Check out my WRX review on Epinions!
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Check out my WRX review on Epinions!
Hey everybody!
Just wrote a review of my '04 WRX Wagon on Epinions.com. Check it out and tell me what you think!
It's a little long, but thorough. I think I gave a pretty fair review, covering the many pros - and few cons- of our beloved Rex.
http://www.epinions.com/content_151384133252
If the adress doesn't work, my review is "WRX Wagon- Almost Perfect" by the_jamester.
Just wrote a review of my '04 WRX Wagon on Epinions.com. Check it out and tell me what you think!
It's a little long, but thorough. I think I gave a pretty fair review, covering the many pros - and few cons- of our beloved Rex.
http://www.epinions.com/content_151384133252
If the adress doesn't work, my review is "WRX Wagon- Almost Perfect" by the_jamester.
VIP Member
iTrader: (7)
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 25,095
From: Funtown
Car Info: A limousine with a chauffer
Greetings fellow epinions user. I've been a member since the beginning 
http://www.epinions.com/content_107616898692
I just logged in and realized I've got $40 saved up!!
http://www.epinions.com/content_107616898692
I just logged in and realized I've got $40 saved up!!
Guest
Posts: n/a
Here's my review:
WRX Wagon - Almost Perfect
Pros
Sport styling, handling, acceleration after 30mph, cargo room.
Cons
A tad pricey, lack of low-range power, TERRIBLE TIRES!!!
The Bottom Line
If you enjoy performance driving, and don't mind the higher price/cost of Premium fuel, then this is the car for you! The practicality is icing on the cake.
Full Review
This is a review of the '04 WRX Wagon. I've had it for about nine months/8000miles now, and I absolutely love it. It has some faults, but overall this is one amazing car!
Paid $24k including extended warranty. A fair price for what you get, but certainly no bargain.
SPECS:
I will not bother with specs, as the Subaru website is very thorough. Main points are: 227hp turbo engine, AWD, and hatchback with folding rear seats (unlike the sedan, which has only a trunk pass-thru). A myriad of accesories are available, as well. Again, the company website has all the details, plus lots of pics.
Exterior:
While labeled as a "wagon", it is really more a "hatchback", similar to the VW Golf/GT. While the sedan does look a tad more agressive, mostly due to its fender-flares, the wagon looks very sporty in its own right. Mine is black, and looks very cool. This is mostly due to the big tires/rims, hood scoop, and rear spoiler. It doesn't look like mom's grocery-getter, though it would suit mom just fine - especially if she has a lead foot! Truth is, with the seats folded down it's a mini-SUV.
The two qualms I have with the exterior are:
1) The paint is fragile. I have numerous surface scratches, one ding, and a couple very small chips from rocks/pebbles. In fact, I just bought some touch-up paint.
2) The frameless door windows. Wind noise has not been a problem, but water seepage is annoying when raining or washing the car. Condensation and moisture build up around the edges of the window, and leave a ring when dried. Also, when it is drizzling, if the windows are down at all - even just cracked - the rain comes right in, soaking the door's armrest and window/lock buttons.
INTERIOR:
It should be noted that the '05 model has a nicely updated interior, and is now almost perfect. For the price, I lamented not getting amenities like programmable climate-control, steering wheel mounted stereo/cruise controls, and functional cup holders. Everything except the steering wheel controls has been updated. As for the steering wheel, I love the leather-wrapped MOMO wheel, but I hate the generic four-spoke shape. There isn't enough room to rest your left hand comfortably (while it's resting on the door's armrest) when just cruising. However, this has been updated as well. It now comes with a sleek three-spoke wheel; much sportier and more practical.
The audio is a mixed bag. It's great having a six-disc changer in the dash, and at low levels it sounds fine. But the amp isn't very powerful at all, and needs to be cranked if driving with the windows down. Unfortunately, the speakers are not up for the challenge, and distort very easily at higher volumes. One plus for the speakers is you get six of them, with two tweeters above the door handles.
The sport seats are also a mixed bag. They look really cool, and are one-piece with integrated headrest. Very flared on the sides; these are thin-people seats! For average daily driving they are great, and hold you nicely in more agressive situations. However, after recently having a weekend of many long drives, they killed my back and thighs. I literally had trouble walking at the end of the trip. This is usually a subjective matter, though. I have heard many people say they were fine for long trips. You won't know until you try it. The rear seats are a bit cramped, but not worse than you'd expect for this size/class of car.
Finally, the green lighting is very cool looking, and more comfortable on the eyes than the usual red, in my opinion. The interior is all black and gray, so the green really glows!
PERFORMANCE:
This is where the 'Rex really shines. There are few cars out there that offer so much machine for the money. The turbo engine really delivers, in almost any driving situation. This car was made for more agressive driving. Power is plentiful once you learn how to drive it - and it will teach you! A stick is mandatory in my opinion. In certain situations, if the revs aren't high you will bottom out and crawl, almost dangerously so. A prime example is when the AC is on, and you're starting from a stop. Pre-revving up to about 4K rpms is necessary, or you will have no acceleration whatsoever. I almost caused a major accident learning this the hard way!
The turbo kicks in around 3800rpm; below that there isn't much. If driving casually, with the AC off, this is no biggie. But for any kind of real kick, you'll get used to keeping the revs high. I usually shift around 5K, and cruise around 3500K, keeping the engine in the powerband, with the turbo right there when you need it. This adds up to quite the exciting drive, but at the expense (obviously) of gas mileage. Driven the way it wants to be driven, this car has a healthy thirst for Premium fuel. But then, everything comes at a cost.
The other boon is the AWD. Subaru's reputation for outstanding AWD performance is legendary! This car eats RWD muscle cars for lunch - in any driving conditions. Unfortunately, Subaru cheats their own reputation by putting very disapointing tires on such a performance car. This should be the first thing upgraded ASAP, especially in areas with a lot of rain. The Bridgestone Potenza 92's are unreliable in wet weather, and negate the AWD advantage. I had an accident because of this, skidding into a curb during a low-speed turn. Completely unacceptable. Read the reviews for them at Tirerack.com. Many reviews - almost all negative.
The tranny has had some issues, also. I've concluded that it is at its limit of what it can handle, power-wise. Do a couple high-rev launches, and power-shift at high speeds, and kiss the tranny good-by. This car wants "intelligent agression". Always start and shift as smoothly as possible, and you should be fine. I have had no troubles at all. The shifting can be clunky, especially from 1st-2nd, and the AC makes everything shudder at low speeds, but that's about it. You can only shift down to first if you're crawling, and some people say reverse is tough, but I've had no problems getting into it.
This car is catching on fast! I see everyone from 20-somethings to 60-somethings driving them. This makes me happy for Subaru, but sad that my little sleeper is becoming mainstream. It is priced a bit out of range for the Honda Civic masses, and other companies (like Mazda) are offering more style for less money. Still, no other car is such a complete package of style/power/practicality. Truly a wolf in sheep's clothing!
To get to know this car, and it's type of owners better, I highly recommend checking out www.i-club.com! Great site, great people, lots of knowledge.
WRX Wagon - Almost Perfect
Pros
Sport styling, handling, acceleration after 30mph, cargo room.
Cons
A tad pricey, lack of low-range power, TERRIBLE TIRES!!!
The Bottom Line
If you enjoy performance driving, and don't mind the higher price/cost of Premium fuel, then this is the car for you! The practicality is icing on the cake.
Full Review
This is a review of the '04 WRX Wagon. I've had it for about nine months/8000miles now, and I absolutely love it. It has some faults, but overall this is one amazing car!
Paid $24k including extended warranty. A fair price for what you get, but certainly no bargain.
SPECS:
I will not bother with specs, as the Subaru website is very thorough. Main points are: 227hp turbo engine, AWD, and hatchback with folding rear seats (unlike the sedan, which has only a trunk pass-thru). A myriad of accesories are available, as well. Again, the company website has all the details, plus lots of pics.
Exterior:
While labeled as a "wagon", it is really more a "hatchback", similar to the VW Golf/GT. While the sedan does look a tad more agressive, mostly due to its fender-flares, the wagon looks very sporty in its own right. Mine is black, and looks very cool. This is mostly due to the big tires/rims, hood scoop, and rear spoiler. It doesn't look like mom's grocery-getter, though it would suit mom just fine - especially if she has a lead foot! Truth is, with the seats folded down it's a mini-SUV.
The two qualms I have with the exterior are:
1) The paint is fragile. I have numerous surface scratches, one ding, and a couple very small chips from rocks/pebbles. In fact, I just bought some touch-up paint.
2) The frameless door windows. Wind noise has not been a problem, but water seepage is annoying when raining or washing the car. Condensation and moisture build up around the edges of the window, and leave a ring when dried. Also, when it is drizzling, if the windows are down at all - even just cracked - the rain comes right in, soaking the door's armrest and window/lock buttons.
INTERIOR:
It should be noted that the '05 model has a nicely updated interior, and is now almost perfect. For the price, I lamented not getting amenities like programmable climate-control, steering wheel mounted stereo/cruise controls, and functional cup holders. Everything except the steering wheel controls has been updated. As for the steering wheel, I love the leather-wrapped MOMO wheel, but I hate the generic four-spoke shape. There isn't enough room to rest your left hand comfortably (while it's resting on the door's armrest) when just cruising. However, this has been updated as well. It now comes with a sleek three-spoke wheel; much sportier and more practical.
The audio is a mixed bag. It's great having a six-disc changer in the dash, and at low levels it sounds fine. But the amp isn't very powerful at all, and needs to be cranked if driving with the windows down. Unfortunately, the speakers are not up for the challenge, and distort very easily at higher volumes. One plus for the speakers is you get six of them, with two tweeters above the door handles.
The sport seats are also a mixed bag. They look really cool, and are one-piece with integrated headrest. Very flared on the sides; these are thin-people seats! For average daily driving they are great, and hold you nicely in more agressive situations. However, after recently having a weekend of many long drives, they killed my back and thighs. I literally had trouble walking at the end of the trip. This is usually a subjective matter, though. I have heard many people say they were fine for long trips. You won't know until you try it. The rear seats are a bit cramped, but not worse than you'd expect for this size/class of car.
Finally, the green lighting is very cool looking, and more comfortable on the eyes than the usual red, in my opinion. The interior is all black and gray, so the green really glows!
PERFORMANCE:
This is where the 'Rex really shines. There are few cars out there that offer so much machine for the money. The turbo engine really delivers, in almost any driving situation. This car was made for more agressive driving. Power is plentiful once you learn how to drive it - and it will teach you! A stick is mandatory in my opinion. In certain situations, if the revs aren't high you will bottom out and crawl, almost dangerously so. A prime example is when the AC is on, and you're starting from a stop. Pre-revving up to about 4K rpms is necessary, or you will have no acceleration whatsoever. I almost caused a major accident learning this the hard way!
The turbo kicks in around 3800rpm; below that there isn't much. If driving casually, with the AC off, this is no biggie. But for any kind of real kick, you'll get used to keeping the revs high. I usually shift around 5K, and cruise around 3500K, keeping the engine in the powerband, with the turbo right there when you need it. This adds up to quite the exciting drive, but at the expense (obviously) of gas mileage. Driven the way it wants to be driven, this car has a healthy thirst for Premium fuel. But then, everything comes at a cost.
The other boon is the AWD. Subaru's reputation for outstanding AWD performance is legendary! This car eats RWD muscle cars for lunch - in any driving conditions. Unfortunately, Subaru cheats their own reputation by putting very disapointing tires on such a performance car. This should be the first thing upgraded ASAP, especially in areas with a lot of rain. The Bridgestone Potenza 92's are unreliable in wet weather, and negate the AWD advantage. I had an accident because of this, skidding into a curb during a low-speed turn. Completely unacceptable. Read the reviews for them at Tirerack.com. Many reviews - almost all negative.
The tranny has had some issues, also. I've concluded that it is at its limit of what it can handle, power-wise. Do a couple high-rev launches, and power-shift at high speeds, and kiss the tranny good-by. This car wants "intelligent agression". Always start and shift as smoothly as possible, and you should be fine. I have had no troubles at all. The shifting can be clunky, especially from 1st-2nd, and the AC makes everything shudder at low speeds, but that's about it. You can only shift down to first if you're crawling, and some people say reverse is tough, but I've had no problems getting into it.
This car is catching on fast! I see everyone from 20-somethings to 60-somethings driving them. This makes me happy for Subaru, but sad that my little sleeper is becoming mainstream. It is priced a bit out of range for the Honda Civic masses, and other companies (like Mazda) are offering more style for less money. Still, no other car is such a complete package of style/power/practicality. Truly a wolf in sheep's clothing!
To get to know this car, and it's type of owners better, I highly recommend checking out www.i-club.com! Great site, great people, lots of knowledge.
VIP Member
iTrader: (7)
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 25,095
From: Funtown
Car Info: A limousine with a chauffer
Originally Posted by jamester
That must refer to Sonic's link; I don't mention this in my review.
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