RE: PH Heroes: Subaru Impreza
Discussion
Nice article!
Here a pic of my blue STI, I never feel sorry to take a drive in it
Have a movie as wel, using the LC.
http://members.home.nl/bmdejong/Movies/STI%20LC/LC%20STI%20Bram.wmv
Here a pic of my blue STI, I never feel sorry to take a drive in it
Have a movie as wel, using the LC.
http://members.home.nl/bmdejong/Movies/STI%20LC/LC%20STI%20Bram.wmv
I love my '93 JDM WRX. I get a lot of comments about the image and I can see where they're coming from, but frankly from behind the wheel I simply couldn't care less.
Around the 'Ring it was simply perfect - there's nothing else I'd rather have been driving.
Sadly reality bites and it'll be on autotrader at the weekend..
Around the 'Ring it was simply perfect - there's nothing else I'd rather have been driving.
Sadly reality bites and it'll be on autotrader at the weekend..
_MikeyB said:
Very nice. Can I ask what the new project is or is it top secret?Barbapapa said:
Rob, your site and owner diary was one of the reasons that inspired me to get my first Elise, an S1 Type 79, which was then replaced by a S2 111r and finally by an S2 Exige, so I have some idea of what you are talking about! 
However, also have to disagree this time. The Exige is about to be replaced by an Impreza STi Spec.D which is perhaps a surprising decision as I know the Subaru is going to a vastly different ownership and driving prospect to 900 odd kilos and the level of feedback and engagement delivered by any Lotus. However, like so many the patter of tiny feet means that I can no longer justify my expensive toy - which in reality can only be used for a proportion of the year and ideally on the track. In replacing two vehicles in the household, a Lotus and a Volvo, I could find no other nearly new vehicle that offered a semblance of fun, fulfilled practical family duties, was fairly reliable, was able do the very occasional track day, and generated the same frisson of excitement through an element of motorsport heritage as the Impreza. An all-round vehicle is never going to be as pure, but the fact that is does so much, so well, is the the reason why I think it fully deserves its' everyday hero status.
Sounds like we agree then, it's a good all rounder but it excels at nothing in particular. I bought a Mazda 6 estate on that basis :-) I sold the Elise a long time ago for something 300Kg lighter and with a bit more power and involvement.However, also have to disagree this time. The Exige is about to be replaced by an Impreza STi Spec.D which is perhaps a surprising decision as I know the Subaru is going to a vastly different ownership and driving prospect to 900 odd kilos and the level of feedback and engagement delivered by any Lotus. However, like so many the patter of tiny feet means that I can no longer justify my expensive toy - which in reality can only be used for a proportion of the year and ideally on the track. In replacing two vehicles in the household, a Lotus and a Volvo, I could find no other nearly new vehicle that offered a semblance of fun, fulfilled practical family duties, was fairly reliable, was able do the very occasional track day, and generated the same frisson of excitement through an element of motorsport heritage as the Impreza. An all-round vehicle is never going to be as pure, but the fact that is does so much, so well, is the the reason why I think it fully deserves its' everyday hero status.
Rob
http://www.robcollingridge.com/FuryR1/
Edited by robcollingridge on Thursday 6th December 19:34
Hmm, Sorry Rob but comparing an Impreza with a Mazda 6 is an insult. If you can't see the difference then I doubt you're in a position to judge steering feel or any other vehicle dynamics. I also think you do Barbapapa a disservice thinking that you agree, when I'm not sure you do. 
I recommend that you go sample an STi or Prodrive derivative before making any further comments as I'm not convinced you're particularly experienced with the range of Scoobies in general. It's a little like saying that because a BMW 330 isn't a touring car that the M3 is a waste of time. I think this must be the case as the Fury suggests that you are more experienced with cars that your comments indicate. In which case I come back to my original thinking that you're just jumping on the Impreza slagging bandwagon.
This was supposed to be a thread celebrating the Impreza but as is the norm someone jumps in to slag it off. Seems a shame that this always happens, and after years of it I should be used to it.
I recommend that you go sample an STi or Prodrive derivative before making any further comments as I'm not convinced you're particularly experienced with the range of Scoobies in general. It's a little like saying that because a BMW 330 isn't a touring car that the M3 is a waste of time. I think this must be the case as the Fury suggests that you are more experienced with cars that your comments indicate. In which case I come back to my original thinking that you're just jumping on the Impreza slagging bandwagon.
This was supposed to be a thread celebrating the Impreza but as is the norm someone jumps in to slag it off. Seems a shame that this always happens, and after years of it I should be used to it.
You seem to have missed the smiley in my post but, since you asked the question ... I replaced a Impreza Turbo 5-door with a a Mazda 6 estate because it was cheaper to run, better equipped, safer, cheaper to insure, more comfortable to drive and ride in as a passenger, more reliable, had room in the boot for a double buggy and averaged a lot more than the 22mpg that I managed in my two years of Impreza ownership. By those measures alone it is the better family car.
The rally Impreza's were great rally cars and the range of Impreza turbo-charged cars that followed its success were iconic and rightly popular with the public, myself included. As a road car it is a great all-rounder and as I said in my first post, one of the quickest ways to get from my side of the UK down to my parents in Somerset. Not all of us got to own the limited edition models, the majority have to live with the more main-steam variants. I'm know the various limited edition models are more capable and more focussed, my younger brother owned one.
Far from jumping on any bandwagon to knock the car, I have some great memories from my period of ownership. But it wasn't perfect and in trying to cover so many bases, it fell sort in some areas. I don't think it is unfair to point a few things out to this effect and I think you are being a bit over protective. Most of us are proud of the car(s) we own and keen to justify their purchase but, not to the point of being narrow minded and not open to the odd alternative viewpoint.
You will be telling me the Lotus Elise was unreliable, under powered and sounds like a hair dryer next :-)
The rally Impreza's were great rally cars and the range of Impreza turbo-charged cars that followed its success were iconic and rightly popular with the public, myself included. As a road car it is a great all-rounder and as I said in my first post, one of the quickest ways to get from my side of the UK down to my parents in Somerset. Not all of us got to own the limited edition models, the majority have to live with the more main-steam variants. I'm know the various limited edition models are more capable and more focussed, my younger brother owned one.
Far from jumping on any bandwagon to knock the car, I have some great memories from my period of ownership. But it wasn't perfect and in trying to cover so many bases, it fell sort in some areas. I don't think it is unfair to point a few things out to this effect and I think you are being a bit over protective. Most of us are proud of the car(s) we own and keen to justify their purchase but, not to the point of being narrow minded and not open to the odd alternative viewpoint.
You will be telling me the Lotus Elise was unreliable, under powered and sounds like a hair dryer next :-)
robcollingridge said:
You seem to have missed the smiley in my post but, since you asked the question ... I replaced a Impreza Turbo 5-door with a a Mazda 6 estate because it was cheaper to run, better equipped, safer, cheaper to insure, more comfortable to drive and ride in as a passenger, more reliable, had room in the boot for a double buggy and averaged a lot more than the 22mpg that I managed in my two years of Impreza ownership. By those measures alone it is the better family car.
Should have got an NA Legacy wagon instead, more of a natural competitor to the Mazda6... (I know because I have one, and my Dad has a Mazda6 2.3 6-spd wagon)
I just remembered, I wrote some initial impressions of my Impreza Turbo here:
http://www.elises.co.uk/diary/2000/july.html
and followed it up a few months later:
http://www.elises.co.uk/diary/2000/september.html
See, I am a fan of the car!
Rob
http://www.elises.co.uk/diary/2000/july.html
and followed it up a few months later:
http://www.elises.co.uk/diary/2000/september.html
See, I am a fan of the car!
Rob
It's funny - I always think of the Impreza as the pre-2000 model, although recently, the bug eyed pretender has taken the torch and run with it for most fans. All the comments that are flying about today - about ruining the formula, destroying the looks etc etc - they are exactly what everyone was saying back at the turn of the century...
I should know - I owned a 1999 Israel-spec GT Turbo for nearly six years. I had dreamed of it since the mid-90s, and as a doe-eyed 19 year old, I finally got behind the wheel. Oh. My. God. It never put a foot wrong, and that noise, that chassis, the flying through the pouring rain on sandy roads, leaving everything else for dead. Damn, I miss that car.
As I live between Israel and London, I've always driven very different cars in each place. Usually RWD-ers in the UK (although I'm now driving a Porsche 993 Turbo, so the RWD is coming to an end), and either a front-wheeler or AWD in Israel - the road conditions mean RWD is pretty much a death-sentence. The Impreza always surprised me, and I truly miss it. So much so, that I'm already waiting to see what the Israeli STi looks like in spec - the Golf GTi MkV that I've been driving here for the past two years just isn't doing it for me.
Yes, it looks like a dog. Yes, people will think you have a sever anti-social behavior disorder. Yes, the hard-touch interior will look 100 years old after a week (I'm not sure if anyone remembers the plastics used in the original car). But these things matter not one jot, as anyone who's ever driven one will tell you. And I for one am happy it's a hatch - more practical than the saloon, with a smaller footprint. As long as it still drives like an Impreza, the uglier the better!
I should know - I owned a 1999 Israel-spec GT Turbo for nearly six years. I had dreamed of it since the mid-90s, and as a doe-eyed 19 year old, I finally got behind the wheel. Oh. My. God. It never put a foot wrong, and that noise, that chassis, the flying through the pouring rain on sandy roads, leaving everything else for dead. Damn, I miss that car.
As I live between Israel and London, I've always driven very different cars in each place. Usually RWD-ers in the UK (although I'm now driving a Porsche 993 Turbo, so the RWD is coming to an end), and either a front-wheeler or AWD in Israel - the road conditions mean RWD is pretty much a death-sentence. The Impreza always surprised me, and I truly miss it. So much so, that I'm already waiting to see what the Israeli STi looks like in spec - the Golf GTi MkV that I've been driving here for the past two years just isn't doing it for me.
Yes, it looks like a dog. Yes, people will think you have a sever anti-social behavior disorder. Yes, the hard-touch interior will look 100 years old after a week (I'm not sure if anyone remembers the plastics used in the original car). But these things matter not one jot, as anyone who's ever driven one will tell you. And I for one am happy it's a hatch - more practical than the saloon, with a smaller footprint. As long as it still drives like an Impreza, the uglier the better!
Edited by Identity Crisis on Friday 7th December 09:56
Through the years ive slagged them to death, Laughed at people in them, Called them chav chariots,And even gone as far in company to bang on about lack of driver involvement etc. Drove a wrx 2005 yep all the above sounds about right. Then Yesterday drove a 2door JDM type-r a whole different ball game. An absolutly amazing machine buying it today
mikeyb13 said:
Through the years ive slagged them to death, Laughed at people in them, Called them chav chariots,And even gone as far in company to bang on about lack of driver involvement etc. Drove a wrx 2005 yep all the above sounds about right. Then Yesterday drove a 2door JDM type-r a whole different ball game. An absolutly amazing machine buying it today
Did exactly the same. They're an easy target but a very good car.I was never really a fan of the Impreza myself to tell the truth, i always found it a little chav and wondered what all the fuss was about, that is until i drove one.
People havnt been very nice about the bugeye, but it was a spirited drive in a bug WRX that got me hooked on the scoob. I was amazed that i didnt care what it looked like, which in my eyes, makes it a true drivers car!!
I didnt buy a bug in the end though, although i spent time looking for a good one, i saved up for a hawkeye since it was a little better looking and i knew where it had been
People havnt been very nice about the bugeye, but it was a spirited drive in a bug WRX that got me hooked on the scoob. I was amazed that i didnt care what it looked like, which in my eyes, makes it a true drivers car!!
I didnt buy a bug in the end though, although i spent time looking for a good one, i saved up for a hawkeye since it was a little better looking and i knew where it had been
Does anyone else love the whole marmite car thing? I so love it...... I chuggle everytime one of my mates feels the need to offer their opinion........
I just love the sheer grin factor of slamming out of a junction and gunning up the test track ;0)
and with the poor weather we're having right now, with cold greasy roads nothing compares IMO.
I just love the sheer grin factor of slamming out of a junction and gunning up the test track ;0)
and with the poor weather we're having right now, with cold greasy roads nothing compares IMO.
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