![]() Hard to imagine how summer-only tires could be better. There are high performance, all season tires these days, and that’s what it’s riding on now. To their credit, the dealer suggested I buy all season tires because this would have to be my only car, a daily driver, I can’t afford a sports car that I would take out only on nice days with another car getting the groceries. A similar odd decision from the designers is to deliver the car with summer-only high performance tires. For a GT, I question whether this is necessary. Now let’s mention ride…another 60’s cliché comes unbidden to my computer: “if you run over a coin, you can tell if it’s a dime or a quarter.” The ride is tightly snubbed and very hard. (You might be pulled over because you’re going 80 in a 35 mile zone but that’s your own fault). ![]() Its cabin is fairly quiet and you won’t be pulled over because the exhaust is making such a racket that you’re making cows miscarry. The seats are firmly bolstered the designers obviously thought hard cornering would be happening a lot of the time, and so it should! The WRX is a Gran Turismo, though, not a sports car, as befits something with 4 doors and a useful back seat. When we consider that this “old fashioned” performance comes in a 4-door sedan with comfortable accommodations (at least in front) for a tall driver, yet, unlike BMW sedans at the time I bought mine, you can get it with a manual transmission, I hardly think the basic design could be improved. “Corners as if on rails…steering direct and linear up to speeds where I don’t want to find out if it understeers, oversteers, or just slides sideways at the limit…glued to the pavement.” There’s no body roll, no squeal from the tires, and acceleration even in top gear is pleasantly lively through 55, without ever exceeding 3,000 on the tachometer. Nevertheless, its capabilities are obviously huge, triggering a flood of cliches from the sports cars of the 60’s-70’s. So, I didn’t experience the full performance of the car at first. I’ve been observing 3,000, because the WRX is turbocharged and boost comes on strongly a little above 3,000 so that stopping the acceleration precisely at 4,000 is a challenge. Back to the WRX, I hadn’t passed the break-in period at the time I started writing (see below), and the manual advises short shifting at 4000 until that point. If you’re old enough to remember the age before pollution controls and safety features, you won’t argue with me when I cite the 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 as a 10 (“Relaxed at 140, undemanding at 150…controllable at 193…but acceleration tends to fall off after 155,” according to the contemporary Road & Track article). Very pleasantly surprised with actual mpg.Fun Things to do around Reynolds' Subaru & BoatsĪmong performance cars, on a scale from 1 to 10, today’s WRX holds its head up proudly at a solid 9. Anyway, I think it's great and look for excuses to drive it. It's easy to drive, great visibility, great safety features, a handles like a racecar and has just enough of an edgy appearance, without being completely over the top (I don't have the STS and thus no wing - too old for that). I supposed the Audi A3 with quatro, but Audi repairs are more expensive so I stuck with Subaru (we also have an Outback). As a daily driver I can't think of anything else that compares. The engine has a low rumble, but it's tolerable and the pluses more than outweigh that negative. No issues with the infotainment (make sure you get the upgraded system with Apple Carplay, the older system, in place until 2018, is problematic). I usually drive in intellegent mode, but I've found that I get the same mileage when I'm 50% sport and 50% intelligent mode - mixed highway and around town, so it has always exceeded published EPA mpg estimates. Mileage is consistently above 26mph and I check that manually based on fill-to-fill calculations (I don't use the dashboard mpg indicator). The CVT is great in traffic - shifting is no fun in heavy traffic. The WRX is very quick, handles like a dream (as good as my 2 seater mid engine roadster) and with winter tires this season climbs steep hills and driveways in significant, unplowed snow. I also live in the country so when I'm not commuting, I can enjoy the country roads. I use it as a daily driver to and from work, approximately 50 miles each way, often in heavy … traffic. ![]() Also, I'm not a racer, but I love cars that perform well. I keep my cars for as long as possible, and keep them well maintained. I've owned betw 8 - 10 cars in my life so far and I'm approaching retirement age, so that's a reference point for this review. ![]()
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