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Attractive, Yes, if Not for Its Looks




AS people often say when they are about to offend every aesthete within earshot, I’m no art critic.

But here goes: Mona Lisa was no Monica Bellucci. Even so, you would never fiddle with the Mona Lisa’s looks, never send her out for a whiter smile and some dermabrasion.

It’s the same with the Subaru Impreza WRX. With apologies to its zealous owners — their vision was apparently too clouded by speed to notice — the original WRX was one of the homeliest cars around, a budget crackerbox in a high-performance Halloween costume. Yet people adored the overachieving underdog.

Even before its 2002 arrival in the United States, enthusiasts were familiar with the WRX and its abilities. It had become an icon of the video game universe and a champion in world rally racing before it was finally introduced here, a decade after it went on sale abroad. Being unattainable seemed to have only increased America’s desire for the WRX.

At the time there was nothing quite like it — a high-strung factory-built Japanese tuner car, an under-$25,000 sedan sprung from the bargain basement that could hang with European sport sedans that were double its price.

The 2008 WRX adheres to Subaru’s established formula, taking the bare-bones Impreza compact and adding chunky plastic armor, a stout suspension and a turbocharged engine that is 54 horsepower more muscular than the base Impreza’s 170-horse power plant.

Like its closest competitor, the - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Evolution that went on sale here in 2003, the WRX wore its boxy bulldog style proudly, especially when it was let loose in the rain, dirt or snow. Together, the WRX and the Lancer Evolution created a new and somewhat exotic niche of import performance cars, an expression of power entirely different from American V-8 muscle.

Still, the Subie’s jolie laide charm was lost on many grown-ups, including my wife, who insisted that any man over 35 who drove a WRX or the equally adolescent Mitsubishi should receive a penalty flag as an ineligible bachelor.

The redesign of the WRX is clearly aimed at expanding its appeal. But the loyalists are not happy, blogging that this WRX, whether the sedan body or a new five-door hatchback, is ugly.

Coming from WRX fans, that’s a bit like Chef Boyardee griping about the food in Tuscany.

After a week with the hatchback, which steps in for the previous wagon, I could not bring myself to speak the U-word. Instead, I think what’s behind some fans’ allergic response is that the WRX no longer looks anything like a WRX, or much like a Subaru.
Worse, the 2008 Evo, a more expensive car that will go on sale in January, seems to be Mitsubishi’s best styling effort yet.

The Subaru’s personality has undergone therapy as well; once again, its family may not fully recognize the patient. While the WRX’s turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder has the same 224 horsepower and 226 pound-feet of torque as the ’07 model, it reaches the torque peak 800 r.p.m. sooner, and the thrust from the turbocharger has been smoothed to make it less jumpy. The - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER rates the fuel economy at 19 miles a gallon in town and 24 highway, measured by the ’08 test standards.

The new WRX is roomier and quieter inside than the car it replaces. A new double wishbone rear suspension, more compact than the struts it replaces, results in more usable trunk space, and in the hatchback, provides a lower, more spacious cargo floor. The sturdier chassis, and a switch to doors with frames surrounding the window glass, make the car quieter; slamming the trunk or doors no longer sends shock waves through the body.

The WRX also adds features you expect in a class of high-performance compacts: side and curtain air bags, stability control, automatic climate control. For models with the manual transmission, a hill-holder automatically keeps the car in place on slopes.Where the previous WRX interior was a tub of utilitarian plastic, this one is more hospitable. Firm, heated sport seats are covered in a handsome woven fabric.
Subaru has also sanded away the rougher edges of performance. It’s another decision that may not sit well with everyone; the previous WRX was a bit of a hooligan, but its rude-boy style was what people loved about it.

The car is just as quick as before, with Subaru citing 5.9 seconds from 0 to 60 m.p.h., within sight of
- ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER and - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER, cars that cost more. A wheelbase lengthened by 3.7 inches helps the WRX ride more smoothly.

And while the more-compliant suspension produces more body lean in turns, the car is still a game handler, and less prone to skittering over rough pavement.

So while the Subaru feels tamed, it hasn’t lost its singing-in-the-rain dance steps, something it demonstrated on an overcast day on the cliff-hugging roads near

- ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER, N.Y. As rain began washing over the concrete, the Subaru dismissed other cars as orange cones on a slalom course. Even heavy bursts of acceleration in the wet failed to break the tires loose.

The action of the manual shifter is acceptable, but the throws are too long. The pressing issue — literally — is the clutch: its effort is mystifyingly stiff for a four-cylinder compact. A four-speed automatic is optional.

Styling arguments aside, the WRX remains fun to drive and decently priced at $25,495 to start; mine, with satellite radio and G.P.S. navigation, was $29,833.

By widening the WRX’s appeal, it seems clear that Subaru is nudging its original following toward the pricier version: a new WRX STi that goes on sale next year with estimates of 305 horsepower and a $33,000 base price.

• INSIDE TRACK Well, it’s got a great personality.