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Impreza Derivatives
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Including: WRX,
WRX
STi, STi
Type R and also the STi
22B
Whilst the standard UK
Impreza Turbo is a fantastic car, Subaru have been very mean to the UK
enthusiast.
Their best and fastest derivatives of the Impreza have been
kept a home for the Japanese motorist,
except for the few where the
temptation was too great - and another grey import was born!
This page covers some of
the Hot Impreza's that the British roads were never meant to cope with,
but which are now having to.
Impreza
WRX
Even the
entry-level Japanese market WRX is a lot quicker than the latest
UK-spec Impreza Turbo. |
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If you've ever driven
an Impreza Turbo you'll know just how fast and how tenacious it is. That's
not surprising given its specification - a
championship-winning
rally-derived chassis and four-wheel-drive system, plus a turbocharged
boxer engine with 208-215bhp. Impressive stuff.
Until, that is, you
meet a WRX. The Japanese market Impreza has even more power. The current
WRX is actually available in two distinct set-ups.
The five-door estate
model (coded "GF8") has 240bhp, while the four-door saloon
("GC8") has 280bhp, plus a lower final drive ratio and 30kg
less
overall weight. However, the more powerful WRX saloon still doesn't have
precisely the same engine as the STi members of the family, as it is
tuned
with less torque (250lb ft at 4000rpm, compared to the STi's 262lb ft).
Going back to the
240bhp model, another novelty - which may initially seem surprising to
western attitudes - is that it can be bought with four-speed
automatic
transmission as an alternative to the five-speed manual. So if you always
fancied an Impreza but insist on an automatic, this is really your
only
choice. The manual WRX is the most civilised of the Japanese Impreza
family to drive, thanks to a more "touring" set of gear ratios
and a higher
final drive ration of 4.111:1 - but even that is considerably
more "buzzy" than the UK-spec Impreza Turbo.
Another advantage of all
Japanese import Imprezas is that they come with lots of standard
equipment, such as air-conditioning, retractable mirrors
and a rear
wash/wipe on saloons, though they make do without a folding rear seat.Earlier WRX models had more
modest outputs - they were
launched in 1992 with 220bhp (estate) and
240bhp (saloon), the latter rising to 260bhp in 1995 and to the current
levels in 1996. The five-door went
up to 250bhp in 1997-1998. Impreza's
have gone through five generations now. Version 2 (1995-96) got the power
hike just mentioned.
Version 3 (1996-97) got another power hike and a new
bonnet. Version 4 (1997-98) got a new dash with white dials, a CD and a
more responsive
turbocharger, while the current Version 5 has smaller
brake ducts next to the foglamps.
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WRX
Saloon
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WRX
Estate
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Engine
(cc)
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1994 flat-four
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Max
power (bhp/rpm)
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280/6500
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240/6000
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Max
speed (mph)
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140
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137
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0-60mph
(secs)
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5.0
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5.2
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Fuel
economy (mpg)
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23
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Transmission
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5-speed manual
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5-speed manual
4-speed auto
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Brakes
(front/back)
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Disc/Disc
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Length/Width/Height
(mm)
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4350/1690/1405
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4350/1690/1440
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Weight
(kg)
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1260
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1330
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Plus
points
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Sky-high
image, extraordinary value, more practical to own than other
Imprezas
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Weaknesses
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Still not a
great long distance car, cheap plastics used inside
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Impreza
WRX STi
This could well
be the best "real-world" Impreza of them all - as honed by
Subaru Tecnica International. |
Three small letters on the
back of the WRX make all the difference - the STi version of Subaru's
rally-conquering Impreza is "the real thing".
STi stands for
Subaru Tecnica International - reflecting the car's close rally
associations.
Perhaps the most important
part of the STi specification is its gearbox. It's rebuilt with closer
ratios and a quicker shift action, and is allied to
a lower (4.444:1)
final drive. The result is significantly better performance and enhanced
durability. Even with that lower final drive the STi
remains a genuine
140mph car. But it's in acceleration terms that it delivers its most
stunning results, such as a 0-60mph time of 4.6 seconds
and a 50-70mph
time of under three seconds.That's also partly down to
the engine, which is blueprinted and adds a red cylinder clock, forged
pistons, bigger valves, a better intercooler and a bigger radiator. It'll
rev to 8250rpm, too, some 750rpm higher than the WRX. Check the
three-inch
bore STi tailpipe, too.
In the suspension
department, aluminium lower front wishbones are supplemented by a
stiffening carbon fibre strut brace. Also the brakes are
much stronger
thanks to four-pot front callipers. Many accessories and tuning parts are
available direct from STi.You can recognise an STi
by
many details. The foglamps are replaced by blank panels bearing the STi
logo, there's a tall rear spoiler, pink front grille badge, gold alloy
wheels and an aluminium bonnet and boot lid. Equipment levels are
impressive, with standard climate control, remote central locking,
electric windows, driver airbag and CD player, and the rally-style seats
have suede inserts.
You can now buy an STi in
four-door saloon or five-door estate forms, both with identical mechanical
specifications. Like the WRX, the STi goes
through evolutions on a
virtually annual basis. Version V appeared in 1999, and has a rear spoiler
that duplicates the world rally car's. There are
also many sought-after
limited edition models, usually bearing the name V-Limited.To many eyes, the
"regular" STi is the best all-round choice -
it's extremely
swift but in its suspension and transmission it still retains a useable
balance for British roads. It's also extraordinarily good value
considering the enormous ability.
Engine
(cc)
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1994
flat-four
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Max
power (bhp/rpm)
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280/6500
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Max
speed (mph)
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130
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0-60mph
(secs)
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4.3
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Fuel
economy (mpg)
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19
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Transmission
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5-speed
manual
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Brakes
(front/rear)
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Disc/Disc
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Length/Width/Height
(mm)
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4340/1690/1400
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Weight
(kg)
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Type R
1260; RA STi 1270; RA WRX 1210
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Plus
points
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Unique
22B-style coupe body style, ultra-quick acceleration, terrific
presence
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Weaknesses
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So raw
it hurts, not really suited to everyday driving, iffy wet weather
handling
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Impreza
STi Type R
Raw performance
in a hard-edged package makes the Type R the very essence of rally
extremes. |
Short of the wild 22B, which
was a limited production model, the Type R is Subaru's most extreme
regular production car. It's harder, faster and
as raw as they come. The Type R is unique in that
it's sold as a two-door coupe - other than the 22B (and now the P1), no
other Impreza variant
has two doors, with obvious benefits in terms of
image and resale. Dimensionally it's exactly the same as the other Impreza
models, but the car
does look more like the current Subaru rally cars - it
has an extended front spoiler, side skirts and deeper rear valance - and
shaves a few kilos
off the overall weight.
Largely the Type R shares
most of its parts with the STi, but there are some significant
alterations. Most notably it has a pukka Group-N gearbox
that gives it even closer gear ratios than the STi. Together with the normal and very
low Japanese-spec 4.444:1 final drive, this means that top
gear equates to
just 19mph per 1000rpm. Top speed and motorway cruising are adversely
affected but that's not the point of the Type R. This is
a car dedicated
to accelerating quickly away from the line and through the gears. Expect
to be shifting up and down a hell of a lot if you're out
on the twisty
stuff.
The other major changes are
that the car gets a centre differential that can be altered by the driver,
as well as a limited slip differential in
the front axle (this replaces
ABS). Also, the rear axle has a mechanical differential rather than the
viscous-coupled one of the "ordinary" Imprezas,
and there's a
water spray for the intercooler.
If you don't want the
two-door model, but find the idea of a more stripped-out, raw and frenetic
Impreza appealing, you can buy a Type RA, which
is the four-door saloon
version. This is available in two forms. The first is simple WRX spec.
with 280bhp and no rear spoiler (which comes in as the
lightest and
cheapest member of the Impreza Turbo family at 1210kg because it has no
air-con, electric windows or hi-fi). Then comes the STi
Type RA, with its
full rear spoiler and more torque. Both RA models feature the ultra-close
ratio gearbox. To drive, the Type R is
blisteringly quick
through the gears and a fearsome machine both in a
straight line and through tight, twisty bends. If it has a fault, it's
that it is too full-on for British
roads - too stiffly sprung, too-low
geared, too on/off - and it needs care in wet conditions.
Engine
(cc)
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1994
flat-four
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Max
power (bhp/rpm)
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280/6500
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Max
speed (mph)
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130
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0-60mph
(secs)
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4.3
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Fuel
economy (mpg)
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19
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Transmission
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5-speed
manual
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Brakes
(front/rear)
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Disc/Disc
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Length/Width/Height
(mm)
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4340/1690/1400
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Weight
(kg)
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Type
R 1260; RA STi 1270; RA WRX 1210
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Plus
points
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Unique
22B-style coupe body style, ultra-quick acceleration, terrific
presence
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Weaknesses
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So
raw it hurts, not really suited to everyday driving, iffy wet
weather handling
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Impreza
STi 22B
Strictly limited
production 22B is a Porsche-eating replica of Colin McRae's rally
Impreza. |
If the Impreza Turbo has
become and icon, the 22B is the holy grail of the Subaru acolyte. It's as
near as you're ever going to get to the world
rally car driven by McRae et
al. And given that a plaque inside tells you that only 424 of the things
have been made (16 of which were official
UK imports), you're going to be
almost as fortunate as McRae to be driving one.
Just look at the 22B. It's
two-door Type R body has gone on a course of steroids, resulting in an
even deeper front spoiler, big wheel arch
blisters and side skirts. And
that adjustable rear spoiler - an exact replica of the WRC car - just
screams "serious". Incidentally the WRC styling/
aerodynamic mods
come courtesy of McLaren F1 designer Peter Stevens.
The reason that the body is
pumped-up is that underneath bristles a bespoke chassis with wider forged-aluminium
suspension arms. The wider
track and spectacular 17-inch gold alloy wheels
fill the fat arches perfectly.
You also get an adjustable
centre differential that integrates superbly with the four-wheel-drive
system, although it hardly seems suited to British
roads. The gearbox is
heavy-duty, of course, and close ratio by any standards, including a
twin-plate clutch. And the suspension is very firmly
sprung indeed.
Central to the 22B is a
larger version of the flat-four engine. It's expanded from 1994cc to
2212cc. Despite rumours of 350bhp power output, the 22B
really does stick
within the Japanese formula of 280bhp at the wheels - even so, it's just
20bhp shy of McRae's 1998 rally car. The 22B does have
more useable torque
(265lb ft at 3200rpm compared with the 2.0-litre WRX's 260lb ft at
4000rpm) and its maximum power output is delivered
500rpm lower too, at
6000rpm. Just to emphasise the rally origins of the 22B, there's a driver
operated water-spray for the intercooler.
The upshot of it all is that
the 22B is a monster to drive. All its responses are ultra-sharp. The
quick-rack steering is super-sensitive, the clutch
always cuts in with a
jerk, the grippy 235/40 Pirelli P Zero tyres don't waver at all, and the
turbo doesn't have any lag at all when it kicks in at
3000rpm. The uprated
brakes are among the most powerful of any road car, anywhere, and make do
without ABS. The 22B is frankly frantic to
pilot, with gearing seemingly
set up for rally stages and suspension set up to jolt the most firmly set
teeth.
Engine
(cc)
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2212
flat-four
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Max
power (bhp/rpm)
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280/6000
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Max
speed (mph)
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112
(restricted)
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0-60mph
(secs)
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4.6
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Fuel
economy (mpg)
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19
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Transmission
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5-speed
manual
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Brakes
(front/rear)
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Disc/Disc
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Length/Width/Height
(mm)
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4340/1770/1400
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Weight
(kg)
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1270
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Plus
points
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The
ultimate Scooby, super-sharp in all areas, miles of street cred,
extremely fast across country, exclusive
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Weaknesses
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Very
stiffly set-up for UK roads, challenging to drive well, actually no
faster than an STi
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