Photo Gallery: 2008 Subaru WRX

Ottawa, Ontario - The first-generation Subaru WRX was an easy car to make excuses for. If someone told you your WRX was no good because it was small/funny-looking/unrefined, you could simply counter by saying none of that stuff mattered because the WRX was so quick.

Nonetheless, the 2008 WRX is now a little closer to being a no excuses alternative to other cars that ostensibly compete in the same price bracket - cars like the VW GTI and entry-level versions of the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4.

The end result of the 2008 redesign is a car that behaves a lot like its older sibling, the Legacy GT. Where the old WRX was a little rough around the edges, this new one is far slicker in how it operates. The familiar thrum of the horizontally-opposed engine is there, but noise from under the hood is more muted and only becomes apparent in hard acceleration. Road noise is also much-reduced compared to the old WRX.

2008 Subaru WRX. Click image to enlarge

One thing that hasn't changed is the urgency with which the WRX accelerates. Hammer the gas in first gear and pay attention! Like so many high-performance cars, you'll hit the rev limiter before you get a chance to shift to second. There seems to be a bit of turbo lag here, though, as the car takes a second to wake up if you punch the throttle when the motor's spinning below 2,000 r.p.m. Once the blower comes on line, though, there's lots of torque to take advantage of.

A little disappointing was the feel of the manual shifter in my test car, which was ropy and unsatisfying to use. It feels like Subaru was trying to emulate a BMW shifter: the long lever and longish throws feel about right, but the Subie shifter lacks the precise, positive action of the Bimmer 'boxes. The clutch, however, is buttery smooth and easy to modulate for smooth launches.

Like acceleration, braking is strong and the brakes are also easy to modulate, but the pedal is soft, which takes away from the sporty feel that a car like the WRX should have. Subaru should have talked to the engineers who put together the Pontiac Solstice GXP I drove the week previous to the WRX. Drive the Subaru long enough and you'll get used to the soft brakes, but my main problem with the mushy pedal was that it makes heel-and-toe downshifts difficult.

2008 Subaru WRX. Click image to enlarge

The new WRX greets driver and passengers with a new interior, but in many respects, not a lot has changed. The centre stack is still a boxy affair, but the main difference is the rest of the dash, which takes on a swoopy look reminiscent of the interior of Subaru's Tribeca SUV. I don't love the new look - I'm not sure the mix of right angles and organic curves works - but functionally it's fine. The HVAC controls are nice and chunky, if a little low on the dash; it's the better-placed radio controls that are less user-friendly, with small volume and tuning knobs and close-set buttons that look like they'd tough to use while wearing winter gloves. And Subaru must figure most WRX buyers either aren't after a sweet stereo or would prefer to kit the sound system out themselves, because the stock system sounds like crap, quite frankly. At least my tester had the $500 satellite radio option.

2008 Subaru WRX. Click image to enlarge

If the stereo had my ears begging for mercy, the rest of the interior generated no complaints. The front seats are great, offering no adjustable lumbar support but requiring none, either. My wife, she of the touchy lower back, found her chair very comfortable for trips ranging from grocery store jaunts to a nearly three-hour drive for a weekend of camping.

Speaking of camping, that's when the WRX's mix of performance and practicality - something it's always possessed - impressed me. Lots of room in the car for our gear, and also for us: without the optional sunroof, there's loads of headroom up front, and even rear seat passengers get treated pretty well, too. The interior felt roomier, too, than that of the larger Legacy, with what seemed like similar rear seat legroom and better space in the front seats. Certainly, there's more people space here than in the old Impreza. Cargo-wise, my only beef is with the rather high cargo floor, necessitated by the driveline components that live under there, just behind the rear seat. While cargo space is adequate, there's a lot more room in the back of a Mazda3 Sport. I cannot, however, complain about how the rear seats fold perfectly flat to create an impressive-looking amount of cargo space for large loads.

2008 Subaru WRX. Click image to enlarge

Another comparison with the Legacy can be made in the ride department. Where the turbocharged Legacy GT rides firm and can be harsh over rough roads, the WRX actually feels like the better road warrior in terms of ride comfort. In relaxed driving, the softer ride makes the WRX feel grown up, even a little like your dad's daily driver. Rest assured, though, that any comparisons between the two end as soon as you tackle your first on ramp in the Subaru. There's some body roll - it's far from excessive - but once the car takes a set in a curve it hangs on tight and feels very nicely balanced. There's some truth to those ads for this car that portray it as a German wannabe: the balance between ride comfort and capable handling reminds me a lot of an all-wheel drive GTI with lots more horsepower.

More Test Drives....