HIGHLY IMPREZED: A true rally inspiration!

Note: For complete information about this car, see http://www.trunkmonkey.com/ for a driving log, complete mileage logs and aftermarket modifications.

First off, let me start by saying that this is the best car I've ever owned. And that says a lot. I'm hard on my vehicles...very hard. For me, driving is a love and a passion, not just a requirement to get from point A to point B. So, since I didn't have the $60,000 USD to import a Subaru Impreza WRX STi TypeR from Japan, I had to opt for the less expensive $17,000 Impreza Outback Sport.

I also had a strict set of requirements while shopping for a new car. In August of 1998, my 1991 Ford Escort LX Wagon blew its engine and I needed a new vehicle as soon as possible. My search for a new vehicle started in 1996 when I noticed the Legacy Outback out on the roads. It wasn't until 1998 that I actually had to purchase. And I needed to find a car in less than a week...quite a daunting task.

I had already decided that I was going to buy a Subaru, so it was just a matter of figuring out which one. My requirements were simple: I needed an AWD wagon with ABS that had a sports car feel but could be driven offroad in a rally on dirt and snow. I was originally looking at the Legacy Outback, but it felt too heavy. I then drove the Impreza 2.5 RS which was exactly the feel that I was looking for, but had no cargo space. My last test drive was the Impreza Outback Sport, a baby version of the 2.5 RS with the Impreza sports car feel but the beefed up suspension of the outback. It was perfect.

I have now had the car 31,250 miles and have had very few problems with the car as a whole. It drives like a dream, has the best throttle and steering response of any vehicle I've ever owned and the car basically has become an extension of my body. The seats are absolutely perfect and hug my body in the turns. The cockpit layout is, again, perfect and everything is exactly where you need it (with the exception of the cup holder). It took less than a week to be able to memorize where every button and control was.

For onroad driving, the Impreza is a dream. Even though the Outback Sport uses the higher offroad suspension package, it still hugs the road like it was glued there. Even with the stock tires, it can easily out corner most "performance" cars like the Honda Civic or Acura Integra during stoplight racing. The car has ample power for your average driver, but is turbo and supercharger ready from aftermarket companies (see http://projects.shn.nu/subaru/ for more information).

In the wet, the Outback Sport shines and shows its true colors. In the year and a half I've had it, I've never gotten into a situation the car couldn't handle. And I've pushed it to its limits. The AWD works flawlessly and bites through puddles like they didn't even exist. If one wheel slips, you can immediately feel the others picking up the slack.

The Outback Sport's true home, however, is in the gravel, dirt, mud and snow. As with any other car, the Impreza isn't magic. It can't get you out of a situation you needlessly expose yourself to (a car with 6.5" of clearance can't handle 12" of mud), but it can sure come close. I've done hardcore logging trail hillclimbs and high speed gravel driving, and the Impreza is absolutely amazing. As long as you have the skills, the car can handle anything you throw at it. From powerslides to panic stops to 80 MPH drifts in the dirt, it can handle anything. The only downside is severe understeer/push in the snow, but that can be fixed by blipping the throttle to break out the rear end and get the car "sideways" in rally fashion to point the nose where you want to go.

For maintenance, I've followed the 6,000 mile oil change plan and have driven the car to the bleeding edge. I've had various problems with the clutch and transmission, but this can be attributed to my extremely hard driving technique. I've always had early clutch failure on every vehicle I've ever driven, but so has every performance driver who pushes the stock clutch to its limits. Once the stock clutch needs replacement, I'll be opting for a hardened aftermarket racing or rally clutch.

So, to wrap things up, I love the car. In a few years, I will probably be totally modifying this vehicle to turn it into a rally monster and buy a new Impreza 2.5 RS, WRX or Outbrat (new Subaru pickup on the drawing boards). I don't think there's anything out there that could pull me away from the Subaru. As far as the noise of the vehicle, a majority of the R&D was put into performance, not beauty. The engine is loud and some of the cockpit squeaks a little bit. But that just adds to the ambiance of the vehicle.