2003 Impreza WRX

It’s another beautiful day in Denver. The sun is shinning, heating the air to a lovely 78 degrees and a light wind is ensuring the warmth of the sun doesn’t stick to your skin long enough to cause any unwanted perspiration. Traffic is smooth on the way down to southern Denver where Shortline Subaru is located. This is an extraordinary day in September and I imagine it is only going to get better once I place my over excited ego into the seat of the 2003 Subaru Impreza WRX.
As I pulled into the lot we made eye- headlight contact. Screaming blue with alloy rims. Sitting, waiting, looking as if it was anticipating my arrival as much as I was! It’s love or hate front end staring seductively at the street with the kind of glimmer in it’s head lights you might see in the eye of a young rebel rouser about to start some rousing. Or it could’ve just been the reflection of the sun.
The 2003 Subaru Impreza WRX is the latest addition to a long line of Rally inspired cars by Subaru. All wheel drive with a 2.0 liter boxer engine forced full of air via a turbo and intercooled with the help of a hood scoop reminiscent of a post office drop box opening, especially when it’s in blue. The engine pushes 227 horse power to all four wheels and it is said that its power to weight ratio is equaled only by that of a solider ant! My anticipation increases!
As I approach the car my day dreams of speed and G-force crazed chicanes is interrupted by my host Joe, as he stretches out his hand to shake mine and remind me that I am indeed here to do a job. And that job I intend to do with great vigor! Joe tosses me the keys and I’m back to work.
The interior is plain and simple with splashes of plastic made to appear aluminum. A six disc in dash CD changer and orbital air vents I found to be quite fun to play with. As I slid into the driver’s seat I felt as if I was slipping on a favorite pair of old jeans or getting a hug from my mom! I decided to return the favor by slowly wrapping my hands around the sturdy MOMO steering wheel which Joe informed me, comes standard. It is a four door saloon car with ample room in the back for two more adults as long as no one riding in front is any taller than Tom Cruise. There is a sizable trunk with a pass through in between the two back seats so you can haul skies or a snow boards or a piece of wood or something. It isn’t the “sport” model so it doesn’t have the rear wing, turbo gage or gold rims but that’s okay, Joe tells me it still has everything else like the ability to make a thirty year old man suck his thumb!
We pulled out of the parking lot and I felt the tension of the clutch as I engaged first gear, the torque at lower RPM’s was far from impressive but when the sound of the engine grew and the turbo began to whine I could see what Joe meant by thumb sucking. It was inspiring! Then into second gear, just barely pulling my upper back off the seat, I do believe seat belts are unnecessary in this car, the force of its acceleration was enough! By the time we reached the next shift point we were already doing seventy five miles per hour! We were on a local road so I wasn’t able to keep up my shenanigans, lest I wanted to meet one of the friendly law men of the area and I usually try to stay out of their way.
Joe guided me to some nice scenic roads near the foothills. This is where the Impreza is in its natural habitat. Crickey!! She’s a quick one! With its tight suspension, all wheel drive and incorrigible need to go fast I found that I did indeed need a seat belt because the side to side G-forces were entering fighter pilot realms! I felt that any more power going to these four wheels as they gripped through the switch backs and I just might adversely effect the rotation of the Earth! Driving this car, staring out over the power bulge on the hood and watching the road twist and turn a get gobbled up by this incredible machine was exhilarating to say the least! I don’t believe I have ever been in a sedan with so much agility and the feel of raw sport!
Once we started on our way back to the dealership and I finally had my girlish giggling under control Joe told me the most surprising fact about this car, since it isn’t the sport model and the 2004 models will be arriving shortly, I could drive this car off the lot for a meager $23,000! That is a third of the price of a Porsche Boxster and $10,000 less than a Mitsubishi Evo VII! Two cars that are definite competition for the Subaru but at that price, hands down the Subaru wins! And I am now the proud owner of an affordable fighter jet with four wheels!