Being exiled in a land inhabited by bone-headed, non-test-drive-allowing Subaru dealers, I took advantage of a weekend visit to Cincinnati to FINALLY get a WRX test drive! I managed to snag a Silver Sedan w/spoiler, upgraded stereo, cf trim, etc.

Anyway, it was only a total of about 3 miles, but well worth the trouble! Handling was great! Power above 3k was great! Power below 3k- what power below 3k? :) Had a blast, and it convinced me that this was definitely a car I could live with.

When my wife and I finished the test drive, I asked her what she thought, especially since she was less-than-enthusiastic about the whole thing after seeing the Kia-like headlights. Her response? Well, it wasnt "Nice stereo, nice color, nice doorhandles..."! It was "That engine sounded like a car is supposed to!" My thoughts exactly! Do I have a great wife or what?!? Now, if only I can coax her into the driver's seat, maybe she will let me get one of these things!

Speaking of the driver's seat: I am only 6', but I felt like I was sitting REALLY close to the steering wheel, even with the seat all the way back. Is this normal? Is there any way to get the seat to slide back farther? Other than that, I LOVED the WRX. Anyone who has driven an SE-R knows that the SR20 is a sweet 4-cyl, but I could not believe how SMOOTH the EJ20 was!

I just got back from my first test-drive also!

Only things I could nitpick:
Shifter feels terrible compared to my GT-S, this can easily be solved though.
Driving position felt like a mack truck... used to the Celi I guess =)

I test drove at the Subaru in Roswell, GA. They were super nice and knew a lot about the car, but wouldn't let me rev over 4k (a good thing =).

I was very impressed.

Blake

On the drivers seat to the left you will find a height ajuster (sp) push on this and the seat will lower and move to the rear more.

Subaru = Excellent driving position :D

I prefer to think of the headlights as Mercedes-like, rather than Kia-like, thank you. :D

I like them. Very distinctive.

Kevin

it's a great car, the only thing I didn't like about the car was the turbo lag b4 3000rpm, and the inaccurate shifter. But both can be fixed w/ aftermarket tuning and replaced shifter/bushings`

and the back looks like an echo. cant wait till i see some aftermarket body kits.

bkiser -
it is likely that if you felt too close to the steering wheel you are used to an incorrect seating position.

to check this, sit normally in your seat, put your hands at 9 and 3 on the steering wheel, turn the wheel 180 degrees (so your left hand is at 3 and right hand is at 9). You should be able to do this without lifting your shoulders from the seat. If you can't do this without lifting your shoulders, you're sitting too far away, period.

I find that the WRX gives me PLENTY of room and i'm 3 inches taller than you.

Thanks for the info on the seat height adjuster. I was aware that it had one, just didnt think it would have moved the seat back as well, although thats kind of what VWs seem to do, so it makes sense.

As far as what I am used to now- I think I am used to a decent position in my SE-R, but just a different one from the Scooby. I have fairly long arms for my height, so that might be a contributing factor as well since I *am* able to slide my SE-R seat WAYYY back and still have the correct reach to the wheel. Believe me, though, I am sure I could get accustomed to the WRX!

Hey Blake, I live here in north Atlanta too! I have yet to see another WRX on the streets. If you want a good test drive try asking Larry at Conley. We went on a crazy fun test drive! I ended up buying mine from him.

Azuth-

What kind of deal did you get on yours?

Brian
1 hr south of ATL

Originally posted by Azuth
Hey Blake, I live here in north Atlanta too! I have yet to see another WRX on the streets. If you want a good test drive try asking Larry at Conley. We went on a crazy fun test drive! I ended up buying mine from him.

Sounds cool, I'll have to do that!

Thanks,
Blake

I got it for $1000 over invoice. I may have done better if I was willing to play games or shop around for a while, but I don't feel like I got robbed on this deal at least.