yes, because enthusiasts have always flocked to the impreza over the wrx? which now has a 6 speed manual, the 2.4 fA direct injected twin scroll turbo boxer everyone they begged for , to replace the ej, is making more power on dynos with stage 1 tunes than ej's did with 3" downpipe stage 2 tuned, and has modern styling and great interior and a lot more development is comming. Now suddenly the Impreza is supposed to be the enthusiast car? bwa ha ha ha ha, what the hell happened ? " OMG" !. But the wrx has black fender flare and bumper molding...oh the horror, just ignore that Subaru gave the wrx everything they wanted in the suspension and powertrain
Want to know what the problem is? Enthusiasts are not enthusiasts anymore, they are lost or just maybe the ones on the internet are not really representative since Subaru did in fact build the WRX to actual enthusiast specs. Yes! Thats it! A bunch of the Nasjioc enthusiasts on here who claim to be enthusiasts...Are'nt. I don't know what they are? And they probably dont either.

Not that this thread is any of your business, but we should clarify some things. In his review he calls people who prefer the WRX to be "hardcore enthusiasts". "Enthusiast" doesn't just mean one thing. It never has. And in my mind the WRX isn't even "hardcore", but that's because I still remember the STI. If tuning, horsepower and paper racing 0-60 are your priority, then I guess the WRX is the choice.

Years ago I gave up on trying to convince NASIOC forum members to give the Impreza Sport CVT hatchback a chance. Some people appreciated my reasoning and did give the new Impreza a chance, eventually upgrading to the Crosstrek Sport and Limited models. I think the RS will scratch enough of an itch for a particular enthusiast.

Many people on here assume that everyone lives in a similar enough environment as themselves, which is mostly incorrect. There are increasingly fewer places that allow one to afford a WRX, modify a WRX and/or live somewhere they can utilize a WRX's performance capabilities. I will tell you that if you modify the Impreza with coilovers and wider, stickier tires, it handles twisties very, very well. The other weekend I was with a group of car buddies and we went up to Adams, MA, by way of 116. Somewhere up in Adams it's extremely twisty and my Impreza was riding on top of a 500HP GV WRX and a 2022 GR86.

There's a combination of confidence, competence and experience that has helped me to appreciate what a car can offer, depending on certain situations. We also take cruises up to Lincoln, New Hampshire, driving around White Mountain, and, again, the Impreza keeps up. Straightaways? Obviously fuhgetaboutit. Having traveled through all 50 states multiple times and owned several performance Subies, I'd like to think I know a thing or two about handling expectations versus perception. I hate when people use "better" to compare vehicles that aren't even comparable. WRX sedan 6MT works for some while Impreza RS hatchback CVT works for others.

If you really want an old school WRX feel and don't mind using the CVT, then the aftermarket could just as easily make the RS a 224HP "GD" WRX with a downpipe and a tune. The current FB20DI can reach close to 190HP after modifications. Unfortunately there just aren't a ton of people modding them, but they are out there.

Just saw these are finally hitting dealer inventories. Considering going over to there to check one out just to scream at some salesmen

Had to get out of the house today, so I went to take a look at the 2.5RS... The salesman was super nice and relaxed, offered to let me test drive it (first car at the dealer, I was the first to drive it, didn't even get detailed yet) so I did.

I really liked the interior, even the center display. Not as good as the Macan but way better than other Subaru screens I've tried. The cloth seats were pretty good, quite comfy and well made. Not a lot of bolstering but enough. Seating position was too high but acceptable compared to compact SUVs. My 85 year old dad would be able to get in/out just fine.

Car looks really good in person which is sad, cause the CVT is terrible of course... Tried "Sport" mode and the padel shifters, tried all the modes, nothing made it good. Plenty of power though, very much like the old 2.5L/4EAT cars.

Handling was OK, rolly polly but acceptable. Very much a good daily driver. Rotated OK when tossing it, but needs higher spring rates and a rear sway with some sticky tires.

Overall, I still say I would buy one IF it had a manual... I didn't scream at the salesman like I planned to cause they agreed They really need to make this into a WRX or something else with AT LEAST a better transmission.

Nice pics. Thanks for the feedback! I do like how the new Impreza looks. The ride height is very useful for transporting elderly people. I've helped several older ones in their 90's get to appointments and they always appreciate the ride height.

My Impreza on coilovers handles pretty well. I really couldn't get myself to accept the 5-speed manual from Subaru as I knew I'd always be left wanting more. I guess the STI short shifter does help a bit, but I've never liked Subaru's in-house manual transmissions. I knew I'd always scheme on how to swap in a proper STI transmission. Plus I wanted a car suitable for cross-country trips and EyeSight is great for that.

It's certainly a good... Car if thats all you want. I could see daily driving one if I didn't care about car enthusiast things or EVs/Hybrids.

I would probably go for a new Prius for that purpose instead though.

Subaru is listening to the enthusiasts, hearing what we have to say and acknowledging the reasons why we keep coming back... and ignoring all of it.

Agreed. I'd just get the Prius too. Unfortunately they're a hot commodity at the moment and the Impreza will probably be easier to attain.

If Subaru was listening to the "enthusiasts" on this site, it would have gone bankrupt a long time ago. Good thing they are not in the business of losing money so they ignore all of it and continue to be doing just fine .

https://media.subaru.com/pressreleas...rge-28-percent

Or get a GTI S for the same money as the 2.5RS. Those are easy to find.

Does the GTI S still have the haptic feedback steering wheel controls and FWD?

Lol the guy who’s never bought a new Subaru and given the company a cent is saying the people who buy the cars would make them go bankrupt. The clown comments get worse by the day

Yes, and the 2.5RS has open diffs and no build in navigation.

The bankruptcy discussion has been ongoing and was discussed ad nauseum with SoDealer as people brought out pitchforks, demanding documentation of when Subaru was almost bankrupt when they were offering turbos on every car in their lineup in the mid-2000s. Part of it was timing and luck, but once Subaru started catering to consumers over performance enthusiasts, their numbers improved drastically.

I think CAFE and such strangled out their performance vehicles anyway. Boxers and turbos aren't great for the environment, as was proven with the STI cancelation.

Subaru obviously listened to their current consumers by offering the current Impreza exclusively as a hatchback. It sucks they lost the manual, but most consumers can't drive stick anyway and enthusiasts aren't really going to consider the Impreza. I, personally, don't agree with the mentality that you stop being a performance enthusiast just because you give up on driving a manual, but most people seem to disagree unless they're looking at high performance vehicles that are north of $50k.The selling point of a Subaru is affordability and reliability in an AWD package, however that works for marketing and public perception. People will say to me, "They're reliable though, right?" And my response is pretty much, "... Meh."

But if AWD and price are a priority, it's difficult to compete with Subaru. I do think it's good to be open to other options because one might realize that they can compromise somewhere and find satisfaction elsewhere. My last trip to Florida put me in a BMW and has me considering those since my faith in owning a Subaru outside of warranty is about on par.

they do have AWD ... one out of three ... ain't bad?

Like I said, however that works for marketing and public perception.

Did you see what Cammisa had to say about the Golf R recently?


Skip to 1:06:47 if the embedded link didn't already start there for you.

Ouch!

Hah! His comments about the Prius make me wish Toyota says "f**k it" and give it the GRMN/GR (E)4 treatment. Just because.

Ok then... Now sell the damn thing (minus dive planes and rear wing).

Back to 2024 RS - the fact it isn't afflicted with the unpainted black plastic pox on the exterior unlike the WRX would probably help it sell better if Subaru gave it the same drivetrain.

Daburu posuto!

^^^^ Here's a hoopy frood that always knows where his towel is.

Same way, feeling. This car ('17 Imp Sport CVT) has some kind of balance that's reminiscent of the old 2.5RS, and handles better with MUCH less body roll/dive. (If the old 2.5RS came like this, I probably wouldn't have gotten a WRX). Some kind of je ne sais quoi. And I've had a WRX, and many other Subarus.

Photos of the 2.5RS hitting dealer lots in various colors...

Subaru, I seriously would have bought one in this blue with a manual



It's also interesting seeing the return of a "Blue Ridge Pearl" kind of color 2.5RS after all this time.

Blame the customers.....