* 4 Wheel Drive (AWD)
* Sun Roof
* Aggressive styling (Precious Original style)
* Rear LSD
* 7" Diameter fog lights
* Available in Sedan/Coupe
* Quiet ride
* Great handling
* 2 years Road side Assistant
* Bang for the bucks
* Rare on the road (Catches eyes)
* White racing guages
* ABS
* Four-disc braking system
* Power Windows and Locks

* No trunk light (optional installation)
* Poor factory paint job
* Pitch noise from Rear Bearings
* Basic Interior
* Gas panel no lock.
* Bad placement for a cup holder
* Closing a Door cause to rattles if window is in the down position

Love the way this car handles (AWD) and especially love the original body style of this car. For those of you loved the aggressive styling of the original WRC Impreza, get one now while/if you still can. This is the last year of this body style. I purchased at MSRP with a shipping cost from New York to Florida. Paid the car a bit high myself but didn't bother me at all for such a beautiful car. People who saw my 2001 RS thinks I mod the ride but everything comes standard (Stock)! Alloy 16" 6 stoke rims, white racing dials, 7" fog lights, beauty enhancement of hood-scoop with two side vents, Shiny exhaust, 4 disc bakes, and more. A great car for a great price. Starting at $19,500... you just can't beat that~

Similar Products Used:

Competitors: Integra GSR, Celica GT-S, Civic Si, Eclispe GS-T.

None with 4 wheel drive.
Some to non ABS.
Some to non Sedan option.
Above with high stolen rating.
High insurance cost due to thief.

0-60 in under 5 seconds, 120mph in 4th gear permanent AWD. Black alloys as per WRC car, stunning handling. Offically imported into UK meaning lower insurance and dealer serviceing

Fuel consumption (although that might be related to the temptation to drive like Colin McRae), brakes could be stronger. £10,000 more than a 'normal' Impreza turbo

The P1 is awesome. Blistering acceleration, nothing short of a Porsche 911 turbo could keep up over a country road. Top speed not amazing (approx. 150mph), but who gets to drive at that sort of speed anyway, bury the throttle out of a bend and the world goes blurry. The redesigned front spoiler gives the car a very agressive 'face', 276BHP gives the car the performance to match. It is, barring 16 22B type UK cars, the only coupe officially imported into the UK, it also has RAC Trackstar and a Thatcham cat.1 alarm immobiliser fitted as standard (the combination of these three facts meant I could insure the P1 for £700 less than an imported WRX STi VI). A fitting way to end the model type before the new pug-ugly Impreza. UK car mags have rated it as the best Impreza of all time, the best drivers car for £30,000).

The brakes could be better, but Prodrive do a brake upgrade for app. £1500 and larger wheels (a whopping £4000 IIRC)

The interior is a bit plasticky, but the seats are excellent recaros, the Momo wheel and shift feel good under the hand.

If you want luxury look elsewhere, if you want to go through the twisties showing up Ferraris that cost 5 times as much or to drive faster in the rain than most cars can in the dry, this is what you want.

Similar Products Used:

Mazda MX-5, Impreza WRX sedan

Brilliant when it gets slipery, balanced handling, bang for the buck, low end torque, a hoot to drive, sound with after market muffler, good steering feel, lots of head room.

Very little top end punch, back seats don't fold down to carry long items, no trunk light, windows rattle, stock sway bar, weak clutch.

If you are into balanced, real world, handling - versus speed - then this is a great car. The car is spectacular, and enormously fun, when the surface is either wet or snow covered. Soon after buying I replaced the rear sway bar with a 20mm one - this cured the terminal understeer and helps keep the car more level in corners. Also installed an aftermarket, bolt-on, performance muffler (and a K&N air filter) which made no noticable difference in power but now the car sounds fantastic, without being too loud. Two summers ago I spent a few days at Road Atlanta's driving school. They used bone stock RS's with the exception of upgrading to Michelin Pilot tires. Solid as heck on the track. Stable, seemingly bullet proof, and fast through the corners.

On real roads the car is almost more impressive. In the price range, there are faster cars, and stickier cars, but none will carve a corner on a winding road with a bad surface better than a RS. Bump, pothole, mid-corner. No problem, the Subaru soaks it up and just pulls you through unfazed - the rally breeding paying off. With the larger rear sway bar the handliing is nicely balanced and you can use the steering wheel and throttle to steer.

Lots of low end torque for putzing around town and coming out of corners. I agree the stock tires are junk but they keep the limits low which I find makes the car fun to drive. With the car's limited power too much tire would make it less fun to drive (less slidding) although the transitions would be better with better tires. The car's steering feel is really good but too many turns-to-lock. I am six feet one inch and the headroom in this small car is fabulous.

One the down side ... where the heck did the 165 horsepower go? For a big four, with double overhead cams this thing should have more get up and go. The torque is strong but any revs over about four thousand seem to just make more noise - not any more power. It revs willingly but where is ANY top end pop.

The car would be much more practical if the rear seats folded down and the lack of a trunk light is inexcusable and a royal pain. Others complain about the window rattling if left partially open and do they ever. Also the stock stereo is(was)pathetic. Finally, the clutch is very weak. I have been experiencing problems with mine since I bought the car and the everytime the dealer says they can't find anything. Especially when cold the clutch chatters badly and even slips horribly when going uphill in 3rd. Articles I have read also point out that even mild modifications to the cars power will overwhelm even a working stock clutch.

All and all, a great car. For the money nothing better if you love great real world twisties. If I did not have an M3 I would get frustrated, however, with the lack of top-end power.

Similar Products Used:

BMW M3, Integra

Has to be the handling! I had never driven a AWD car before, and the ammount of grip this system gives on the road makes me smile every time I drive it.

I have not really found any real problems worth mentioning. No offence intended but....If the window rattles a bit when its open, close it. If it's dark in the boot, keep a torch in the back(Sorry Flashlight!). If the stero's crap, turn it off and listen to the growl of the flat-four.

All this talk of Turbo's and 300 plus HP! What is everyone made of money!! After spending the last few years shooting my driving licence to bits in various GTI's I was not in the position to afford a WRX, STI etc.

Insurance IS a major factor so get some quotes first, because once you start looking at shiny WRX couchwork it will all be over. You will buy it. Only the thought of a £2000 insurance bill will keep you focused on buying the 2.0 sport. The insurance was under half of the WRX, unfortunatley so is the HP.

They are fantasically crafted cars. Very attractive from all angles, perposeful but still understated. Unlike the EVO range(Nice but I wanted a car not a spaceship).

The sport has the same AWD system as the WRX and is powered by the same lovely sounding flat-four (Minus turbo). It delivers the power smoothly but like the turbo versions dies off at the top end. The handling is still great although I decided to upgrade the wheels & tyres to compensate for the wet UK climate.

The chassis, suspension, and steering feels so good it cries out for more horsepower than the 2.0L package provides. However do not get me wrong, I feel I could not have choosen a better car for the money.

Basically the Impreza strength comes from having few weaknesses. The fact that I couldn't afford the pokey version isn't the cars fault.

Similar Products Used:

None

Great in snow, would last long thyme if you dont wip on it... good off the line for a car I think...easy clutch small enuff so you can grab anything in the back seat when driving...really good on gass after I got wicked nice spark pungs and nice wires for it, I got mid 30's, this car is a great car for some one who is not going to beat on it like I did... if you drive it nicely then it will last a really long thyme...

in my car at least when you had the AC on and if you were a passinger in the front your feet would get wet...because it leaqueeked you got me why... but some thymes it had a streem of watter shoot out on the floor???? the car pisses!! haha windown dont shut all that great, with some wind sounds when doing high speeds or on windy day, because no frame around the window... it does not like a lot of weight in the car at all, kind of laggy when your buddies are in the back and when I was 17 it was fine, but when I was 21, 4 guys where too much for the little thing lagged a lot and was really low... blew a clutch up ( I broke it ) and trans was going sence we got the car so...

sweet looking at its thyme I thought, I got it when I was 17 and drove it till I was 21. great car in the snow with good snow tires! first car to use learned how to use manual trans really well with that car. fun car to drive... great car for a teen who likes to wip with a car... but they dont hold up that long when you wip on them... he he

Similar Products Used:

Honda civic 4 door, both small cars same sort of shape and feel, but honda under powerd... any small 4 door is close to the same as any other car out there really...

Good strong engine, suspension, great ride, looks awesome. great sound system.

little bit of wind noise at high speed, no lights in the trunk,

Only AWD car in that price range which doesn't suck up gas - average 27MPG in city and highway. Has enough power to pass - engine is smooth at 110+. Drives really great, no problems so far - it's been 7 months and 14,000 already.

Similar Products Used:

None