2nd gear ratio perfectly chosen; seat, wheel, pedals, shift knob all stellar; excellent ride/handling compromise; tossability; handling on poor surfaces; mid-speed acceleration. Feels like it will be a very reliable car.

Styling should be either more or less rally-aggressive. ABS triggers WAY too easily and results in longer braking distances, especially over rough surfaces; lots of shifting required, and the linkage is purposely notchy. Handling somewhat understeering and uninspired, with mediocre turn-in (which might be traced to the all-weather Potenzas). Don't get the sound upgrade! Has a 'wide' feel in tight spots, and due to fender flares it is somewhat difficult to sense the car's edges. Turbo tends to bleed heat into the cabin after parking, leading to excess condensation on windows.

I recently drove my WRX Sedan from Seattle to Manhattan in 2-1/2 days. Spend that much time in a car pushing that hard, and you'll gain new insights into its nature. Here is one: chop 100 horsepower off the WRX, and it's still a great car. It would still be a fun, safe, and durable subcompact that leads its class. Add those horsepower back, and it's one of the top 10 performance cars ever made. If you're inclined to disagree, try driving a Vette on snow, a BMW M3 on a pot-holed dirt road, or an Acura NSX across the US. Other cars do go a little faster, stop a little quicker, and stick a little better in test conditions, but none have the same bulletproof real-world blend of ears-taped-back confidence in every situation, and none can do it with this predictability, practicality, and price. If I were to pick one car for a winner-take-all night race down Wolf Creek Pass in the rain, one car that I had to own and insure, it would be this. The Audi S4 and AWD Porsche 911 would be faster in those conditions, but would they be driven as aggressively?

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Datsun 240Z, Corvette, Saab 9000T, Focus ZX3, Nissan Altima, Ford Mustang GT, Alfa Romeo Duetto, Audi S4, Oldsmobile Alero, BMW540i, Toyota Corolla GT-S, Volvo S60.

Speed, handling, all weather grip, excellent seats.

Turbo Lag, only adequate power, not enough mid gear acceleration, paint finish inside trunk area not the best.

This is the cheapest way to get supercar performance on this planet - this includes handling and not just straight line speed. I have owned anything from a 1.0litre 45bhp VW Polo to a 350+bhp Trans Am and nothing including my old Taurus SHO comes close to what this car can do. I like driving at high speeds (only in designated areas :) ) and with my WRX it doesn't matter what the weather is or the road surface is like - it just whips around corners very, very quickly. I just don't like the initial understeer - I prefer a neutral stance which gives way to oversteer.... understeer is just "too safe". I would very highly recommend this car to anyone and everyone. My father owned a Subaru 1.8GL Station Wagon for 16 years and he only changed the shocks once! Other than the highish fuel consumption - this car is awesome!

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'86 VW Polo, '83 VW Jetta, '89 Renault 11, '86 Ford Escort XR3i, '92 Ford Taurus SHO, '92 Ford Scorpio Cosworth, '78 Pontiac Trans AM, '97 Fiat Cinquecento Sporting, '69 Ford Cortina 1600E, '90 VW Gol

Awesome excelleration, wondeful handling, great seats and steering wheel. Tons of aftermarket parts available to make it scream.

The one and only complaint that I have is the stock stereo speakers...they suck! Definately go with the upgraded stereo. Turbo lag sucks, but is only expected.

Have only had the car less than a week, but has been incredible to drive. For the price, nothing else compares. GO BUY ONE!

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1995 Honda Accord with J-Spec H22a type S motor swap. (rated at 220 hp stock)

Performance, Style, Maintenance costs, Hauls bikes and equipment in back, Reliabilitya

None 7

I LOVE THIS CAR! I"ve been driving SUV"s for the past 6 years and now I finally know how much fun driving can be. After much research (including these reviews) and many test rides I am convinced that the WRX wagon is the car for me. Not only does it stay glued to the curvy canyon roads, but it hauls my entire work kit and it looks great. The momo steering wheel is amazing and the cloth racing seats make for quite a nice standard package. I added the 17" BBS wheels and kept the stock wheels and tires for winter. I can't wait to try this car out in the snow. I"ve also added the steering column mount turbo guage and roof bike rack. I'll probably add more window tinting,since it gets so hot out here, and an upgraded stereo system.People stop me to ask about the car. I would never have guessed that a Subaru could attract so much attention. This car is a joy to drive. I actually enjoy my commute thru Los Angeles each day and LOVE my weekends when I take it out for mountain biking trips. I considered Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Land Rover before making my decision to purchase the Suby. The expensive maintenanc and repair costs of these vehicles , not to mention their unreliability, only reinforced my decision to buy a Subaru.If you value spending your money wisely and love to drive then this is the car for you. Buy it don't lease it! You won't be sorry! It will get you to 99% of the places you need to go. If you want to drive the Rubicon Trail rent an SUV.

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Not similar but most recent. Land rover Discovery Series 2, Ford ExplorerÍ

Power-210KW Fast on the uptake, Full race seats, and race harness, upgraded Bose stereo, upgraded spoiler, upgraded turbo (gerret T3)

None that i can list-Maybe a little thirsty on the road.

Wow. In one word, wow. I feel sorry for the American readers, WRX's have been availabe in Oz, since 1997. And the NB-R is only $16000 AUS more than the stock WRX, here. Although only VenoX can turn the WRX into the true, WRX NB-R, Jap Spec.

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Ferrari FlasCo by VenoX, Twin turbo BMW 700.

Nothing beats the look on the faces of CL and IS300 drivers when they get their doors blown off by a station wagon with a 4-cylinder!

The turbo lag makes it impossible to get a good launch without revving over 4000 and squeeling all 4 tires a little.

Upgraded from a 2000 2.5 RS to this speedwagon. I knew I would love the car, but I didn't realize how much. The more I get used to driving it, the more fun it gets. It doesn't have the low-end torque of the 2.5 RS, but it's a lot faster from 3000-6000. Fantastic, bullet-proof AWD, works great in all weather conditions. Surprising ground clearance for a sedan that handles like a Porsche. Relatively quiet and comfortable compared to other sport compacts under $30,000, while smoking all of them. The stereo is good, but the speakers are kind of poor. The seats are AWESOME! Like something you'd expect to spend over $1000 for aftermarket. The steering wheel is the best I've driven on any car in my life. The gauges are great, and the pedals are grippy.

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Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS. Ford Focus ZX3. Ford Mustang GT. Mazda Miata.

Top-end power. Great hill-charging ability. Well-placed controls. Cruise control and power everything. ABS, even side airbags. High points in recent crashworthy test (peice-o'-mind.) Many aftermarket parts are available to send her into the 300+ hp range. Stock rims only weigh 13 lbs. each.

Gutless low-end, wind noise, cheapest/ low grade paint job I have ever seen on a production car (getting it re-painted right now.) Tight in the rear legroom, but what did you expect ? Seats are a magnent for air-borne debris. Lights are WEAK. Notchy gearshift, excessive bodyroll. Needs big wheels (expensive & heavy) to fill-in the wheelwells- just my opinion. Loose the useless/cheap stock tires asap.

Love my Subbie. Buy one and you enter the cult. The power delivery to this car isn't linear and you must always be cool under pressure when driving this car. It has a basic goodness.

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911, MG Midget, '96 Supra

EVERYTHING! FAST, NICE, SEXY

LITTLE SMALL

GREAT CAR! BEATS ANY MERCEDES OR BMW. LOVING IT. GREAT DIALS AND A NICE MOMO STEERING WHEEL. I DRIVE OVER 110 MPH EASY. VERY QUICK SHIFTING AND VERY VERY AFFORDABLE. GETTING RID OF MY EXPENSIVE 1998 M3 AND GETTING A BETTER CAR. WRX BABY

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1999 BMW M3, 2000 FORD FOCUS SVT

EVERYTHING! FAST, NICE, SEXY

LITTLE SMALL

GREAT CAR! BEATS ANY MERCEDES OR BMW. LOVING IT.

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BMW M3, FORD FOCUS SVT

Speed (lots), handling and cornering ability (lots), price tag (low, relatively), MPG (as in Gee whiz, that''''s a nice surprise?). Look, if you''''re reading this it means you are really thinking about it. Go for it. I''''ve had no problems. The upgraded sound system sounds great, the (non-leather) seats are way nice especially when compared to VWs, paint and finish are tops. The car is just plan fun to drive and that''''s why I got it. But, I also have all wheel drive. How cool is that? Handles great in the rain. Zooooooooooom.

Those big front head lights, but I even like those stupid things now. It gives the car personality.

This car is an absolute joy to drive. If you want to get aggressive, you can. If you prefer listening to Bach on your 6 CD in dash change while sedately motoring down the road, you can. It''''s all up to you. This car is Kickin''''. On rails around the corner? Huh - YES! Dead stop high speed getaways? Hud - YES! Turbo lag? Huh - No way holmes! Learn how to drive. I drove (drive) a Miata 4 banger and you learn to just leave it up in the revs. What''''s the problem? No turbo lag up around 3000 to 3500. I got electric blue and have any many compliments on it. Even the older people like it. Go figure.

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Handles likes a Miata roadster, but does have a tad of understeer, which once you get used to is no problem.