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By Brian Afuang
LET us, for a moment, discard the
overly used but perfectly understandable association of the Subaru
Impreza with the carmaker’s World Rally Championship (WRC)
program. Because here we’re talking of the Impreza 2.0 R Sport
variant, a model that packs around half of the horsepower its
sportier WRX and STI siblings do—and so quite a distance from the
WRC car.
A scorcher, the 2.0 R Sport
isn’t, and its lack of a hood scoop, fattened fenders and other
aerodynamic appendages that embellish its illustrious kin has
allowed the 2.0 R Sport’s inherent ugly styling to become all the
more apparent.
Let’s put it this way: The 2.0
R Sport is like a pop celeb before receiving a boob job, the
services of a top-rank stylist, cosmetic products and Adobe
Photoshop.
Now throw into the equation the
fact the 2.0 R Sport costs P1.060 million (for the manual gearbox
variant; P1.140 million for the automatic), and it’s easy to see
how buyers who are clueless of the Subaru brand may balk at the idea
of shelling out as much cash on a quirky looking five-door compact
hatchback.
And here’s where the car’s
beneath-the-surface qualities come in (because if it can’t rely on
looks then what else could it bank on, right?). Subaru may have
fitted the 2.0 R Sport with a smaller engine but the fact remains
the car is still very much an Impreza—which means it was built to
serve as the platform for Subaru’s WRC title challenge in the
years to come. Also, the 2.0 R Sport variant Subaru Philippine
distributor Motor Image Pilipinas (MIP) sells is outfitted with many
of the features the WRX and STI models flaunt. Simply put, the 2.0 R
Sport is no stripped-down budget job.
Take the car’s wheels, for
starters. Where other manufacturers fit 16-inch wheels on their
lesser variants, MIP splurged on 17-inch alloys wrapped in 205/50
R17 tires for the 2.0 R Sport—the same set, in fact, as that found
on the WRX, which costs three-quarters of a million pesos more.
Like the WRX and STI (price tag:
P2.348 million), the 2.0 R Sport also boasts of the same independent
MacPherson struts in front and double wishbone suspension in the
rear; ABS with EBD and Brake Assist; Subaru’s Vehicle Dynamic
Control System (which could be switched off) and Hill Start Assist;
and HID headlamps and LED taillights. It shares the WRX’s vented
discs in front and solid disc brakes at the rear. A bit of
difference in tuning maybe apparent in the three Impreza models, but
they share many similar hardware.
Step inside the 2.0 R Sport’s
cabin and more familial equipment are found. The 2.0 R Sport’s
six-disc CD/MP3/WMA player (with 10 speakers) can be controlled via
steering wheel-mounted buttons. The steering wheel itself is
leather-wrapped and is tilt/telescopic, just like in the WRX and STI.
The 2.0 R Sport gets the same modestly bolstered sport fabric seats
as the WRX’s, as well as the higher model’s dual front airbags.
Subaru addressed criticisms on the previous-generation Impreza’s
dowdy interior by incorporating actual sweeping curves, snazzy
metallic accents and more pleasant-looking control dials and
switches in the cabin of the new car—of which all are found on the
2.0 R Sport. Like I said, budget-car, MIP’s entry-level Impreza
ain’t.
And, of course, a Subaru is no
Subaru if it doesn’t have the carmaker’s proven combination of
symmetrical all-wheel drive system that’s powered by a
horizontally opposed boxer engine. In the 2.0 R Sport, the car is
fitted with a 2.0-liter DOHC, 16-valve engine that puts out 150
horsepower at 6,400rpm and 196 Newton-meter of torque at 3,200rpm.
Although these figures pale in comparison with the high-performance
Imprezas, they’re nothing to scoff at either.
On increasingly getting less
clogged Metro roads, the 2.0 R Sport is sprightly, its muted exhaust
note, excellent noise insulation and overall high level of
refinement lull you into believing you’re traveling at sedate
speeds when you’re actually not. Certainly, the 2.0 R Sport’s
acceleration isn’t nearly as explosive as that of the WRX’s or
STI’s, but it’s still forceful enough to be entertaining. Also,
the 2.0 R Sport steers and brakes about as well as the other two
Impreza variants.
Thanks to Subaru’s all-wheel
drive-train and prodigious wheels, the 2.0 R Sport has plenty of
grip—maybe too much, in fact. Where you would have a hard time in
trying to spin one of the WRX’s wheels to break traction, in the
2.0 R Sport that’s nearly impossible as there simply isn’t
enough horsepower available in it to do so. Yanking the parking
brake in the middle of a moderate-speed turn, then, is the only
recourse if you want tire-squealing showmanship.
Besides the horsepower handicap,
what differentiates the 2.0 R Sport is its more relaxed
demeanor—it’s not as high-strung as the WRX or STI and needs a
lighter clutch actuation to boot. Now add to this the fact the
latest-generation Impreza—no matter the variant—is significantly
less raw and edgy than the model it replaced, and the result is a
far more civilized car. In the 2.0 R Sport’s case, I’d go as far
and say it’s a car that one could live with on a daily basis.
Kinder and gentler it truly is.
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