First Drive Review
Some gearheads might question the wisdom involved in increasing an engine's horsepower from 227 to 230, which is the strange case before us with the 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX sedan and wagon.
But this also comes with a displacement increase of half a liter, from 2.0 to 2.5, and a torque bonus of 18 pound-feet, now totaling 235. The newfound power and torque are also available at lower rpm, eliminating much of the lifeless feel the WRX had before the turbo came bursting into the room around 4000 rpm.
The new WRX has slightly larger brakes all around with- oh, wow!-red calipers, standard 17-inch wheels (an inch larger than the last car's), a slicker-operating, shorter-throw five-speed manual, and a slightly quicker steering ratio.
Visual tweaks involve restyled taillights and a new front end that has some resemblance to the B9 Tribeca's snout. This quite possibly makes the unlovely WRX even more so, but we've always accepted this ugly but fleet-footed duck.
Surprisingly, we still like the WRX despite a wrong-headed idea by Subaru management, who thought it a swell idea for us to drive a WRX 1230 sanity-busting miles from Ann Arbor to Denver. While whizzing along Interstate 80 through Iowa and Nebraska-one of the most boring stretches of road in the world-we learned exactly three things about the WRX: (1) There is substantial wind noise at speed, (2) the cruise control can't be set above 92 mph, and (3) the added torque of the new 2.5-liter engine actually makes fifth gear useful for passing.
New for '06 is the stripper sedan-only WRX TR (that's for "tuner ready") that goes for $24,620. For $1000 more, the regular WRX sedan adds an upgraded stereo and six-CD changer, automatic climate control, and fog lights. Also new is a $28,120 Limited model that adds heated leather seats (a first for the WRX), a sunroof, and heated mirrors. Corresponding wagon versions are $500 less. Even better, existing models cost the same as last year's.
Performance numbers shouldn't improve much, but the WRX is now more well rounded, which makes it even tougher to beat for 25K.
