by "Peter" (16vpete)
Published 01/03/2017 at 01:15
by "Peter" (16vpete)
Published 01/03/2017 at 01:15
Tags: subaru
; wrx
; subaru wrx
; review
; car review
; socal
; los angeles
; malibu
; canyon
; canyon run
; canyon session
; impreza
; impreza wrx
; all wheel drive
; ej225
; boxer engine
; hatch
; hatchback
; awd
STARS: 4
I had always been a little unsure about the Subaru Impreza WRX/STI platform. It’s a very accomplished chassis: in addition to its massive success in motorsports there is a huge aftermarket filled with potential for high horsepower, ground-pounding beasts that can rip through and power out of corners unlike many other platforms out there. The reason for me being unsure is simply due to always favoring cars that are smaller and quick on their feet due to their low weight and inherent maneuverability. I had never driven one, and I tend to favor high-strung naturally-aspirated hatchbacks, angry rotaries, small RWD coupes, etc. My dream projects are usually track-prepped NA/NB Miatas, Lotus Elises, CRXs, etc. Turbos of course are great, but if I had the money I’d want to go ITBs and internals that can see a 9500 RPM redline. I mentioned I’d never driven a WRX, but two weeks ago, I finally got the chance to pilot my friend Chris’ blue 2013 Subaru Impreza WRX, and man did it open up a whole new world.
The setup was simple: I texted my buddy that I’m trying to write more about cars, and that I’d love to play with his 60,000 mile WRX and buy him a tank of gas afterwards. He quickly obliged and two weeks ago, we set out for the Santa Monica Mountains via the Pacific Coast Highway. We decided a good, well-rounded test would mean piloting the longish AWD chassis on some tighter stretches of tarmac, such as Piuma Road and take it easy on Tuna Canyon Road. I wanted to know how its entire 3,300ish pounds felt on the tighter hairpins and decreasing radius downhill turns that my Mazda2 eats for breakfast. He drove for the first 45 minutes so I could get a feel for how it felt being driven very confidently, then when we got to the other end of Piuma from Malibu Canyon Road, it was my turn.
I started off taking it easy to get a feel for the clutch and brake pedal, and feel how it came on boost. Chris cut a solid line through the tight turns and knew exactly when and how hard to come on throttle, how late he could brake, etc. I however was taking it easy heading back up to the top of Latigo, and quickly learned a lot en route.
From the get-go, I was surprised how light and composed the 3,300-pound behemoth felt. The steering was light with a decent amount of feedback, the car rotated easy, and while the large hood scoop messed with my perception of the vehicle’s dimensions, the cool factor of driving a car with a scoop quickly silenced any gripes. The steering felt quicker than I expected as well. Perhaps it was the sport suspension, and added weight and rigidity of the all-wheel drive system, but the car felt nicely planted. While my perception of the nose’s position was a little obscured, once I got through some hairpins and powered out of some nicely cambered, wavy little stretches, I quickly learned how to turn it in. Chris had recently put some decent Dunlop high-performance all-seasons on it and while they were a little pillowy, they didn’t make too much noise and gripped well.
Having all-wheel drive probably also had something to do with the tires not making much of a peep. This was very much a point-and-shoot chassis: come into a corner clean and smooth, then once you’re a little past the apex, dump the throttle and let the AWD pull you out with an addictive 244 lb. ft. of torque. It changed direction nicely too, with good weight in the steering and a taught front-end. It wasn’t quite like my Mazda2 that loves to barrel in, brake late and rotate quickly under braking, but for the size of the vehicle and its long wheelbase, it felt very good.
Speaking of all-wheel drive and gobs of torque pulling you out of corners, the same two aspects did an excellent job pushing me back in the seat as well. You would think the term “boxer engine” implies getting punched in the chest when the mighty hatchback hits boost. I had never done a 1-2 gear pull in an AWD car before, and holy crap it is so addictive. I’m not used to setting off with barely a squeak from the tires and tons of push. Most of my straight-line-hoon experience is in front-wheel drive, and AWD just digs in and jumps. I did quite a few of these pulls on the Pacific Coast Highway; if it weren’t for CHP potentially just beyond every other corner or median I would’ve been inclined to go all the way to the top of 4 th , as the continual surge of torque was so unbelievably fun. This is a fast car at around 5 seconds to 60 MPH, I’m sure even the most minor of engine tuning makes it even more fun and addictive.
The workhorse EJ255 didn’t need to be revved much higher than 5,000 RPM, and keeping it around 4,000 RPM was plenty of a sweet-spot for most of my driving on the tighter ribbons of road in the Santa Monica Mountains. It wasn’t quite GTI or Fiesta ST starting-at-2,000-RPM, short-block-feeling torque territory, but it was low enough to be very attainable. The gobs of torque certainly aided in the vehicle not feeling very heavy by handling its weight really well. This included pulling ourselves up some surprisingly steep inclines in search of Tuna Canyon Road. If we had not been restricted by a slow Mustang convertible in front of us we certainly could’ve propelled up the steeper grades a lot quicker.
I noticed a little more drivetrain noise than I’m used to in other vehicles. Chris said this was common with Subaru AWD, and just like the hood scoop, it was a little easier for me to daydream that I was in a prepped rally car. Side note: I’m probably one of few who would dig a transmission with a straight-cut-gear sound but with daily driveability. Add a supercharger and give me all the cool mechanical noises. Anyway, I didn’t really notice much of a difference in feel just cruising and taking the corners spiritedly. I’ve heard that you can feel the differentials shifting power around in tighter sections, but perhaps that was muted by the softer tires.
Once we arrived at Tuna Canyon Road, I wasn’t so concerned with speed, as I believe it’s a state park so there are a lot of hikers, 4 MPH Priuses, and very shallow protection from going over some menacing cliffs. At a safe, reasonable speed the car felt very composed with little roll and it turned in nicely. The speeds might not have been as high as on Piuma, but the hairpins were a lot tighter and the change in elevation much more extreme.
In regards to how the car has held up, Chris told me it hasn’t had any annoying hiccups. He mentioned it needing regular services, and it might have a minor boost leak that he is currently investigating, but besides that nothing bad. He said the clutch has always felt good, and the suspension has maintained its reasonable firmness. My independent self can certainly verify these. The Los Angeles Basin has not been kind to it: between some minor parking lot body damage, and other minor mishaps it shows some scars. However, on whole, with a little help from being owned by a meticulous engineer, it is in nice shape. He opted for World Rally Blue too, which still shines really nicely with just a basic wash.
My only real gripe was the interior quality. For a car with an MSRP of around $28,000 back in 2013, there were some signs of above-average wear. The most apparent being the steering wheel: its material was flaking off and had a stickiness to it. This has nothing to do with questioning my friend’s hygiene, but rather Subaru overlooking an important aspect that connects the driver with the road. This also doesn’t seem to be a one-off instance either, as I’ve read more than a few complaints on forums about similar situations. The interior plastics were good, but not great. They felt just slightly-nicer than my Mazda econohatch. Chris also mentioned that the stereo and Bluetooth was a lost cause; the stereo had some bugs and the Bluetooth was very moody and disallowed any phone call more than a few minutes long. Though, the seats were comfortable with just enough bolstering to hold you in but not a pain to get out of, and the headroom was exceptional for my 6’3 self. The backseat was very roomy as well: this chassis is probably the perfect chariot for a road trip (especially if you find yourself having to go off the beaten path with its suspension travel and all-wheel-drive), or utilized by a performance driving instructor to bus around track newbs.
It was certainly a pleasure driving the 2013 Subaru WRX. Between its great handling, pleasant inputs (albeit the flaky steering wheel) and freight train torque, I thoroughly understand and support the WRX/STI hype. It offers a great combination of canyon cruiser, straight-line rocket, and comfortable daily/road tripper. I would consider one myself, though their excellent depreciation (they seriously seem to barely depreciate) is keeping them just a tad outside of my reach, and I favor shorter wheelbases and revvier engines just a tad more anyway. I’ll have to see if Chris would let me have a go with it on some longer, less-technical sweepers sometime, I’m sure I’d have a real gas revving out 4 th gear.
"TheD0k_2many toys 2little time" (thed0ck)
01/03/2017 at 01:38, STARS: 1
drive an AWD DSM next. Much faster :)
also they dont eat headgaskets or kill ring lands at 25psi
"Peter" (16vpete)
01/03/2017 at 02:03, STARS: 0
Oh man I’d looove to have a go in one!
"TheD0k_2many toys 2little time" (thed0ck)
01/03/2017 at 02:23, STARS: 0
they are a different beast. they handle pretty good if you do the upgrades to them well but they can make good power with slight upgrades on stock motors
"VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely" (vajazzlemcdildertits)
01/03/2017 at 02:30, STARS: 1
Nice write up. The interior of my 2011 STI was very much similar to this WRX. The best term I could come up with it was “fine.” Also, small note, block on this year WRX should be EJ255, not EJ225. I figure it was a typo. The sound system was not so great (the 10" kicker sub helped) but I never had that issue with the Bluetooth, not in the three years I had it. The newest versions of the WRX and STI are on that new chassis and the interior is better than “fine,” albeit still not exactly top of the class. They also do brake torque vectoring if you leave the stability control on, but that’s a whole ‘nother bag of worms.
I live a state over, and I’m hoping to get some PCH time at some point in this coming year. Perhaps I’ll find you doing a run.
"BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind" (briangriffinsprius)
01/03/2017 at 06:29, STARS: 2
FWIW, I have a WRX steering wheel in my own Subaru, and the wheel now has about 100k miles on it, no wear and no stickiness. Maybe your friend has acid in his hands ;)
"Peter" (16vpete)
01/03/2017 at 08:44, STARS: 0
Thanks!
"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
01/03/2017 at 08:56, STARS: 1
Nice write up! That drivetrain noise is pretty common among Subarus because they make their transmission bearings out of the finest of French cheeses. Also, the engine is an EJ255, not EJ225. Subaru interiors are pretty craptastic because you’re getting an economy car with a performance drivetrain thrown in it. The average car costs just a tick under $34k nowadays, so AWD and a turbocharged engine for under $30k is a pretty good deal even with a crap interior.
"OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus)
01/03/2017 at 10:33, STARS: 1
this was my ‘14 WRX. There is nothing wrong with those cars. Even if there was, at 3,000 rmp you forgot about them all. I never could get over how well the thing gripped.
"Peter" (16vpete)
01/03/2017 at 11:45, STARS: 0
Hell yes! My buddy says the same thing: there are some minor things here and there that are annoying, but the power and grip more than make up for them
"Peter" (16vpete)
01/03/2017 at 11:46, STARS: 1
Also if you come to Cali in search of canyons, hit me up!
"Kanaric" (Kanaric1)
01/03/2017 at 11:50, STARS: 1
I had a WRX for a few years, a 2012, here’s my take on it.
The interior does NOT hold up in hot climates, I live in Las Vegas within 2 years it was falling apart. All the glued stuff mostly.
The stock suspension is terrible, it’s very floaty like a shit 90s american car and does not inspire confidence. If I kept it I would have put on aftermarket suspension. Despite how it made me feel it strangely handled well.
Two of my friends had blown engines. Though Subaru replaced both of them, one of the two was modded and they still replaced it. This is what caused me to trade in for a Mustang GT though and use a R32 Skyline for my tuner car.
I liked the car and miss it though. However for me to want another one they need to address the reliability issues and interior quality in hot weather. I THINK the new WRX has addressed both of these.
"Kanaric" (Kanaric1)
01/03/2017 at 11:52, STARS: 1
If I were to get an old mitsubishi I would wait 6 months and import a JDM LanEvo. ALL the DSMs i’ve seen are trashed.
"Kanaric" (Kanaric1)
01/03/2017 at 12:00, STARS: 0
Ya it’s like those 60s cars that had MINIMAL interior and options and just a big engine.
"Kanaric" (Kanaric1)
01/03/2017 at 12:00, STARS: 0
Ya it’s like those 60s cars that had MINIMAL interior and options and just a big engine.
"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
01/03/2017 at 13:16, STARS: 0
Pretty much. I have a ‘66 GMC that’s kind of like that. No AC, no heat, no power steering, no radio, but it does have a cammed 350 under the hood with lots of go fast bits.
"TheD0k_2many toys 2little time" (thed0ck)
01/03/2017 at 13:59, STARS: 0
yea there are some good ones left. just need to look carefully. Id love an evo 1. too bad they are going to be expensive
"Dusty Ventures" (dustyventures)
01/03/2017 at 15:17, STARS: 1
I should review this
"Peter" (16vpete)
01/03/2017 at 15:51, STARS: 0
Hell yes you should!
"Kanaric" (Kanaric1)
01/03/2017 at 16:08, STARS: 1
Depends on your definition of expensive and when you buy.
If I were to buy one now and store it until legality in Japan, which my importer will do, I could get one for like $6000.
For reference a Pulsar GTIR that is in nice nick is like $8k now.
"TheD0k_2many toys 2little time" (thed0ck)
01/04/2017 at 11:01, STARS: 1
yea once they start getting shipped over here regurally they will shoot up like Skylines have
"WayDude" (mwake1)
06/01/2020 at 23:56, STARS: 0
Just came across this. I owned a 2009 WRX hatch and it’s gone now and I am looking at a 2013 just like this one. Right about everything, the sound system was always unfrogiveable but I loved the rest of the car too much. Also, had mine almost to 200,000 miles when it died and the steering wheel was still fine.
"Peter" (16vpete)
06/09/2020 at 19:15, STARS: 1
Thanks very much! It must’ve been just the one I had regarding the steering wheel, I’ve since driven a couple others that were higher mileage, and they were fine