The 2011 Subaru WRX combines a lightweight compact sedan with a turbocharged, intercooled 265-hp engine driving all four wheels with a decent manual gearbox, leaving me hunting for traffic circles to go roundabout.
While the third generation of this little rally car-in-training was criticized when it came out in 2008 as too bland, Subaru has taken pains to address those issues over the past few years. And for 2011, more changes have been made to make the WRX look more like its gnarly 305-hp STI cousin as well.
Let’s see if Subaru has WRXed a favorite rally car-lite.
· WRX watch – The formula for the WRX is a simple one that goes back ages – take your econo-car and add performance to it, while still keeping it basic. So the base Impreza compact 4-door sedan (a 5-door hatchback is also available) is massaged with a body design that now looks more like the more macho STi, right down to a functional hood scoop. Subaru calls it a "wide and low" concept for an aggressive street presence, the changes over the 2010 model adding only 33 more pounds to the design. The simple grille is framed in dark graphite with a blacked-out Subaru wing, while upswept headlights also getting black framing. A deep center lower air intake shows off the turbo’s intercooler. There are front air dam winglets under inset fog lights with fake brake ducts. A design line that starts under the HID headlights curves up the more aggressive front fenders after designers gave the WRX an STI-like 1.5-inch wider stance. Fake air extraction ducts in front of flat-edged fender flares frame meaty P235/45R17-inch unidirectional Dunlop rubber on gunmetal gray 15-spoke alloy wheels. Fender air vents get alloy accents with “WRX” on it, while the fender flows into a flared lower door sill and into a wider flared rear fender. A sharp design line runs off the fender’s upper edge and aft, incorporating the body-colored door handles in a bit of BMW-like side detail. Our sedan roof line is simple, as are blacked-out side pillars and a dash of chrome on the lower window. The short rear deck ends in a big rear spoiler over large taillights and a buff alloy design bar. The rear bumper gets a lower valance with aero ducting and four meaty exhaust pipes. Our Lightning Red sedan sat low and looked racy, a number of folks gazing and commenting on it when I took it to a hot rod cruise-in. One said his day “was a lot better” for seeing it, another said the WRX “looked better” with the STI-style fenders. I prefer the 5-door shape for overall smoothness and muscle, but the WRX 4-door certainly had presence as well as decent body panel fit and finish.
· Subaru seating – Inside, the stock black hard plastic Impreza interior greets the driver, with some welcome upgrades. First, we had nicely bolstered high-back leather bucket seats with WRX embroidered in red on the seat backs and red stitched accents – there was an air of racing seat to them. The driver’s seat had manual height adjustment, but the lever was a bit stiff to use. A thick-rimmed leather-clad three-spoke steering wheel with dark graphite accents framing its cruise control and stereo buttons tilts and telescopes, with red stitching accents. It neatly frames a racy-looking set of gauges - an 8,000-rpm tachometer dead center with 150-mph speedometer on the right and gas and temperature on the left, under a small hard plastic cowl. Their red needles sweep the gauge faces when you fire up the car. A dark, shiny graphite accent band V’s off the center stack, while buff silver frames the wide LCD touch screen dash center, which has a six-speaker AM-FM-CD-Sirius Satellite Radio system with solid sound and Bluetooth cellphone and audio streaming with hands-free calling. It doesn’t have an iPod or MP3 audio input, but there’s a set of RCA audio/video inputs in the center armrest storage area to play back videos, with another 12-volt outlet. The center console is hard plastic with two cup holders and a red LED-lit front storage tray with 12-volt outlet, framed in a lighter alloy plastic accent. Aluminum alloy-faced pedals and a driver's footrest brighten the footwell, and all of the controls are backlit in red at night. The glovebox is big, with a damped door that opens slowly. We also had a power moonroof overhead, and some flimsy-feeling sun visors. In back, room for two, the legroom OK for two adults with a fold-down center armrest. The seatbacks split 60/40 and fold to open up the decent-sized trunk (the 4-door is 4 inches longer than the 5-door) – we fit a suitcase and folded wheelchair back there. But despite the alloy accents and leather seats, it’s still an inexpensive plastic interior that showed its compact car roots.
· WRX on the road – The heart of this sedan, which had my teenage son so pleased to co-pilot that he said he was “in love with the WRX and wants to marry it,” is its 2.5-liter, 265-hp boxer four (horizontally-opposed) engine with intercooler and a real hood scoop. Paired with a responsive 5-speed manual transmission and all-wheel-drive, our 8,000-mile-old WRX dug in all claws and snarled to 60-mph in a good 5.9 seconds in second gear. Its closest competitor is the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart, with a turbocharged, intercooled 2-liter four with 237-hp, Twin-Clutch Sportronic Shift and all-wheel drive – it hit 60-mph in 5.8 seconds. A front-wheel-drive Mazdaspeed3’s turbocharged four, with 263-hp and a manual tranny, does it in 6.3 seconds. Our Subaru handed back an average 20-mpg on $4.03 premium, though. Two notes – at low revs, the boxer four still sounds like an air-cooled VW Beetle, and if you choose to drive at 45-mph in fifth gear, the 1,600-rpm engine drone just echoes. But spool the WRX’s engine up above about 2,500-rpm, and the flat little four gets excited and offers a gentle turbo whistle replete with one of the most fun enthusiast engine notes that almost every passenger loved. In fact, there was some nice mechanical music when the car was at play, from the engine and turbo sounds to a slight gear whine. Passing power thanks to the turbo is there when you need it, the WRX even pulling strong in fifth gear. But there was some tire and wind noise at highway speed. Under the wider body is a 1.5-inch increase in front and rear track, with firmer rear sub-frame bushings, slightly wider rubber and lighter 17-inch wheels. The suspension was a joy on most roads, soaking up bumps with controlled rebound, just right in its sporty feel yet good for everyday driving. The car exhibited minimal body roll as it tackled turns, and that suspension’s initial softness swallowed mid-turn bumps. That said, there was some floatiness on higher speed runs when we hit a wallow or rounded mound. The all-wheel-drive had a viscous coupling locking center differential that gave us a 50/50 split under most situations, but also put power to the wheels that needed it when we had some fun. Expressway ramps could be taken flat and neutral, while traffic circles were just a right and left and right in second gear. Suicidal squirrels were avoided with a brake tap and a stable swerve. On our skid pad, the WRX, with stability control off, circled neutrally until understeer came in, then we could play with the tail via throttle input, getting a bit of tail out when needed. Stability control on, it reined in understeer. That said, I think Mitsu’s Lancer Ralliart may have had an edge in handling when you can select the all-wheel-drive mode. Nice note – there’s a two-second hill holder on the WRX that kept us from rolling back when we started on an incline. The power steering is very accurate if a bit light in feel sometimes, while the disc brakes had a reassuring pedal feel and good stopping power, although we had fade after a bit of hard play use. For safety, front and side-curtain airbags, plus ABS with Electronic Brake-force Distribution and Brake Assist.
· WRX wallet – A base WRX starts at $25,495, while our WRX Limited was $28,995, all listed above standard except the $2,000 option package with 7-inch navigation touch-screen and Sirius satellite radio, for a total $31,720. For comparison, a slightly roomier, more jet fighterish looking Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart starts at $27,695 with keyless entry/start and an active center differential with three settings. The one we tested a year ago had a $3,100 touring package with leather seats, 710-watt audio system, HID headlights (height adjustable), rain-sensing wipers, heated seats and moonroof. For less, a MAZDASPEED 3 starts at a bit over $23,000, and is a lot of fun and practical too. Or pay $33,000 base for a 291-hp EVO or $33,500 for a 305-hp WRX STI.
· Bottom line – This is just about the way a car should be – alive to drive, with agile road manners, just the right amount of power and slightly snarling looks. Yes, the fuel mileage could be better from a four-cylinder engine, and just north of $31,000 for a car with an econo-car interior and no MP3 or USB audio input is something to think about. But for a light 4-door car with a trunk, this Subaru wouldn’t “WRX” your weekend or your weekday commute.
2011 Subaru WRX Limited
Vehicle type - 5-passenger compact all-wheel-drive sports sedan
Base price - $28,995 ($31,720 as tested)
Engine type – Turbocharged, intercooled DOHC, 16-valve in-line horizontally-opposed four
Displacement – 2.5 liters
Horsepower (net) - 265 @ 6,000 rpm
Torque (lb-ft) - 244 @ 4,000 rpm
Transmission – five-speed manual transmission
Wheelbase – 103.3 inches
Overall length – 180.3 inches
Overall width – 70.7 inches
Height – 58 inches
Front headroom – 39.3 inches
Front legroom – 43.5 inches
Rear headroom – 37.4 inches
Rear legroom – 33.5 inches
Cargo capacity – 11.3 cu. ft.
Curb weight – 3,208 lbs.
Fuel capacity – 16.9 gallons
Mileage rating – 19-mpg city/25-mpg highway
Last word – Cheap fun that costs a bit more
By Dan Scanlan - MyCarData
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