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THE SMART NEWS SOURCE | Feb 11 2012 01:10 | LAST UPDATED Feb 11 2012 01:10 |
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Ray Leathern doesn’t know what driving a baby Impreza WRX says about you, but it can’t surely be all bad? We don’t need to delve into the styling fiasco that was the Subaru Impreza hatchback of 2007. Suffice to say it was so bad that it had the same impact on sales as a sticking accelerator or self combusting central locking system. Last year rolled along and Subaru finally did an about-turn -- back to their bread and butter: big, fast sedans. The rebooted Impreza WRX still won’t win any design awards, even if those awards are being handed out at elementary school art class awards, but Subaru did have the good sense to re-launch the booted WRX with its rip snorting 2,5-litre, turbo boxer engine, so all was forgiven ... for a while anyway. I thought the WRX, aside from the styling, was one of the cars of the year last year. So fast, so exciting to drive, it was like piggybacking on a Tasmanian devil every time you launched away from the lights. And it quickly reminded anyone who drove it that Subaru is no pushover. They were taking a rollicking in the press, but they still knew how to make a bloody fantastic car. Now they’ve been at some midrange meddling again and come up with the Impreza 2.0RS. “This is the ideal stepping stone for those who aspire to the turbo model and want a car that emulates it in look and feel, if not outright performance,” said Grant Bowring, Subaru marketing manager. To Subaru’s credit, the ingredients are all still there -- 17-inch wheels wrapped in low profile rubber, body hugging bucket seats that are absolutely brilliant, Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel drive for unmatched traction and a rasping roar from its boxer engine. It promises an engaging drive and does not disappoint. It’s comfortable, if a bit roly-poly, just like the turbo WRX was, but thanks to the bucket seats, great traction and direct steering. it’s the type of car you’d gladly thrash around a twisty bit of road with a huge smirk on your face. It’s also got traction control, something the turbo daddy never had. It only makes 110kW and 198Nm, which isn’t much and it only has five gears, which is a bit of a killer for fuel economy. Subaru claim nine-litres per 100km, but I comfortably found myself between 10 and 12-litres per 100km. But if you rev it, keep the boxer engine shouting back at you and throw it into a few corners there’s no way you’ll be able to miss that unique Subaru Impreza feeling. It is quite something and the RS has it. At R269 000, its also serious value for money, especially when you consider BMW’s equivalent 2.0-litre 320i, which offers similar performance and costs R344 000. Of course with BMW, you get the badge, the refinement and you don’t get the WRX’s ridiculous pimp-my-ride body kit looks. For a big sedan -- not classified as a performance sedan, the Subaru 2.0RS delivers great driver involvement and is hard to fault value for money wise. Fast Facts Subaru Impreza 2.0RS
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 All the right ingredientsThe Impreza 2.0RS promises an engaging drive and does not disappoint Client Media Releases
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