Inside, the redesigned 2008 WRX is a bit roomier and a lot nicer than the previous-generation model. Since its introduction in the late 1990s, the WRX has been more about the go than the accommodations, but this new one puts things on more equal terms. Features, too, are more upscale. Niceties such as a sophisticated anti-theft system, cabin air filtration and an outside temperature gauge come standard, while a navigation system is optional.
The front bucket seats in the standard WRX are upholstered with a soft, woven fabric, double stitched in the fashion of a luxury car. At least as important, these seats provide a good compromise between support and comfort. There's enough side bolstering top and bottom to keep occupants snug during fairly aggressive driving, but there's also plenty of give in the cushions. The leather/Alcantara seats in the STi are more like aftermarket performance seats, which means harder and more heavily bolstered. They're even better for hard driving, but the snugger fit leaves less squirm room during longer, more relaxed travel, and they demand more energy to climb in and out of.
Seat adjustments are fairly simple, but also effective, allowing people of various sizes to get properly situated. Overall, the WRX driving position is excellent. Most drivers will be able to reach all controls, including those for adjusting side mirrors, without lifting head or shoulders from the seatback. One minor gripe regarding the armrests: They're positioned such that each elbow rests at a slightly different height.
Overall the cabin is more subdued than before, with no embroidered logos to remind occupants what they're sitting in. The gauges are less garish, too, but easy to read and backlit with orange light. The trim is a metal-ized silver plastic. You can find more attractively grained plastics and maybe richer looking trim materials in this price range, but nothing in the WRX looks cheap enough to kill the deal. That's at least partly because the dashboard layout is so straightforward and effective.
Subaru calls the dash a twin cockpit design. Translation: The size and shape are roughly symmetrical on both the driver and passenger sides, with a big, outreaching center stack in the middle. All the gauges are clustered in a single binnacle directly in front of the driver. The four dash vents are fully adjustable and large enough to move plenty of air.
An LCD information display sits under its own hood at the top of the center stack, with temperature indicator, time and other information. At the bottom sit three big climate-control knobs: one each for temperature, airflow direction and fan speed, easy to grab with barely a peripheral glance, operating with a nice tactile sensation that conveys the amount of adjustment. In between is the standard audio head or the optional nav screen. Both are good sized and easy to manipulate. While the audio knobs aren't as big as those for the air conditioning, most adjustments are replicated with buttons on the steering wheel spokes.
Interior storage is average and easily accessible. The glove box is deep, holding more stuff than most, and there's a lined bin in front of the gearshift for phones, openers or glasses. A pair of cupholders sits in the center console, just right of the handbrake and hidden with a sliding cover in the STi. Another cupholder in each door pocket is large enough for a 24-ounce bottle. The box in the center console has jacks for MP3 players and a power point. Models with the navigation system also feature a video jack. This allows video games or DVD players to project on the nav screen, but only when the car is parked.
In all, this WRX feels less confining, perhaps more airy, than the previous generation. The glass seems more expansive, even though the side windows are now framed in the doors, rather than pressed against weather-stripping on the roof and roof columns, coupe style. In front, the feeling of space is most noticeable in the extra distance between occupants' shoulders. In back it's a bit more hip room and more headroom.
The rear door openings are larger than before, and shaped in a way that eliminates the big head bob required to get into the previous WRX. Sliding in and out is easier. The rear seatback is not so upright, either, and reclined at a more comfortable angle. There's room enough here for a couple of six-footers to stay comfortable for a reasonable period of time, though not enough for three. If the outside rear seats are occupied, the middle spot is best left to a youngster.
Trunk space? With 11.3 cubic feet, the WRX sedan falls toward the lower end of its size class, with a bit less than the less-expensive Honda Civic Si sedan or the more expensive BMW 328i (both 12 cubic feet). Still, the WRX's rear seatback splits and folds forward. With the 60-percent portion laid flat, there's enough room to slide two golf bags in through the trunk, and still leave room for a third passenger.
Cargo space in the five-door hatch is another story. The basic profile is different than that of the previous Impreza wagon, with more taper to the rear glass than a conventional, boxy wagon shape. Point being, there's less cargo space than the wagon offered. Nonetheless, with 19 cubic feet, rear seat up, there's a lot more space than what's available in the typical small sedan's truck. The hatchback also allows taller objects to be contained with the car. And when the rear seat is folded cargo capacity expands to 44 cubic feet, with easy access from the rear side doors to help push things in and out.
The Subaru WRX has always been a blast to drive, and the all-new 2008 model won't disappoint. Long-time automobile enthusiasts who haven't driven something really new in the last five or six years might be amazed by the performance in these moderately priced small cars, and all aspects of it: acceleration, handling and braking. Yet this WRX is more a complete package than ever. Even the super-quick STi is much easier to live with for daily driving. Hardcore sport-compact enthusiasts might lament this new-found civility, but mainstream buyers will find it much easier to embrace.
The refinement is apparent from the first turn of the key. Where the old STi had almost the hollow, reverberating sound one expects inside a stripped-out race car, the 2008 sounds more like the typical family sedan inside, except for the more aggressively tuned exhaust tone. And it's not just a reduction in engine noise. All WRXs now have windows framed into the doors, rather than a door structure that stops where the windows start sliding out. All models are fitted with a full undertray that smoothes airflow beneath the car, and we suspect there is more sound insulating material than ever. Road and wind noise have been reduced considerably at all speeds.
This WRX continues Subaru's tradition of horizontally opposed engines, meaning the cylinders are laid flat with the pistons on each side moving in opposite directions (same as the engines in Porsche's sports cars). Like all engine designs, this one has advantages and disadvantages. One of the advantages is compact size, and the prospect of installing the engine low in the car. Flat-four engines have a distinctive, loping vibration pattern that can quickly be distinguished by motorheads, though like all the vibrations in the new WRX, it's more muted than ever.
At face value, the engines don't seem to have changed much. Output in the standard 2008 WRX 2.5-liter four (226 horsepower, 224 pound-feet of torque) is identical to that of the previous model. Horsepower with the STi increases by 12 to 305 hp, with 290 lb-ft of torque. In both cases, it's a lot of power for the engine's size, yet the figures don't say much about improvements to the WRX engines. Both versions are now 50 pounds lighter than before (other things equal, that means better gas mileage), and fitted with the latest-generation control electronics to improve overall efficiency and reduce emissions. Perhaps more significantly, the power curve has been broadened, so the power is available sooner on the rpm scale, and over a wider range. The acceleration-producing grunt comes sooner, and stays strong as the engine continues to rev.
The same sort of transparent refinement has been applied throughout the WRX's mechanical and electronic systems. For the first time, a single management program controls the electronic throttle, the full-time all-wheel-drive, and the Vehicle Dynamics Control. Even the antilock brakes are integrated. That allows a host of possibilities that can enhance safety and improve handling and overall performance.
The standard WRX takes care of just about everything for the driver, leaving the choices to the computer chip. The STi, on the other hand, lets the driver sort through a bunch of options using a series of buttons on the center console.
One STi feature, called SI-Drive, allows a choice of three maps for the electronic throttle, ranging from commute grade to extra aggressive. This allows the driver to control how much the engine accelerates with a given movement of the gas pedal: smooth, mild response to big dips on the pedal, or major acceleration with small dips. The VDC also offers choices: Standard, Off, and Performance, which allows enough wheel slip to slide the car but still tries to gather things up if it gets too sloppy. A manual adjustment for the center differential controls how much of the power is sent to the front or rear wheels, as it is in a real World Rally Championship car. Between the various throttle maps, stability and differential settings, there are almost enough permutations to confuse a race-car engineer.
The leave-it-to-the-computer settings in the standard WRX will be fine for the majority of drivers, but we suppose those paying an extra $10,000 for the STi might expect some tangible features to impress their friends. In the right conditions, driving enthusiasts will have fun playing with the various settings, and those stressed out or confused by the adjustments can go with the default, automatic settings in the STi.
There's not much confusion when you step on the gas, even in the standard WRX. This compact just goes, noticeably more quickly than the vast majority of cars in its size or price range, with a swoosh from the turbocharged engine that makes a viscerally satisfying experience. Yet power delivery in the 2008 is more linear than ever, so you don't have to get the engine screaming at 6000 rpm to feel the pull. The WRX will jump as readily if the engine is humming at 2500 rpm when the driver steps on it.
The weak link in this gas-and-go process might be the gear-change for the five-speed manual transmission. The shifter has nice weight and resistance, with reasonably short transfer between gears slots, but the movement is a tad more stretchy than we might like in true high-performance car. Nonetheless, the driver adjusts quickly, and working the gears in the WRX is a very pleasant experience. Starts are aided by Subaru's Hill-Holder feature, which keeps the car from rolling backward as the operator releases the clutch pedal on an incline.
The optional automatic transmission works fairly well, with nice, smooth upshifts and reasonably quick downshifts when you step on the gas to pass. Buyers who need an automatic should be happy, but we're reluctant to recommend it nonetheless. As five-, six- and even seven-speed automatics proliferate in the car industry, the WRX's four-speed seems dated, particularly in a car that's technologically advanced in other respects. Still, our reluctance has less to do with how the WRX automatic works and more with the fun a driver misses by forgoing the manual. The STi leaves no such option, because it's available only with a six-speed manual.
The STi really quick: Ford Mustang GT and Aston Martin V8 Vantage quick, or 0-60 mph in about five seconds flat, with an engine about half the size. Yet even more than in the standard WRX, the STi's new level of refinement is apparent. The power comes smoothly and more evenly than before, even with the electronic throttle management set in its most aggressive mode. And again, there is less commotion or mechanical fury apparent to the driver as the STi hurtles toward the horizon; just the rich exhaust rumble of a well-tuned, high-performance engine.
The STi's new found civility is apparent in all its dynamic characteristics. Its suspension tuning, or the mix of overall ride comfort, sharp handling and pavement-sticking grip, is one of the highlights. Steering in both the standard WRX and STi is lighter than we'd expect in most performance-tuned cars. But it's also fairly quick, so the car turns a lot with small movements on the wheel, and accurate. With a little familiarity, the typical driver will have no trouble directing these cars in very precise fashion.
Is the ride soft? Not exactly, but it's softer than before, and it's missing the cruder, teeth-chattering shocks of the original STi. We'll call the suspension movement controlled compliance, with enough give to be comfortable on all but the Midwest's worst roads, much like the typical European sport sedan. The STi's suspension dampens body lean and fore-aft bobbing firmly (still more firmly than the standard WRX, but less firmly than the previous STi). Yet it allows the car to settle smoothly after big bumps, protecting those inside from big jolts or repeating, annoying up-down motions. And it still offers the driver everything he or she needs to evaluate what's happening under the seat, or to build confidence in the car's behavior.
Confidence in a car is a good thing at a race track, and we suspect a lot STi buyers will try their cars at a track day with the local owners club. We had a chance to sample the 2008 STi at Northern California's fast, deceptively simple Laguna Seca road course, where some of the world's best drivers have made some very famous mistakes. There, the STi demonstrated potential street driving rarely reveals, except perhaps in emergency situations where a car's capability can be the difference between a deep sigh of relief and disaster.
This new, more refined STi might merit the label unflappable, and it might be the perfect car for a beginner's introduction to a race track. At the track, the quality of its brakes and stability control electronics might be the difference between embarrassment and disaster, as when a beginner crests a hill and realizes the entrance to the next corner isn't where he or she thought it was.
At its handling limits, the STi has a slight inclination to understeer, or to generate the feeling that its front wheels are pushing off the road. Yet that tendency is less than in the typical front-drive car, and the STi's all-wheel-drive system allows the driver to get the front end to tuck into a curve by adding a little more gas. With the electronics doing the job they're designed to do, the STi stays planted under rough, abrupt or heavy-handed inputs on its controls. Whether braking hard into a curve, or panic-braking with a sudden twist of the steering to avoid an accident, the electronics are always working to keep the car's weight balanced and the tires on that fine line between maximum grip and skid. The STi helps take care of the beginner without strangling the joy out for skilled drivers, and it allows exceptionally skilled drivers to turn all the electronic aids off.
The brakes on these cars are outstanding. On both the WRX and STi, the rotors are larger than those on the typical small car, but especially so on the STi. Its brake hardware is supplied by Brembo, which also makes the brakes for Ferrari and other ultra-high performance car builders. Meanwhile, the ABS on these cars is among the most sophisticated available. It uses various sensors to control the braking force at each rear wheel independently, which in turn can help keep the car's rear end from sliding around while braking aggressively in a curve.
The Subaru WRX comes as a sedan ($24,350) and a five-door hatchback ($24,850). Both are powered by a 2.5-liter, 224-horsepower turbocharged engine in Subaru's unusual horizontally opposed design, and both come standard with a five-speed manual transmission. A four speed automatic ($1,000) is available with the Premium option package. All WRX models are equipped with Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive.
The WRX comes reasonably well equipped, with a full complement of power features, cruise control, 80-watt audio with an auxiliary input jack, automatic climate control, interior air filter and 17-inch alloy wheels. The hatchback adds nearly 70 percent more cargo capacity, a rear-window wiper and a split/folding rear seat.
Options include the Premium package ($2,000) with heated front seats and an 11-speaker audio system with a 100-watt amplifier, among other things. The Navigation package ($4,000) includes the Premium package contents plus a GPS navigation system with seven-inch screen, satellite radio, digital sound processing, Bluetooth connectivity and an auxiliary video jack. Standalone options include body molding colors ($180), various deck-lid spoilers ($335), a battery warmer ($30), a subwoofer and power amp for the base audio system ($370), and XM or Sirius satellite radio hardware ($398).
The WRX STi ($34,995) is available only as a hatchback, and only with a six-speed manual transmission. The STi is equipped comparably to the standard WRX with Premium package, though the extra money mainly adds performance, starting with the 305-hp 2.5-liter engine.
STi options include forged, 18-inch BBS wheels ($2,000), in gold or silver, and a Navigation package ($3,800) that includes the navigation system, BBS wheels, and leather upholstery.
Safety features, in addition to all-wheel drive, include Vehicle Dynamics Control anti-skid electronics and four-channel, four-sensor anti-lock brakes (ABS) with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD). EBD keeps stopping power balanced between wheels regardless of the traction underneath. All models come with dual-stage front airbags with occupant sensors. Front passenger side-impact airbags and curtain-style head airbags for all outboard occupants are also standard. The WRX has achieved some of the best ratings in its class in National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) crash tests, with five stars for front impacts, five stars for front passengers in side impacts, and four stars in rollover tests.