Subaru Impreza WRX 2009 Review

Having softened off the new WRX for its hatch launch last year, Subaru has put the bite back into Rex with the arrival of the sedan.

"It is not a matter of putting back anything that was taken out, rather an advancement of some characteristics to further improve the car," Subaru boss Nick Senior argued.

"The 2009 car is a bit more aggressive and goes a bit harder but it is still a car you can live with from Monday to Sunday."

When the new generation Impreza hatch range was launched in August last year there was an unapologetic move to make the cars more attractive to a demographic Subaru felt it had been missing — middle-aged male and females who wanted performance without the raw edge.

The WRX, which had built its street-smart reputation on being something of a junkyard dog, lost some of its mongrel appeal as a by-product of the refinement.

With the arrival of the sedan and a whole range of upgrades — including an extra 26kW of power, 23Nm of urge and a specific suspension package that brings back dynamic handling — the big dog is back, albeit better trained.

The key to the reformed character of the '09 WRX is in two critical areas, engine performance and suspension tuning — the first to be utilised across the Subaru world, the second a special toy for Australian buyers alone.

"The WRX has evolved into a very mature sports car," Senior said.

Sales and price

When the WRX was first launched in 1994 monthly sales were running at around 25, a figure which has peaked and troughed over the years. The current model, available only in the hatch variant until this week, is averaging 80 cars a month — a figure Subaru is hoping will jump closer to 150 a month with the arrival of the sedan. Both variants are priced from $39,990.

"There has been a good deal of hold-off for the sedan, a model that was well known to be coming this year," Senior said.

Engine

Under the bonnet the extra power and torque comes chiefly from a larger and more efficient turbocharger — a slightly detuned version of the one used in the STI models.

Maximum target boost pressure is up 18 per cent to 92kpa compared to the 2008 turbocharger but still down 10 per cent on the STI.

Road manners

To answer the criticism of a more plush and less controlled handling characteristic for the '08 model Subaru's engineers have increased spring rates and retuned the dampers to keep the WRX flatter through corners and under braking. As well as sharpening turn-in feel for the steering the incorporation of a new damper valve in the hydraulics dramatically reduces kickback when the front-end is under load through corners.

"This (handling improvement) has been achieved through larger diameter stabiliser bars front and rear, stiffer springs up to 38N/mm on the front and 34N/mm on the rear," Subaru Australia's Derek Ashby explained.

"Strut top mounts have also been changed to the same as that used on the STI WRX.

"Combined with these changes as a total suspension package, shock absorber damping rates both front and rear have been retuned to provide a much more sports handling characteristic."

While the five-speed manual transmission has been retained for the WRX — it has the distinct advantage of being 20kg lighter than the 6-speed option — there have been modifications to improve shift feel.

Appearance

Externally the makeover for the year model change is minor but noticeable. The sedan and hatch share a new grille and WRX badges front and rear.

Interior changes are almost non-existent and the predominance of hard plastics is still an Impreza trait.

The in-house sports seats are well sculpted and supportive, bolstered enough for the odd session on the track and comfortable enough for extended road cruising.

Driving

A back-to-back comparison with the superseded model on the Winton track was enough to give credence to Subaru's claims of getting back the attitude.

Flatter through the corners, easier to set up and turn-in and quicker to get on the game out of the corners the entire feel of the car was sharper and yet more under control.

Coupled to the new suspension package is a rethink on the rubber and with the wider Dunlop SP Sport tyres (225/45R 17 compared to the 205/50R Yokohama's from the 2008 specs) the result is chalk and cheese.

As dramatic as the track improvements were it was away from the smooth tarmac that the best of the engineering improvements shone through.

On a highly corrugated gravel run the ability to steer through a broken corner without fear that the steering wheel would be torn from your grasp was refreshing.

Overall — across tarmac and gravel — the '09 WRX exhibited a behaviours that was an impressive blend of go-hard poise and daily-drive compliance.

Amid all the attitude and performance increases, Subaru has managed to trim combined fuel efficiency figures from 10.7L/100km to 10.4L/100km.

That'll do Rex, that'll do.

Subaru WRX

Price: $39,990

Engine: 2.5L/4-cylinder turbo, 195kW/343Nm

Transmission: 5-speed manual

Economy: 10.4L/100km (combined cycle)