By Dan Strong

June 2002

Life with a road-going edition of one of the world's fastest rally cars was never going to leave us in the slow lane! So it's no surprise that, a couple of months into our relationship with Subaru's Impreza STi, we have more than thrills to report...
The fact it has already covered 5,150 miles speaks volumes about its popularity. Making its debut in a group test in Scotland (issue 704), its running-in period was short, and the 1,000-mile service was carried out in Forfar, Angus. Labour was free, but fluids and filters cost ί¿½37.
This marathon test saw the Impreza cover more than 2,000 miles in only four days, and our test team came back full of praise for the WRX's long-distance cruising abilities and comfortable bucket seats. The only complaint was about the car's small and fiddly stereo facia.
Impressions were less favourable as the WRX headed from its Highland adventure to join the daily grind in London. Below 3,000rpm, the turbocharged flat-four engine is crippled by lag, making fast, discreet getaways from junctions and traffic lights difficult. Progress is either glacial or Warp Factor 10.
With practice, it's possible to glide through traffic with the smallest of throttle inputs. This relaxed approach, combined with the bright blue paintwork and huge rear wing, seems to bring out the competitive nature in some drivers ί¿½ we have got used to being tailgated and overtaken in some unlikely places.
On the open road, things are different. Rain or shine, there's little to match the Impreza's astounding cross-country pace. However, it's worth keeping an eye on the fuel gauge because the WRX's range is less than 200 miles. Add in the fact that it drinks elusive super unleaded fuel, and long-distance drives can be a pain.
That doesn't seem to have undermined our testers' appetite for the WRX's performance and, despite the low mileage, the front tyres are already looking threadbare. Clearly the car is living a hard life, but that hasn't undermined reliability. The interior remains squeak free and there have been no mechanical faults. The only glitch affected the fuel gauge, which started to misread ί¿½ a fault that can occur if the car is refuelled with the ignition on. Fixing it is a simple case of disconnecting the battery for a couple of seconds.
Obviously we are looking forward to the next 5,000 miles. With the engine fully run in, the WRX seems to get faster and faster. We are definitely imprezed!

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