trying to race. Take it as a compliment and let them by, but know you could take more than half of them if you wanted.

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Volkswagen 73 beetle - a classic as this car will someday be

Great low-end torque. It's the best in its class for taking off from a light. Has a MUCH better 0-30 time than Integra Type R (or GSR), Civic Si, Prelude, Celica GT-S, Jetta VR-6, and Contour SVT. AWD AWD AWD AWD, just can't beat it. Dump the clutch at 5000 rpm and the tires BARELY spin. You just take off. The torque is simply amazing for a N/A 4-cylinder. I've never seen anything like it. Brakes are fantastic. There are very few of them on the road, so anybody who knows anything about cars always stares at you as you're passing. Wonderful looks. Not overdone at all. Just enough to stand out without looking too obnoxious.

This car must be driven to its limits to be fully appreciated. 45 mph dealer-tag-along test-drives won't show its true beauty. Extremely stable at high speeds (over 125 mph) and gives you a great feeling of security. No rattles to be found. Clutch and shifter are ideal for racing. The white-faced gauges are great.

Stock tires are barely adequate on dry pavement, pretty good on wet pavement, terrible on dirt/gravel, and average on snow/ice. Tires should be the first upgrade. Premium stereo package is pretty good, but the regular one is pretty bad. Lacks top end, so it isn't the best 1/4 mile or track racer available. Clutch is a little catchy and takes getting used to. Higher speedometer needed. Registers only 120, but car will do 130.

I got a ton of options and paid for it: $22,300. Leather is nice, but at $1295, it's overpriced. Do not pay over $850 for it. This is the most remarkable car for around $20,000 available. The AWD is no joke in this car. It outperforms most SUV's on snow/ice-covered roads but gets 25 mpg.

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Ford Contour SVT, Acura Integra GSR, Honda Accord V6, Honda CRX, Ford Mustang V6. Nothing compares to it for "racing" from the lights.

Torque. This car packs so much punch for a 4 cylinder inline. Has so much potential as far as modifications. Traction control. Differential. Value-more bang for the buck. Gets looks at the car wash spa.

Paint quality. Could do more in the horsepower. No trunk light.

This car must be driven hard to appreciate. At $20k, this car gives you bang for the buck. It doesn't have as much bells and whistles as the Jetta VR6; it only has the normal necessities. Since I'm a minimalist, this car has the necessary functions I want. The horizontally opposed 4 cylinder engine is perfectly balanced. It's basically a detuned rally race car. Its beefy frame is just enough to grab those turns, even though it would be better to add a stabilizer bar. This comes with a differential, so 60+ mph freeway spiral onramp/offramp turns (posted at 25mph) are possible without a skid. Turns are phenominal that it can turn anybody into a rally racer wannabe.

The Impreza RS will give you looks, since it's a car that you usually don't see everyday. Mini-pizza foglights are very recognizable.

Even though it lacks in the horsepower category, being a 165 horsepower 2.5, it still has that punch. This car truly has potential with turbo finally available as a bolt on. With the right modifications, 300hp is possible. The hood vents are functional, but the hood scoop isn't. That is, not until you add an intercooler for a turbo kit (about $2-4k). The hood is heavy for my taste. Perhaps an aluminum replacement? The short throw shifter and sensitive clutch could take you time getting used to.

As far as interior, it's very much functional...period. Even though it has electric windows and power sunroof/moonroof, the seat adjustments must be adjusted manually by hand. No seat warmers there. There are 3 coin holders. Where is the trunk light??? Did they forget to put one on? Then again, you could just stick a Tap Light in there. Cool center compartment, although you can add guages.

The 2001 Turbo Impreza should be available mid-October. But the looks are different which will have Mercedes like round headlights (Neon like?). People who get the Impreza usually are familiar with the rally racing heritage it has. Most owners I know don't leave them stock. Like I said, it's basically a detuned rally race car.

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Jetta VR6=racks right up to it-front wheel drive.

Price/Performance
Good power for the price. Does not post a high HP number, but has good torque to give excellent driveability throughout the RPM range.
Easy to do some small performance mods for good power gains.
Extremely stable at high speeds on the track.
Excellent in snow and slippery conditions.
Very high quality construction.

Really bad stereo.
Basic Interior.

This car is extremely well balanced and handles very predictably. It is worth noting that newcomers to AWD should get some sort of training or lots of practise before driving at the edge of this car's limits, as an AWD car must be handled differently than it's FWD or RWD counterparts.

Shifting is not as forgiving as some cars because there is very little slop in the drivetrain. This means you have to be very accurate or you will find it very "jerky." Heel and toe was particularily difficult as well, and I actually had to bend the gas pedal about an inch to get the optimal position (rather than replace the pedals).

The interior is basic and the seats are cloth. The cloth on the seats is not a criticism, but a compliment to the functionality. Often sports car manufacturers will put in leather as a marketing ploy where cloth is more functional in keeping the driver well "stuck" in the seats. If I wanted a plush interior I would have purchased an Audi and paid 2x the price.

The car is very light for what it is (compared to approx 500lb more for it's Audi counterpart). 4 wheel disks and this light weight give it good stopping ability. From 60 to 0 it did an average of 130 feet. Professionally posted results were close at 128 feet. On the 1/4 mile I ran it in 15.8 seconds at 84mph which is quite respectable compared to it's competition.

On gravel this car really shines and it's rally heritage shows through. It is an absolute blast. On a closed circuit I did 180kph (110mph) down a gravel section and the car was very stable. It had good feedback and stability.

At autocrosses it competed very well against many other sports cars, some of which were heavily modified. In wet conditions it was very hard to beat.

Overall this car is excellent for anyone interested in a genuine sports car, not a wannabe which is marketed as a sports car, aka Tibron, MX3, Sunfire, Focus etc. I would not suggest this car for someone who is looking for a luxury ride. Subaru has long been ignored in the North American sports car market, and those who have found it will be rewarded.

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The handling. Powerful and tight. Responsive and smooth. Excellent road feel. The exceleration is excellent off the start.

We all could use more power....but the aftermarket for this car is booming and for around 2-4k nothing will ever touch you again.

I paid around 22k loaded. And to those of you who know enough about this car to even be looking here then I know what type of person you are. The type that craves speed, precision, and sport. If you want these...no...need these things, you will love it.

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Toyota Celica-can't compete even with it's promised 180 hp that you can only have for around 4 secs when your rpms are at 7000-9000. I considered this one and test drove it. I know first hand it will not keep up in any regard. Audi a4. the 1.8t can't keep up. The 2.8 is a different story...and a different price....