I love the Sinister looks, but the Best thing going about this car is by far its handling...Tight..Responsive...and a total blast to drive. The AWWWW factor when you tell them you have a SUBARU...:), Cult type following...

Lack of SERIOUS hp...Turbo is definately in the future for my RS. Paint is a little thin...carpets are like a fuzz covered milk jug...clutch is supposed to be a week link...but overall Very Happy with the my selection...

$20,455 out the door...I would highly reccomend this vehicle to a Enthusiast for the PURE love of driving...Not flashy but Quick enough to get out of its own way...This car is not for everyone but once you drive it...you will be hardpressed to think about other vehicles in the same class..especially with the turbo model coming in 2001 as 2002 model...Handling wise I would put my car up against some of the more exotic machinery out there today...that cost twice to three times the money. When my turbo goes on then I will truly be able to measure the performance against the likes of Corvettes, Stangs, Porsches, and most anything else out there...Good luck

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Jetta VR6..Honda Accord...There is NO comparison...

Great low end torque. Rear seats are actually much larger than other cars in it's class. Unique car, won't see many of them on the road. Sticks like glue in dry, wet, and even snow. All wheel drive, enough said! Try to find another car at this price with AWD and is this much fun to drive. Great sounding engine even without modifications.

Not enough after market support in the US. Needs some more HP. Stock tires bite the big one and needs beefier rear sway bar(both of which are easily fixed.)

I paid 2.5% over invoice and was happy as can be. You can go to edmunds and do the math. There are some aftermarket products for the car but not as much as Honda's. It's a blast to drive and I can take it in the snow for when I go boarding. I highly recommend it. If you want a two door, buy one quickly. If you can wait, you might luck out and get a turbo.

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I've driven or test driven the following cars: 97 Eclispe GS-T, 2000 Celica GT-S, Integra GS-R, Honda Civic Si and a 98 Honda Prelude SH.

Oh, where to start, rally heritage, with World Rally Manufacturing title three years in a row. Looks like they may get a forth year they way things are going. Awesome handling for a car in this price range, with lots of aftermarket options for upgrades. It provides good driver feed back and does not suprise you at its limits. This is a great car if you are looking to get into a performance car and improve your skills with out killing yourself. This car is very forgiving and a great platform to work with.

I have had the pleasure of driving a WRX which is the car the RS is based on. Subaru of America needs to show the US market what they can really do with this car and not just give us a watered down version of what the other markets get such as Europe and Asia. The 2.0 liter turbo in the WRX is a fabulous power plant that really brings this car to life. I hope they bring it to our shores soon. If you are expecting a car like a cadilac with comfort in mind and gadgets all over this car is not for you.

Paid $20,300 out the door and for the price I don't know of any other vehicle that I would have purchased. The only two cars that I would rather have are not availible in the US, and one of them is a Subaru. Just for everyones information, the Subaru in Europe has been Number 1 on JD Powers Customer Satisfaction for quite a few years now.

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I have owned an Acura Integra GS which was well very well put together. Front wheel drive requires much more driver correction to safetly drive at its limits.
My last car was an Eagle Talon TSI AWD Turbo. This car had much more power and had great handling though it had some serious problems with its transmision and transfer case. Shifting from 1st to 2nd had to be done carefully to not have a problem. The transfer case was a weak link that even had a nationwide recall that could cause all four wheels to lock up at speed

Great all around car for the money. It's not going to win Indy, but in it's stock form is one heck of a car. However don't be mistaken, this car is a sprinter, not a distance runner.

Stock tires are laughable. The stock 13mm rear anti-sway bar is the main cause for a tremendous amount of understeer.

I paid roughly 19.5K for the car and couldn't be happier. Out of the few cars I have owned this car feels the most connected to the road and well put together. Subaru really builds a great product. A very good first car for any driver. Subaru's full-time all-wheel-drive keeps the car on the road and makes even the scariest of situations seems much more controlled.

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Handling, torque, styling, Rally heritage

Stock tires are dangerous, 13mm rear swaybar too weak, understeer

19,xxx.-, Highly recommended, can't beat it with simple upgrades.
Dragracers do not need to apply, it's based of a Rally car.
As 2 door coupe rare compared to all the 4 doors out there, especially if the Turbo (=4 door) comes.
Rally heritage

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AWD! The low end torque rocks! When taking super sharp turns, you can just hit the throttle as your head snaps back....Sweeeeeeet!

Stock tires, lack of top end.......

Paid 21,408 fully loaded, came to my house with 6 miles on it..... I always get asked "What kind of car is that?", I just nod and wave...

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None! Nothng come close to this beast!

Handeling and torque are the main things that attracted me. This car has awsome traction due to the AWD and rear LSD. It's a great all-season car. It takes off like a little rocket, but can also take you in the twisties very well too. It has a sport look to it with a very aggressive looking front nose. Thanks to the huge fogs and scoops. Most original car on the market today by far!

simple... the tires. they suck so bad it's not even funny. I dont' know why Subaru put these Potenza RE-92's on a car like this. That can be easily fixed though.

the interior choices are limited to none basically. I wish there were more options for colors, fabrics etc... the interior could have looked a little more aggresive like the outside of the car.

I paid around $19,400 with extra options at COST. I requested a car w/o any options and they found the least loaded one and charged me cost on those extras. I highly recommend this to anyone that is looking for AWD, superior handeling, torque, aggresive looks and originality. Don't buy this car if you don't plan on driving it the way it should be driven. Fast in the twisties!

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I looked at the civic si, but the subaru attracted me a little bit more. My main goal was to get awd so the subaru was the winner.

AWD grip, the engine has lots of low end grunt, and it's a total blast to drive. Excellent steering feel. Incredible reliability, and very safe in a crash (don't ask how I know).

The stock tires (pathetic) like to roll over and die when pushed hard, and the rear sway bar is too small (to keep the under-skilled from crashing it backwards into the weeds).

This car has a surprising amount of ability. So much, in fact, that I bet the average person would never come close to it's actual limits in their entire time of owning the car. With a little help (maybe $500) from some aftermarket parts (namely tires and a rear sway bar), this car becomes so capable that it would scare the pants off your insurance agent. The great thing about this car is that it has a good balance of power and handling. And that makes it incredibly easy to drive at the limit. Even in stock trim the car has the abilities to keep a poor driver from stuffing it into the ditch. And even if they do, the AWD will let them drive right out again, regardless of the weather.
This car can be appreciated by any driving enthusiast. Not everyone cares for the flashy looks, but what can you do. Please don't confuse this car with the ones people slap those nasty looking body kits on, cut the springs and think they have a performance car. The Impreza was designed as a rally car from the beginning, and as such, has a very stiff chassis and a well thought out suspension design.
I love this car, my wife thinks I am obsessed with it. I don't think so, but here I am writing another review of it. :-)

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I think the closest competition for this car it the VW GTI VR-6, similar power to weight ratios, but the VW is more expensive.

INTERCOOLED TURBO ENGINE. 227 hp, that would be more stock hp than any other car in it's class. 1/4 mile in low 14s. superb handling with the awd this thing just sticks on the corners.

havn't noticed any yet, though i wish it came with a sunroof. and the stock tires kinda suck.

i just love the all wheel drive. you really have to drive one for yourself to see how well it sticks on the corners. i love the turbo engine. when that thing gets up past 3,000 rpms it transforms from your average car into an untouchable racing machine. it did win the world championship rally race the past 2 years. not quite as good as gas milage as the civic or some of the other cars but it's other qualities more than make up for it.

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no other stock car in it's class has been able to keep up yet. that would include, civic ex and si, integra gsr and type r, celica GT-S, VW GTi VR6, and audi A4. just can't hang with that turbo and you gotta love that 4wd.

4 doors, INTERCOOLED TURBO, 4 wheel drive, INTERCOOLED TURBO, 2.0 4cyl boxer engine, did I mention it has an intercooled turbo? very very potent...

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Stock from this car runs the 1/4 low 14 to high 13s. Minor bolt on here and there...you get the picture. One of the cheapest supercar status killers available. Very functional airscoop feeds air to the intercooler.

Intake:-

APEXi Super Intake air cleaner
SARD BOV

Exhaust:-

70mm GReddy TR downpipe, catless, current APEXi Megaphone Dunk soon to be replaced with GReddy TR Power Extreme system.

Engine:-

Fuel is controlled by the SFC Hyper R and is ignited by GReddy street spec plugs.

Leather wrapped Momo steering wheel comes as standard. So does the racing bucket seats and white faced gauges. Front lip and rear spolier is from the Impreza STi model. Tien shocks and springs on all 4 sides take care of the suspension duties.

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