Bartek Sikorski

It's Baaaaaack

The 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX just didn't have it. You know, it. That extra something that makes a car kick ass.

After driving it for the first time last year, we fired up the poison pen. It was too soft, we wrote, understeered too much and its engine, once the class of the sport compact segment, ran out of steam well before redline. Frankly, we were pissed off. Subaru had blown it. But worse than that, we missed our old friend, the WRX — the one with immediate turn-in, a taut suspension and a redline-ripping boosted boxer engine.

Most car companies just get mad at us when we tell them their new car is crap. But not Subaru. Instead, Subaru listened. Then it fixed the car.

For 2009, only a single model year on, Subaru has returned the WRX to its proper place among sport compacts. Oh, it still shares its platform and the majority of its components with the 2008 model, but the 2009 WRX represents a complete attitude adjustment. It's more practical and refined than the first-generation car, but once again offers the original WRX's spirit, which not only offered enthusiastic all-wheel-drive handling and plenty of power for a reasonable price but gave the finger to convention.

The 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX has it.

More Power, More Torque
Starting with more engine output, Subaru has given the WRX its soul back. For 2009, horsepower is bumped from 224 to 265 while torque climbs from 224 pound-feet to 244. As important, the otherwise similar 2.5-liter boxer engine now pulls hard all the way to its 6,500-rpm redline while still delivering adequate mid- and low-range punch.

The additional motivation comes courtesy of the WRX STI turbocharger (with a slightly different trim). A larger-diameter exhaust and more efficient catalytic converters reduce exhaust backpressure by 30 percent relative to the 2008 WRX. Peak boost is up to 13.3 psi from the '08 model's 11.4 psi. The ECU is reprogrammed to accommodate these changes.

More power is always a welcome change to any new model, but it often comes with compromises. The only one we've spotted so far is an EPA city fuel economy rating that is reduced from 19 to 18 mpg. The EPA highway rating remains 25 mpg.

Chassis Tweaks
To quell the car's floaty ride and floppy handling, Subaru's chassis engineers worked like dogs, ignoring their wives and kids for months at a time.

The result? Spring rates are up 43 percent in front and 42 percent in the rear, while roll stiffness increases 22 and 29 percent front and rear. Additional roll stiffness comes from larger antiroll bars — the front bar diameter increases from 20mm to 21mm and the rear bar diameter increases from 15mm to 16mm. New dampers and STI upper strut mounts are matched to the stiffer spring rates.

Wider 225/45R17 summer tires replace the 2008 WRX's 205/50R17 all-season rubber. Last year's 15:1 steering ratio remains the same but a damper valve was added to the 2009 WRX's steering to reduce kickback caused by the wider tires.

And now we're convinced every chassis engineer should be an absentee dad. On the wildly undulating, pothole-ridden roads of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, the WRX's new attitude is immediately obvious.

Welcome Back, WRX
Pour the coals to the WRX and up to nine-tenths it rewards with much improved grip and cornering limits that will compete with its rivals from Mazda and Mitsubishi. We found it amply capable right up to the last few tenths of our own abilities, where heavier suspension damping would offer more control.

When pushed very hard over rough roads, there's still more body motion than we like — a problem it shares with the Mazdaspeed 3, which is slated for revised dampers sometime this year. Still, the stiffer suspension and new tires should elevate its limits beyond those of the Lancer Ralliart without a similar decrease in ride quality.

Brake hardware remains the same and the only improvement in stopping performance will come as a result of the wider, stickier tires. The last WRX we tested stopped from 60 mph in 123 feet, which is strong for the class while leaving room for improvement.

The car's newfound sharper responses don't keep us from wishing the WRX had front and rear limited-slip differentials, which would give its driver even more control at corner exit but also add cost. Mitsubishi equips its Lancer Ralliart with such hardware and Subaru should meet that challenge head on. As it is, the 2009 WRX powers out of corners adequately, but limited-slip diffs, like Subie stuffs in the STI, would make it better, especially in limited grip situations.

Emphasizing the WRX's more focused performance is the fact that it's only available with a five-speed manual transmission. Ratios remain the same as the '08 model. Getting an automatic requires stepping down to the 224-hp Impreza 2.5GT that's new for 2009. Subaru hopes this lesser version of the Impreza — basically the same spec as the 2008 WRX but only available with an automatic transmission — will capture buyers who want a softer, less powerful WRX. You know, girls.

Subaru claims the added power will propel the 2009 WRX to 60 mph from a standstill in 5.4 seconds. Our previous tests on the 2008 WRX showed 0-60 times ranging between 5.9 and 6.2 seconds. We expect the quarter-mile time to drop to the low 14-second range.

The 2009 Look
Subtle styling differences distinguish the 2009 WRX, but give the otherwise slab-sided machine a bit more personality. All 2009 WRXs will wear the aero kit that was an option on 2008 models, and an STI-style grille. Five-door models also get the STI's large rear spoiler and diffuser, while sedans use a low-profile trunk lid spoiler.

Also tweaked for the better are the Subie's exhaust tips. The sedan's dual-outlet exhaust has been redesigned and the five-door's single-outlet tip is larger (and stainless steel on cars equipped with the premium package).

The WRX is still not a broad-shouldered eye-catcher like the more powerful STI, but it now looks less like a small economy wagon from Korea and more like the antisocial performance machine it is. Even the sedan, which will never win any design awards, is now less offensive.

Inside, the WRX's high-back, integrated-headrest seats are carried over for 2009 but now include red embroidered WRX logos in the seatback. Red stitching is also present on the seat bolsters and steering wheel.

Get Yours Soon
Both the 2009 WRX and 2009 Impreza GT will be at dealers on September 1. WRX pricing isn't yet official but Subaru tells us to expect the base price to be less than $25,000 — about the same as the 2008 model. The Impreza 2.5GT, despite having less power, will offer more standard equipment (think automatic transmission and sunroof) and will be similarly priced, according to Subaru.

You can relax. The WRX is no longer an all-wheel-drive Camry. And Subaru clearly isn't relinquishing its grasp on the sport compact market. Drive the car and one fact becomes immediately obvious: The WRX is back.

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ducati1482

We get these in at my dealership in 2 weeks I'll let you know when I take one out how they are