Talk about vindication.

2011 Subaru WRX Sedan

The last Subaru Impreza I drove left me totally underwhelmed. Plain-Jane looks and an uninspired driving experience had me muttering things like “Why couldn’t Subaru inject some WRX fun into their entry level models?” Was I being too harsh on the poor $20,995 Impreza?

Absolutely not.

I didn’t drive the new-for-2011 WRX sedan more than 100 metres through the gas station parking lot after picking it up before I felt totally vindicated for launching such criticisms against the base Impreza. You see, even at parking lot speeds, all it takes is one clutch engagement and one input to the steering wheel before realizing that the WRX is a completely different car from its humble stablemate.

“As it should be,” some might say. But my take on this is that a minimum amount of DNA should extend to all members of a model family, lest one be accused of being an imposter.

Not too long ago the ‘Rex seemed a bit lost in the shuffle, with hum-drum looks and a 227-hp turbocharged flat-four. 2009 saw the introduction of the WRX 265, a beefed-up version with – you guessed it – 265 horses thanks to a larger turbocharger and revised exhaust plumbing for a relatively modest bump in price. For 2010 that engine became standard-issue on the WRX; great news because Subaru kept the pricing of the less powerful model in the transition.

For 2011 the $32,495 WRX is being treated to the same aggressive flared bodywork that’s been an STi trademark since this generation was introduced back in 2008; I would think that STi owners will take exception to the fact that ‘lesser’ versions of the car now look like their more exclusive rides, but clearly Subaru needed to lump the WRX firmly at the performance end of the Impreza spectrum. All I can say is this: I like it.

The WRX is available in four-door sedan or hatchback bodies (as is the STi for 2011; previously it could only be ordered with the hatch), with the hatch commanding a $900 premium over the notchback.

Standard equipment includes the aforementioned 265-horse flat-four, 17-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth connectivity, six-speaker audio with auxiliary input and satellite radio prep, dual-piston front brakes, automatic climate control, wheel-mounted cruise control, tilting and telescoping steering, traction and stability control, heated seats, split-folding rear bench seat, and a five-speed manual gearbox with hill-holder feature.

Our tester was the $35,495 WRX Limited, which adds fog lights, a power sunroof, and leather seats, as well as satellite radio with a three-month Sirius subscription. Not a bargain for those extra features, but overall a decent value nonetheless.

The high horse count is achieved courtesy of a turbocharged and intercooled 2.5-litre flat-four. Compared to a more conventional inline-four where all of the cylinders are oriented near vertically and arranged in a row, the flat, or horizontally-opposed, layout puts pairs of cylinders on their side facing each other with the pistons moving towards each other; hence the “boxer” moniker. The benefit of this layout is primarily related to packaging; the car’s centre of gravity is lower with a boxer engine under the hood. The 265 horses are generated at 6,000 rpm, while a heady 244 lb.-ft. of torque announces its presence at 4,000 revs.

Transferring power to Subaru’s “symmetrical” all-wheel drive system is a five-speed manual gearbox; a slushbox is not on the menu. Power is split 50:50 front-to-rear through a locking centre differential with a viscous coupling.

I’m a big fan of the newly adopted STi styling; the flared body panels are supermodel glam next to the blandness of the base Impreza.
There’s not much new inside, though: the plasticky dash from the base Impreza is still there, but we need to remember what we’re paying for here. There are cars in this price range that have nicer interiors (the VW GTI and MazdaSpeed 3 come to mind), but certainly nothing with 265 hp and all-wheel drive, so make your choice. And yes, there’s the WRX’s most direct competition in the form of the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart, but Subie has just upped the horsepower ante and the Mitsu’s interior furnishings are no better.

Despite the budget-oriented interior materials, controls are arranged in an ergonomically sound layout. Redundant audio controls are located on the left steering wheel spoke while buttons for the cruise control are on the right. Buttons for the hands-free phone are attached to the wheel hub and nestled in the eight o’clock position within easy reach.

Atop the centre stack sits a small display that includes trip computer readouts as well as clock and outside temperature displays. Just below is the head unit for the six-speaker audio system that includes Subaru’s MediaHub connectivity for USB and iPod interfacing. But sound quality from the system is one of the tinniest on the market and is begging for an upgrade; unfortunately only the STi is available with such an improvement from the factory.

From that promising first impression in the gas station parking lot, the WRX grew on me substantially throughout the week of my test drive. It’s eager, it’s slick, and it’s very, very quick; always a willing partner when driving fun is on the agenda.

Even though the shifter is sorely in need of a sixth cog, it’s quite a satisfying unit to put through its paces. Shifts are a little notchy, but that doesn’t get in the way of enabling quick gear transitions. Throttle response is excellent, and turbo lag isn’t an issue if you don’t let the revs get too low (here is where the six-speed would be appreciated most).

But the whole package is there when it comes to a satisfying driving experience: just try a heel-and-toe downshift into a corner and liberally squeeze the throttle on exit and you’ll know what I mean. Monster grip and neutral behaviour are built right in to the WRX’s handling repertoire.

All that fun with an observed 11.8 L/100 km in mostly city driving. For the record, the WRX is rated at 11.1 L/100 km in the city and 8.0 on the highway.

After the base Impreza left me underwhelmed, I was so relieved to be reminded of how much fun the WRX is. And with the new bodywork in place, the WRX’s bark now lives up to its bite.

Pricing: 2011 Subaru WRX Sedan

Base price: $32,495

Options: $3,000 (Limited package)

A/C tax: $100

Freight: $1,525

Price as tested: $37,120

Crash test results

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)

Haney Louka is a Professional Engineer, a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, and a long time automotive enthusiast.

Read more Test Drives on CanadianDriver.com

The Route 66 Rally is over. To say it was fun would be an understatement. It was one of the best experiences I could ever recommend to someone.

Photo Courtesy of Kevin R.

It was 4 days of driving and comradery on some of the best roads America has to offer. For those who missed it, not to worry, there will be another event bigger and better then this one. 2010 was just the first year of this annual event.

Below are the majority of vehicles that participated in this years rally. Will yours be in next years photos?  For more information on the 2011 Rally, please visit www.rallynorthamerica.com

The Route 66 Rally wound down on Friday with a blowout awards ceremony at the Big Texan Steak House. To say the 50 teams participating in the event had a good time would be a gross understatement. The organizers of this amazing event deserve a huge shout out. So, here it is; way to go Scott Spielman and Tony Intrieri!

On the 3rd day of rally, Team Autotrader.ca (me) stuck to our plan of touring the historic Route 66 as opposed to racing to the finish line for the quickest time.

This idea was expanding as our original group of two cars had grown to 5 vehicles on the 3rd day. With a Canadian built American car (Camaro), a German car built in the United States (BMW Z4), a Japanese car (WRX), an American truck (F-150 Raptor) and a British car designed by Germans but built in Britain (new Mini) we decided on naming ourselves the fitting “Team United Nations Alliance”. Or TUNA for short.

After getting lost for over an hour in the maze that is Oklahoma City, ‘TUNA’ visited many historic sites on Day 3 including a tour of the National Route 66 museum in Oklahoma. The highlight of the day though actually came the following morning when we visited the world famous Cadillac Ranch. As one of my good friends on the rally said; ‘Visiting the Cadillac Ranch is one more thing I can cross off my bucket list’.

As a footnote, all of this determination to site see at our own pace paid off as we were awarded the ‘Die Hard Rally Award’ (see picture with the space man) for driving every inch of Historic Route 66 we could between Chicago and Amarillo. 

 
The 2nd day of the Route 66 Rally proved to be even better then the first day. Our group of site seers had grown and ‘The Mother Road’ offered up even more historic sites for our viewing pleasure.

Famous bridges, service centers, landmarks and roadways were all over Route 66. At one point, we even ventured onto one of the few remaining stretches of the original Route 66 dating back to 1926. This single lane road was in rough shape, but still existed. It could quite possibly be the highlight of the entire trip.

The best way I can help someone who has never traveled the road understand what it is all about would be through the following story. One of our fellow travellers wanted a picture of him riding a horse (to compliment yesterday’s bunny riding photo). When we saw a horse statue in a small town we pulled over for the photo op. Upon approaching the horse, we realized it was made out of plastic and would not hold his weight.

While we debated about the horse’s load baring ability, a man stepped out of the building it was in front of. At first, he tried to sell us the horse, but then he took us inside the building to show us that he was in the process of restoring; a turn of the century bank/jailhouse back to its original 1900 look. It was very early in the construction but already looks amazing. He even showed us the historic vault and iron gated jails. This happened all because we stopped to see a plastic horse.

At Autotrader.ca, any chance we get to have some fun in our cars we take it. So when the opportunity came along to drive the historic route 66 in the United States, I couldn’t say no.  This is why I became a entrant on the CJ Pony Part’s 2010 Route 66 Rally.

Starting in both Chicago and Los Angeles, 50 teams will embark on a 3 day checkpoint filled journey that will terminate in Amarillo Texas.

On May 19th, 30 teams will be ready to depart Joliet, Illinois while another 20 teams will be waiting in Los Angles. We will all spend the next 3 days driving around the most historic parts of Route 66 taking in the sites, sounds and history of the famous road.

Team Autotrader.ca will be taking our brand new 2010 Subaru WRX 265 From Toronto, Ontario to the starting line in Joliet on May 18th. A relative road rally newbie, anything above not being the last to arrive at the final checkpoint will be a victory (in other words, I don’t want to get horribly lost).

Watch this page for daily updates during the rally as well as Autotrader.ca on twitter for live updates during the rally.

For more information on this rally and upcoming rallies visit Rally North America.

4 Cylinder Engines NOT Focused on MPG

Michael Schlee

The 4 Cylinder engine is the ‘small guy’ when it comes to North American automobile engines. Outside of the Smart car that still has a 3 cylinder engine, nothing else is smaller or more fuel efficient.

Subaru WRX STi

4 Cylinder engines have become the main stay of compact cars, hybrids and entry level midsize sedans.

But just because you’re small doesn’t mean you can’t have any fun, right? Why does power and speed have to be reserved exclusively for larger engines? Well, it seems that some manufacturers out there agree that 4 cylinder engines can be both powerful and fun.

Take a look at the follow 4 cylinder engines on steroids.

What is Your Favourite Sub-$51,000 Sports Car

Michael Schlee

So here it is, one of those impossible to agree on classifications. What is the best sports car under $51,000? Everyone has their idea, and usually, they do not match. With the wide assortment of choices out there, it really all comes down to personal preference.

Dodge Challenger

But I thought hey, why not stir the pot a bit and make a poll on the subject? Let’s see what you, the Autotrader reader, would consider the best sports car under $51,000.

To keep the list a reasonable size, we have limited it to just one vehicle per manufacturer. Since some manufacturers (Honda, Chevrolet, Mazda, etc) have multiple sporty offerings under $51,000, we stuck with their ‘Halo’ cars. Mazda gets its rotary RX-8, Chevrolet gets its legendary Camaro and Honda gets its near-race-car S2000. 

You may see some vehicles missing that you feel should be in this poll.  Some cars weren’t quite sporty enough when dealing with the $51,000 price cieling, while others were just not quite sporty enough.  After all, we are talking serious sports car here and not warmed up sedans.

So, without taking up anymore web space, I turn it over to you.  Pick your poison and tells us why it’s the best.