First Impressions: 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX

• The Subaru WRX wins the most-improved award. It’s much more refined, and is now quiet and precise on the road. Even the engine is quiet — as much as you’d want it to be. During my time with it, the chronic idle shake that this 2.5-liter turbo exhibited in past WRXs (and other models) was absent. Most important, the low-rev torque is more usable than ever. Switching from a 2.0-liter to the 2.5 in 2006 was step one. Sliding the peak torque below 3,000 rpm on the 2008 has made turbo lag almost inconsequential. Now if they would just replace the standard five-speed with a six…. — Joe Wiesenfelder, senior editor

• The WRX’s turbo four-cylinder makes loads of low-end power, which in turn makes the WRX a fun little car to drive. It also rides rather comfortably for a performance car. I’m split on the car’s styling, though. The new exterior manages to look sporty without getting carried away, but the oddly shaped dashboard makes for a cabin that’s less than inviting. — Mike Hanley, Cars.com reviewer
• I’m definitely on board the new WRX bandwagon. The last generation was such a rattling, hard on the molars, bare bones sport-tuned ride that it never won me over like it should have. Subaru has fixed all that here. The ride is so much smoother — hey, pillared doors! — and the car is bigger overall, with snug seats and cabin quality that’s slightly above most Japanese imports. A blast-to-drive engine remains the lone carryover from the old WRX, and I’m glad they kept it. I even liked the five-speed and the looks. Everyone on the interwebs may bemoan that there wasn’t a huge boost in power, but this is still one mighty fast sedan. — David Thomas, KickingTires editor
• Fun to drive, nice interior and could be driven quickly or slowly with ease. A lot of faster cars suck at “driving to the store” speeds, but as long as you didn’t let the turbo spool up, you could easily cruise. The steering had a nice weight, but the clutch and gearshift were light and precise. I got comfortable with this car more quickly than any other I drove that day. — William Jackson, Buying Guides editor
• I think Subie’s new WRX sedan is more grown-up looking compared to the previous generations; both inside and out. It’s less boy-racer, more boy-racer-who-needs-to-go-to-the-office-every-morning. Driving the WRX was a spirited experience through curvy side roads, and I love the engine’s sounds from the tailpipes (now dual-exiting exhaust) as well as under the hood. As for the interweb geeks that Dave mentioned … yeah, that’s me. I thought it fell short on power, and for my tastes I’d like to see an extra 25 or 30 hp. The hatchback version hasn’t grown on me yet, and if the STi is only going to be a hatchback, I’d like to have the option of a WRX sedan with more guts. — Joe Bruzek, Ask.cars.com

More First Impressions
2008 Infiniti G37