1994 Subaru Impreza WRX Sports wagon review from UK and Ireland

Power steering reservoir gasket needed replacing. Cheap to fix.

Louder than usual whistle from the turbo, possibly a cracked/dog eared blade though the car still boosts OK.

Metallic scraping noise from somewhere in the drive system, possibly driveshaft, gearbox or diff. Only noticeable at low speed and no other symptoms.

This is the most over rated car I've made the mistake of buying.

The interior is vile. I thought I could live with it due to the cars performance, but it's going to need serious work to even make it look semi-respectable. Loads of cheap plastic trim and nasty "80's fiesta looking dials". This car should definitely have a boost gauge as standard, but doesn't. Only upside to the interior is comfy, hardwearing and supportive seats.

Handling wise the car will go in whichever direction you point it. Undoubtedly the grippiest car I've ever been in. Unfortunately your spine will hate you for buying this car. The ride quality is terrible. My last car was a very stiff, lowered 200sx and it covered rough road surfaces better.

The feel of the steering is non-existant and the car feels bigger than it really is. Gearchange is very rough and the change from first to second seems to be in the wrong place though 3rd and 4th are good for keeping the car in the torque range for "enthusiastic" driving.

Acceleration is quite acceptable, but too smooth for my liking (no kick when the turbo spins up). The car just does not feel as though it has that much grunt, but a quick look at the speedo will tell you otherwise. Still not as fast as it's reputation would have you believe.

Exterior wise the car is ugly. No denying it, this is not a nice looking car. Paintwork is reasonably good and seems to have lasted well. Only big upside is that it's instantly noticeable as a "Scooby" due to the round WRC style fog lamps.

Don't kid yourself. The Impreza is not a sports car. More a 4 door saloon with very stiff and effective suspension, loads of grip and a torquey powerplant. It lacks the feel and quality required for an enjoyable drive.

My final word (admittedly more based on my opinion rather than fact).

Don't buy one. Buy a proper rear wheel drive sports car and use the change to buy yourself a cheap, spacious 4 door saloon. You'll have a lot more fun and still save yourself a fortune in insurance and fuel costs.