2002 Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon review from North America

The radiator spontaneously sprang a leak. The dealer replaced it immediately under warranty.

Plastic carpet fasteners in the cargo area were sheared off when loading heavy boxes.

Generally, fragile interior and body. Performance is achieved, in large part, by weight savings.

The WRX wagon is a great combination of affordable performance and utility. The engine and drivetrain are first-rate and solid. The ride is compfortable for the level of peroformance. Front seats provide good support and are comfortable even for several hours.

With it's light weight, strong engine and turbo and all wheel drive traction, it has excellent acceleration and secure handling on wet pavement and loose gravel.

The steering is a bit heavy and imprecise compared to my BMW, but not objectionable. The turning radius is a bit too large for the size of the vehicle.

Cornering is impressive at normal speeds. The suspension allows a bit too much body roll for high speed cornering.

Brakes have good stopping ability but are not as easy to modulate as my Bimmer. I still have 40% pads after 36k miles, a great improvement over the Bimmer.

Best of all, you can easily modify the car to suit your own preferences and increase the performance to truly astounding with aftermarket high performance parts available everywhere.

Although it is small, the interior space is useable for cargo. The rear seats fold flat and the front seats almost fold flat. I have used to to carry large cargo items including a 7 foot high relay rack and roll-around tool boxes.

I get between 22 and 24 miles per gallon in combination city and freeway driving. Maintenance costs have been normal. It's the only vehicle I know that provides so much fun for so little money.