[Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup
this is a continuation of my post about 20 messages down from here...
since there is a subaru dealer less than five miles from me (and .00005 miles from a saab dealer), i decided to look at the wrx in person today. saw one wagon (auto in silver) and one sedan (red, 5 spd.) they are not really all that unattractive in person, but nor are their looks remarkable. understated, i would say, but not "stealth" like an s4. then i drove the sedan, by myself, for about 20 minutes, mostly on typical suburban roads, but also on some glassy twisties near a local beachfront park (i'm in SE CT on the LI sound). i currently drive a 97 900 SE coupe, talladega edition, with all of the luxury trimmings but no performance mods. the wrx is quite impressive! the interior is slightly more cramped side-to-side than my saab, but the seats are brilliant, amazing support and firm. the steering wheel (momo) is a great touch, and i liked the layout of the speedometer/rpm dials. the radio console is a little plasticky, and it sticks out because it is silver as opposed to the mostly all-black interior. but it does come standard with cd player (6 in-dash), tape and 6-speaker stereo, which sounded about on par with my saab's audio equip.
the pedals are aluminum, and the clutch is hydraulic. the accelerator is light, brake pedal firm. shifter is somewhat notchy but no more so than my saab, with a shorter throw. i worked the car pretty hard since i was driving sans salesman, and noticed that the power curve is much flatter than the saab's. no huge neck-snapping whoosh in second, but the power really pours on in third and fourth, suprisingly. doesn't feel at all like it is "pulling" the driver since it is awd, more like driver is being shuttled along at a nice pace. the car feels waaaaay tighter than my saab, especially over bumps. the ride is extremely firm, but not at all harsh, and body roll seemed minimal. easy to drive, accurate, light steering, superb braking.
things i didn't like:
fabric interior (collects hair, bis of clothing, etc.), but it wasn't too bad.
wheels (but they can be upgraded to 17-inch BBS at dealer.
plasticky interior (can be swapped to carbon fiber at dealer???)
smaller than my saab. backseat is tiny, but i gots no kids.
i'd opt for the wagon on account of more space.
probably about $28Kish for the wagon with the options i want.
oh, and it sounds nice. throaty.
sorry so long and not fully pro-saab. but it's not anti-saab either. i'm just giving people some input.
peace/hapy driving.
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
