As you can see, it is a bit sporty. So we went out to the dealer to check this bad boy out and based on previous experience, I know that I need to check for size before getting Erin involved. First thing I did was get in the front seat, set it how I would most-likely drive it, and then jumped out and got in the back seat. It wasn't spacious in the 'I want to sit back here with another adult for 9.5 hours', but it was in the 'why don't the four of us go get dinner, I'll drive' kind of way.
So far so good. Next up is the trunk/hatch. We open the back end, and I have to say that I was a bit surprised at how small it really was. The pictures online make it look cavernous, but in reality, the floor is very close to the top of the bumper, meaning it is fairly shallow. There is however, the benefit that the rear seats fold down nearly flat, meaning you get close to 5' of 'trunk' space.
Ok, back to the important bit, the driver's seat. I got in and checked out the view, no discernible blind spots that are going to cause too much of a problem. At least not like driving a blind-spot-mobile FJ Cruiser. Mirrors provide a good amount of visibility, not too small, rear window could be larger, but whatever. Seats are comfy but firm, nice bolstering to hold you in to the seat and a suede center to really grab you and keep you planted.
I have to say that at about this time the sales dude starts telling me about the car and then asks what brought my attention to it. I just reply, 'I'm an autocrosser' to which his reply is a 'oh, then I'll shut up, you already know more than I do'. So refreshing! He just jumps in the back and belts in for the ride.
I start her up and immediately like the way the gauges sweep to their max position and back and then it lights up all red, just like I like. The exhaust note is not quiet, but not loud at idle, you definitely know this is no normal Impreza. The gear shifter is smooth, with a really short throw, making it good for quick shifts in the heat of battle. I check out all of the controls and now I'm set, time to roll off. Unfortunately, not having driven a Scoobaru before, I didn't know that you had to pull the ring on the shifter up to get it into Reverse and I stalled it by trying to start off in 6th. Oops. Oh well, roll off take 2. This time I get it in gear and pull out of the parking spot with nary and issue and then out off the lot.
I am driving it with throttle response in the 'Intelligent' mode to see how that is first and then figure I will check out 'Sport Sharp' or 'Autocross' mode on the way back. I give it a bit of the beans and it gets up and moves, but nothing earth shattering, not what I was expecting from 300HP, but I also shifted at 3500 to simulate daily driving conditions. In Intelligent mode the car is pretty modest and performs like any other car, not like the fire breathing beast that it is. It accelerates smoothly and I notice on my first few shifts that this is a seriously close-ratio gear box, 40 in 4th is about 2500RPMs, just shy of the power at 4K. So, Intelligent mode could be renamed Neutered Mode if they weren't going to run it by the Marketing people, it just takes all the sharp edges off the car. To tell you the truth, if this was all that was on offer, this car would be off the possible list right now, it's too 'blah', just like a lump of vanilla ice cream.
Fortunately for me, this vanilla ice cream has a bit of nuts mixed in...
When we stopped to turn around and head back I twisted the throttle response know to put it in S# or Sport Sharp mode and head on back. THIS IS WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR!!! Immediately the car is in a whole new world. The car is transformed from a daily commuter into a rip-snorting, striped-ass ape! I lay into it on the on-ramp and it G-O-E-S and quickly too. Power comes on strong at 4K RPM and it doesn't even start to abate until the 6500RPM redline, thankfully there is a nice little buzzer telling you that you are about to hit redline and need to shift or else I would have run it right into the rev-limiter. I run it through 3rd, look down and I'm going over 80 at the bottom of the ramp. What is odd here is that I did not experience the visceral thrill that I got from the R32 that I drove last weekend, it was fast, but it didn't scream it at me. On the highway on the way back I have it in 6th and just lean into it a bit to pass another car, it goes much better than when I tried this maneuver when in Neutered mode. Getting off the highway for the dealer I give the heel-toe action a bit of a whirl and they are nicely spaced apart, the brake pedal maybe being a smidge too high to make it perfect, but nice anyway.
Overall, I like the car, and I would like to spend a bit more time driving one, more than just driving it up and back on the highway. I want to see if there is a nice twisty road somewhere that I can see how it handles, or even a parking lot where I can go slow/fast around some really tight bends. In short, it is ready for E to scope out.
On another note, E and I finally agreed upon a time to purchase a car so that I can cool my jets and leave her alone. We are waiting for our taxes to be complete and checks received before purchasing anything. This will hopefully avoid surprises and make it possible for us to buy with a semi-clear head. It will also mean that we don't spend any money on a car before we go to Hawaii!
Gotta run!
1 comments:
I definitely looks cool. I like that it goes like a hairy, rip-snorting, striped-ass ape!