Subaru Impreza WRX STi R205
Discussion
When I decided to sell my BMW E62 M5 Touring I had two distinct options:
A) Go for something more modern that offers all the latest tech, security and reliability
B) Refuse to learn your lesson. Buy something that will require/demand attention and effort but ultimately make you smile every time you walk towards it.
Option A crystalised into a Hyundai i20N. I'm a bobble hatted rally nerd and so it's WRC pedigree is attractive and although small it has a decent amount of space, is frugal and has a manual gearbox. After a year with an SMG and a Renaultsport EDC before that, I really wanted to get a third pedal back again.
But then Option B occurred to me out of nowhere... Impreza R205! As a serial GC8 owner, this was the one Subaru that was still on my list but that I'd given up on. The JDM only, 400-made special editions had for a while commanded silly money on UK soil. However, the two that the instantaneous internet trawl proffered were nigh-on i20N money. My only guess is that I'd last looked at them pre-GC8's becoming eligible for US import and now perhaps, as that market had floated theirs had sank.
Why the R205? Ever since reading Dino Dalle Carbonare's Speedhunters piece on a day spent with one back in 2010 I'd really wanted one. In a nutshell, it's a peak-'Subaru-being-Subaru' car: a Spec C hatchback with the 2litre EJ20, a roller bearing turbo, ECU work (319bhp), custom tuned Bilstein dampers, colossal Brembo brakes (6-pot fronts, 4-pot rears), chassis bracing including pillow-ball bushes at the rear, a specially tuned STi exhaust and a few body tweaks (different bumper to Spec C and a rear diffuser). AND some beautiful cast STi alloys. Being a bigger car the interior is roomier than an i20N and the boot is more spacious (despite a higher floor to incorporate the intercooler waterspray tank). Looks are subjective but I've always felt that the hatch got a far too critical reception and has actually aged well. Aside from appearances, as a daily, it's hugely more practical than a saloon when it comes to kids/bikes/dog.
Negatives? Interior quality is also, sadly, peak Subaru - you could kick a football between most of the trim gaps, a drawing of a CD headunit would almost be more effective and the drivers seat position is slightly high by modern standards (does anyone know of an aftermarket kit to lower it? I'm 6'2 and could do with dropping it slightly).
One surprise positive is that it is more frugal than I was anticipating. A five-hour mix of motorway and A road home from collection used just two thirds of a tank of E5. Having only had 5-speed 'boxes in my GC8's I was aware of the EJ20's ability to sip reasonably admirably if kept just outside of boost. The 6-speed dispatched mile after mile between 70-75mph surprisingly well. That said, after BMW V10 ownership, a Eurofighter Typhoon would probably seem pretty economical too.
Initial driving impressions are everything that I hoped they would be; heavy at low speed/up on its toes at anything above that, mechanical, oily and always wanting to go. It's definitely old fashioned in how it delivers that boost - but that's the fun of it. The gear change, as with all Impreza's I've owned, is close, heavy and not one to rush - instead it rewards a bit of patience and rev-matching.
I'm still getting a proper 'to do' list together for number 200 but for the time being getting it properly aligned is top priority followed by thorough undersealing and then a belts and oil service later this year.
It would have been much safer to go with Option A and it would also make a load of sense to squirrel the car away and hope that its value increases. But increasingly, every new car I'm shown seems to be more device-like/make spaceship noises and, inevitably, I'll probably end up having to own something like that at some stage. For the time being this felt like a good opportunity to scratch an itch.
A) Go for something more modern that offers all the latest tech, security and reliability
B) Refuse to learn your lesson. Buy something that will require/demand attention and effort but ultimately make you smile every time you walk towards it.
Option A crystalised into a Hyundai i20N. I'm a bobble hatted rally nerd and so it's WRC pedigree is attractive and although small it has a decent amount of space, is frugal and has a manual gearbox. After a year with an SMG and a Renaultsport EDC before that, I really wanted to get a third pedal back again.
But then Option B occurred to me out of nowhere... Impreza R205! As a serial GC8 owner, this was the one Subaru that was still on my list but that I'd given up on. The JDM only, 400-made special editions had for a while commanded silly money on UK soil. However, the two that the instantaneous internet trawl proffered were nigh-on i20N money. My only guess is that I'd last looked at them pre-GC8's becoming eligible for US import and now perhaps, as that market had floated theirs had sank.
Why the R205? Ever since reading Dino Dalle Carbonare's Speedhunters piece on a day spent with one back in 2010 I'd really wanted one. In a nutshell, it's a peak-'Subaru-being-Subaru' car: a Spec C hatchback with the 2litre EJ20, a roller bearing turbo, ECU work (319bhp), custom tuned Bilstein dampers, colossal Brembo brakes (6-pot fronts, 4-pot rears), chassis bracing including pillow-ball bushes at the rear, a specially tuned STi exhaust and a few body tweaks (different bumper to Spec C and a rear diffuser). AND some beautiful cast STi alloys. Being a bigger car the interior is roomier than an i20N and the boot is more spacious (despite a higher floor to incorporate the intercooler waterspray tank). Looks are subjective but I've always felt that the hatch got a far too critical reception and has actually aged well. Aside from appearances, as a daily, it's hugely more practical than a saloon when it comes to kids/bikes/dog.
Negatives? Interior quality is also, sadly, peak Subaru - you could kick a football between most of the trim gaps, a drawing of a CD headunit would almost be more effective and the drivers seat position is slightly high by modern standards (does anyone know of an aftermarket kit to lower it? I'm 6'2 and could do with dropping it slightly).
One surprise positive is that it is more frugal than I was anticipating. A five-hour mix of motorway and A road home from collection used just two thirds of a tank of E5. Having only had 5-speed 'boxes in my GC8's I was aware of the EJ20's ability to sip reasonably admirably if kept just outside of boost. The 6-speed dispatched mile after mile between 70-75mph surprisingly well. That said, after BMW V10 ownership, a Eurofighter Typhoon would probably seem pretty economical too.
Initial driving impressions are everything that I hoped they would be; heavy at low speed/up on its toes at anything above that, mechanical, oily and always wanting to go. It's definitely old fashioned in how it delivers that boost - but that's the fun of it. The gear change, as with all Impreza's I've owned, is close, heavy and not one to rush - instead it rewards a bit of patience and rev-matching.
I'm still getting a proper 'to do' list together for number 200 but for the time being getting it properly aligned is top priority followed by thorough undersealing and then a belts and oil service later this year.
It would have been much safer to go with Option A and it would also make a load of sense to squirrel the car away and hope that its value increases. But increasingly, every new car I'm shown seems to be more device-like/make spaceship noises and, inevitably, I'll probably end up having to own something like that at some stage. For the time being this felt like a good opportunity to scratch an itch.
Brilliant 
no doubt here option B is the better choice. I ve had a hankering for a JDM Impreza for sometime specifically at Hawkeye S204 for the seats but they are mega money. There s something in the power delivery of an Impreza that just makes you smile. Having a I/C tank and spray button is just cool to.
Top work on the M5 if was comparable to a Typhoon s 6lt per sec consumption
Dinitrol is great stuff for protecting from our winter roads, needs to be clean and none dry prior to application. You can get it in clear coat too.
no doubt here option B is the better choice. I ve had a hankering for a JDM Impreza for sometime specifically at Hawkeye S204 for the seats but they are mega money. There s something in the power delivery of an Impreza that just makes you smile. Having a I/C tank and spray button is just cool to. Top work on the M5 if was comparable to a Typhoon s 6lt per sec consumption
Dinitrol is great stuff for protecting from our winter roads, needs to be clean and none dry prior to application. You can get it in clear coat too.
Edited by jwwbowe on Saturday 13th September 13:37
As a serial limited edition subaru owner (tbsi, spec c ra, v6 type r limited).
You made the correct choice.
Always wanted one of the S or R cars but prices went up quicker than I could save.
The R205 seems to be the only affordable one left. S203/204 are now 40k plus and could never justify that much on a toy.
Type-ra is the place to go for information, if your not a member already.
You made the correct choice.
Always wanted one of the S or R cars but prices went up quicker than I could save.
The R205 seems to be the only affordable one left. S203/204 are now 40k plus and could never justify that much on a toy.
Type-ra is the place to go for information, if your not a member already.
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