By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
Couple questions: what happens to the WRX engine when it doesn't get the premium fuel it needs. Anyone experience fuel quality issues? Anyone need to use octane booster additives?
Second, anyone have smogging or emission inspection problems with the turbo engine? Those of us in California have to address the long arm of the law regarding emission regulations and this can be very expensive with some vehicles.
Spring, that's a nice thought huh? Wind chill makes it feel like -11 degrees, F. today...
j0elboy
Joel-
Pull the seat back a notch or two farther back than you would normally seat at. It helps with the under 4000 rpm break in, especially if you can't floor the pedal ;-)
My break in took < a month, and I'm a ~5k per year driver.
Plan lots of long weekend trips to "no where".
I took the long way home (~120miles) when I picked up Pebbles. The Dealer is ~10miles from me.
-Dave
IF you start modifying, might have trouble with visual, but there are ways around that.
-B
-Ian
I guess you could say we are prone to getting cars with an x in the name. Perhaps you aren't hearing from other moms on this board because they are too busy doing the "mommy stuff" to be writing.
John
but regardless of how good a knock sensor is, it can only retard the timing so far and that has only so much affect.
if you're running 87 octane at low altitude on a hot day and mash the throttle to climb at hill in 5th gear at 55mph... guess what, you're going to encounter extreme detonation.
the premium for premium is an insignificant factor in the total cost of WRX ownership. cough up the few extra bucks a tank for the right fuel grade!
-Colin
And I've changed the oil regularly and I drive the car at or above 3000 rpm's on a pretty consistent basis, I'm not sure it is a smart thing to do. But I swear the car seems like it drives and even sounds better with a higher rev from a stand still. I did adhere to the 1000 mile rule as best I could, but did mash the pedal a few times, no harm no foul...so far. I did change the oil after 1000 miles just to get any sediment from the new engine out of play.
A WRX at 14psi of boost isn't going to be happy with 87.
-juice
Further, the emissions issue is rarely a problem for new cars, it occurs after a few years. My uncle has a water cooled VW boxer engine on a van, with fuel injection electronic ignition etc and can't pass the smog consistently. It is a major expense for some cars, I am just trying to anticipate the hidden costs of owning a WRX.
FWIW, my Forester passes emissions tests with flying colors. I'm not even exceeding 10% of the limits in MD, and this on the original spark plugs at 50k miles (I just passed the other day).
-juice
Temperature dropped to single digits yesterday after a near-mini-warming, and hence had to contend with ice under the lastest 1" of snow. OEM Bridgestones are really a compromise, aren't they?
J0elboy
errm, yeah that's the point I was making without actually saying "dumbass". ;-)
if you ever hear detonation your first reaction should be to LIFT! I personally wouldn't trust the knock sensor to make things alright if you kept the throttle pinned, regardless of whether the car is under warranty or not.
and then maybe it's just me but I'd consider raising the octane of the fuel I used... or the throttle position at a given rpm.
-Colin
I realize that Yakima sells crossbars of various lengths that will work. A little stick out on the sides won't hurt so if I have to go that route I will. Any experiences in negotiating with options you don't want? Thankfully this option is easily replaced...and there's Ebay.
FYI....I was quoted $700 below invoice and & the low APR (the $700 includes the $500 rebate). Any chance getting the Added Security, Maintenance Plan etc.. thrown in?
* 210hp, 235 ft-lbs at just 3600 rpm (more torque than WRX even)
* 2.5l with AVCS and based on the STi engine!
Told ya it would be schweet.
-juice
Keep in mind the Forester is used for hauling more than just ... what the WRX hauls. Torque was the goal and it looks like they nailed it. 3600rpm peak is very low, and 235 lb-ft is phenomenal. The 2.5l should mean less lag.
It comes with a 5 speed or the 4 speed auto, no shiftronic (bummer). The Premium package comes only with the auto (another bummer).
Any how, for the Forester's mission, I think the powertrain is just about perfect. They nailed it. Baja will get the same engine.
-juice
-mike
-juice
Oh yeah, it's a turbo for sure. The PDF doesn't specify the boost or anything, but it does say it's based on the STi engine, and it is still intercooled, so it has to be low boost.
-juice
By JULIE CANTWELL | Automotive News
"Saab also may get a version of Subaru's Impreza WRX sport wagon, though Saab spokesman Kevin Smith would not confirm that."
In my opinion, Yakimas (towers and round bars) are more useful than the flattened crossbars, and lift the items up higher so less chance of scratching the top of the car when mounting and dismounting, IMO. This applies to skis and snowboards as well... the bindings would be farther from the roof. You should be able to carry at least three bikes, maybe four, on the Yakima bars. Another option is the hitch mounted bike rack, which obviously requires the hitch installed.
-utahsteve
I completely agree. I got the optional flat cross bars on my WRX wagon. When I had my OB Sport, I would put soft surfboard racks on (basically a pad with straps that attach to the racks). Since the new Impreza's cross bars are much lower than the older model, the velcro strap rubs the roof when I fasten it.
I'll either have to buy a new type of surfboard strap, or get an new cross bar.
And if you want to carry more than two bikes on top, you'll definitely need to go with a wider aftermarket cross bar.
-Dennis
Come on Wednesday!!!
-Dennis
Steve
Unfortunatly, I can't pick it up until monday since the dealer had to do a locate to find it for me. Wagons are really hard to find in the St Louis area. This will, however, give me time to clean out my garage so I can fit it in there. My Probe GT fits, but I think the WRX is longer.
How does this sound for a vanity plate:
MYT WRX 03
Kendal
Do they allow 8 characters? In MD the max is 7.
-juice
Would suit better.
"Mighty Wagon"
or
"My Turbo Wagon"
-Dave
Scuby Rex
To bad I don't get to pick it up till monday, we had snow and ice today. Would have been a good day to try out 'the beauty of all wheel drive'.
Kendal
I'm going to go out and shovel the driveway and see what she's got!
BMWs are notoriously lousy in snow, and even rain for that matter.
The real question is, how well do you trust the bozo in the lane next to you? I learned to drive in snow country so I have full confidence of my abilities in the snow. Unfortunately, the highways are full of SUVers who believe that since they have 4 wheel drive they can drive like [non-permissible content removed] under all wheather conditions. So, when the roads get real bad, I stay home.
We (wife, son & myself) spent most of the day shovelling, as we have a rather long driveway and 3 cars to dig out.
Bob
I had it out in 12+ inches Sunday morning and it did fine until I tried to get back up my unplowed street after about 20 minutes of tooling around the neighborhood. I managed to spin my way up the street at about 5000 to 6000 rpm's, going slow wasn't makin' it. I made it up the street okay before getting caught in some real soft un touched deep stuff. I guess even the Subie has it's limits. I did see alot of Suv's getting stuck. I love the Subie wagon, and this harsh winter couldn't have come at a better time. Ps. All it took to get goin again was a pretty tame push from a neighbor
Any thoughts or suggestions?
John
Snow! - The RE92's with a lot of tread are decent in snow, but the OEM BFG's on my OBS were seemed a little better. I think we got 24-28" or so.
Muffler- I don't have one but my favorites are:
Prodrive
http://www.spimotorsports.com/Catalog/wr_sport_muffler_621604.htm
ScoobySport
http://www.rallyperformance.com/engine.shtml#ScoobySport%20Exhaus- t
STi (not dealer SPT/STi)
http://www.rallispec.com/product-eng_4.htm
-Dennis
I looked breifly at the changes for the 04 and near as I can tell they are mostly cosmetic - does anyone think the 03's have hit their bottom price or will they drop further when 04s come out?
Are there any signficant changes to the 04 I might be missing?
Also - I currently drive a Maxima GLE. My fiancee is OK with me trading in the Max for a WRX, with reservations. She drives a Civic and hates the uncomfortable seats. Seh thinks the seats in my Max are great. We drive about 2 hours every Friday and return those 2 hours on Sunday for visits to a lake.
How comfortable/uncomfortable are the WRX seats.
I have seen various opinions - some car magazines claim they are great other owner sites I have seen say they are hard or thin?
Any opinions/experiences would be appreciated
TWRX