2008 WRX, a beta test?

I'm going to try to remain un-biased in this review, but currently purchasing this car has me in the dog house with my wife. We bought this car and ultimately it has replaced a 2002 Nissan X-terra that didn't see a mechanic once in 6 years and 90,000 miles, but only managed about 15-18mpg.

I first took a test drive in the WRX in January. I also tested the Volvo S40, and the Mazda RX-8.

I have two car seats in the car at all times so space was an important factor, and finally, the WRX has SPACE. It swallows up two LARGE Britax car seats with room between them.

I am 6'2" and in previous years, I just did not fit in the WRX. This one fits me fine, and if I put the seat all the way back, I almost can't touch the pedals.

The materials used in the interior of the car are an upgrade from past years, although the faux-leather pattern plastic scratches easily. The exterior paint is thin, and scratches easier than any other car I have owned.

The transmission seems very notchy, and is much less refined than my 91' Acura integra's was. Getting the manual into reverse often requires letting the car roll forward or back a little bit, something I never had to do with the Acura, my last manual transmissioned car.

I was sucked in by the power, which although listed at 224 engine horsepower, does not correspond with what some have dynometers have rated the car at, closer to 245-265 engine horsepower. Subaru makes me nervous with shenanigans like this because, if they are adjusting their advertising like this, I'm not sure what I can trust from them. It's been my assumption that this was to separate the WRX from the much more ($37k) expensive WRX STi. Reputable tuning houses have rated the 2008 WRX at 210 wheel horsepower, while rating the STi at 235. With such a small difference, many might choose the WRX instead.(For 2009, they are rating the WRX at 265hp, with a supposedly larger turbo)

We drove the WRX 3500 miles on a recent trip, and averaged almost 27mpg, on nearly entirely highway miles, but generally get between 21-24mpg in and around town, until recently...

Now, for the bad, My experience may be in the minority, but our car has been in for service now twice for the same problem. There has always been a jerkyness to what seems like the fuel delivery in 1st and 2nd gear, but our milage recently began dropping, and then one day it culminated in the dreaded check engine light coming on, along with the traction control light and the cruise control light. We took it to the new Subaru dealer down the street from our house, they gave us a loaner Tribeca, and supposedly had it fixed later in the day. They replaced a crank position sensor, according to the invoice, all under warranty.

Well, we drove it for another two weeks, and initially it seemed better. I'm not sure if it was wishful thinking or it was something they did like clearing codes that put it in a different mode. The second or third day we had it back, it seemed if the jerkyness on acceleration was coming back, and sure enough the previous symptoms and lights came back on. We have taken it back, and it has now been at the dealer for two weeks, while they are replacing the Engine Control Module. It took a week to get the part, and apparently they are having trouble installing some sort of software to it currently.

I'll post a reply to the review once I get it back.

***UPDATE***

well, got the car back. They replaced the ECM, which wasn't communicating after warmup temps were reached. This didn't fix the problem, so they also replaced the injectors when they traced the Air/Fuel ratio issues remaining to the 4th injector. It seems to be Ok now, but there is a rough idle now when the AC is on. It disappears when the AC is turned off. There should be a compensation in the ECM that idles it up slightly when the AC is on. I'm assuming that isn't set right now.

I can kind of see what the fuss is about now. It is a good bit more powerful now, enough to make me giggle like a school girl. Unfortunately, I think if we have anymore issues, my wife is going to make me get rid of it.

***UPDATE***10/5/09

After the previous problem we started to have other problems with the car. The Car's steering was getting stiff, and there was a bit of a strange sound coming from it when idling. I took it back to the dealership that did all the previous work, and they said they couldn't feel what I was describing. After that we let it get a bit worse, and gave up on the dealership that was one exit away from our house and went back to the dealership we purchased the car from.
They checked it out, confirmed my concerns and issued us a loaner.


They called back a day later, and brought me into the office and explained what they had found. apparently in the course of repairing the issue that resulted in the ECU being replaced, they (the previous dealership) had removed the engine from it's mounts and jacked it up a bit, because a hose clamp had fallen down into the engine mount and the engine was then subsequently jacked back down, and tightened on top of the hose clamp, leaving the engine slightly cock-eyed, which was causing the steering rack to bind up. The fixed this, and all was good, and I mean, all is GOOD. The car has been a perfect angel since then, now more than a year later.