Hi folks, and greetings from Finland!

Since Impreza is not a cult car here as it is in the UK, I haven't had a chance to drive or see MY00 Impreza Turbo close. I drove the '98-'99 240WR Special Model (20 were made for Finnish markets, and 20 is the number of Impreza Turbos sold here yearly), that had prodrive exhaust, new air intake and and some other modificiations for turbo cooling. 240bhp with 17" PZeros kicked serious butt, I must say.

The model I drove, sounded great! I could have just sat and listened to the engine when it was running idle, for the whole 60 minutes of the test drive session - well, for obvious reasons, I didn't. Most brochures also make a hype of the Boxer engine sound.

But how's the Impreza with the standard exhaust (which looks quite lame with those two thin straws, like... Honda Prelude) Does it sound OK? Lame? Is it too silent? ... I don't want too loud either, because of stereos :-)

What about the new Phase II boxer engine then? The web is full of MY99 owners' comments, but almost none of MY00's. New ECU of course(?), but how close is it to the Phase I really?

By the way, I'm getting my own MY00 Impreza Turbo with 17" Pirelli Pzeros next week. Can't say I could sleep much at nights... X-/

Thank you for any interest!

-Fernis


[This message has been edited by Ari Fernelius (edited 22-02-2000).]

 

The Phase2 engine sounds exactly the same as the phase1. The twin exaust looks naff but sound good compared to any other 2litre engined car. To make it sound REALLY GOOD change the backbox for a ScoobySport or similar. In the UK, this will not nrmally effect insurance costs. See

 

Hi,

No real difference between MY98 and MY00 sound-wise - The rear silencer is the same (I think). It still sounds pretty good with the standard item, but the volume is turned waaaay down.

I changed my exhaust for the inevitable Scoobysport back box, and I've been very pleased with it. It adds bass to the exhaust note, and is a lot more noticable at lower speeds without being too intrusive - even my wife agrees . At motorway speeds, it sounds quite quiet from inside the car, but is quite noticable for following cars. Personally I wouldn't tolerate anything noisy on a long run, but I have no cause for complaint.

I heard someone else driving my car around a circuit, and I must say that it sounded excellent, and not at all lacking in comparison with the TVRs, 911s, 993s etc that were also there.

If you are thinking about getting the five door then be aware that noise levels will be significantly higher than in the four door.

Regards,

Alex

 

Well, at last another Finn on the BBS, now I'm not alone anymore!
I've got a green MY00 with all the Prodrive bits, and am totally in love with it.

Where in Finland are you? I live in Helsinki.

If you're ordering some parts from the UK or have anything to say, please email me directly as I'm very interested, both generally and perhaps a joint order could be possible.

By the way, add your car to the Impreza owners page on

 

Ari,

Having had a chance to compare the Prodrive back box and the Scoobysport last weekend, the best description of the difference in sound is that the Prodrive 'roars' with a hard edged sound at high revs whereas the Scoobysport 'throbs' at low revs, and 'warbles' at high revs.

Out of the two, the Scoobysport sounds better IMHO (it is also apparently more free flowing) - I'd think that you would agree if you could compare, but they both sound excellent.

Cheers,

Alex

 

AlexM,

Thanks for your opinions, man. I'm quite convinced that Scoobysport back box is an excellent addition, since everyone's practically praising it. I'll be having a 4-door, mainly because of the sexier look , but also for the quietness. I gotta try and find someone here in Finland with Scoobysport back box, so I can compare it to Oge's Prodrive set.


Oge,

Nice to meet you, I live in Helsinki too. Maybe we can meet some time so I can compare the sounds. Your reply also answered one big question on my mind; is Prodrive performance pack MY00 compatible? Apparently it is.

However, I think I can't afford another penny until next winter, and I'm not sure if I wanna ruin my days by knowning what I'm really missing . But sure, let's get in touch. I'll be emailing you soon for more questions.

-Fernis

 

just a small point - the phase II engines (from 1.5 litre through to sti) were introduced on all imprezas in October 1998 = 'MY 99' - thus the MY 99 and MY 00 are both phase II - only engine differences between these are slightly revised ecu (with different pinout) there are bigger differences between MY 98 and MY 99 and bigger still between 97 and 98.
for the record the engine is essentially the same for MY 99 and 00 (same turbo and all other important bits).

ps - I can send some sound clips of my sti ver5 with Scoobysport backbox AND downpipe to you if you are interested.

cheers,

Paul W

 

Pwebb,

Thanks for pointing out the engine details. It's a relief to know that upgrades designed for MY99 fit MY00 as well.

What comes to the Scoobysport silencer, I think I got the picture how it sounds, since I've heard the prodrive's, and it matched AlexM's description quite well. But if you've got sound clips ready, I'd appreciate if you could send them to me - although I imagine the STI engine sounds a bit different than UK (which equals the Finnish version, I guess) Std Turbo.

-Fernis

 

Ari -
I actually transferred the SS backbox from a uk car to the sti (before downpipe fitting) - I would say that the UK car was LOUDER than the sti - until the downpipe was changed that is! -both sound very similar.... anyway I will send you sound clips of sti ver 5 with backbox only and STI ver 5 with BB and downpipe.
I have soundclips (sad man) from all sorts of pipe - apexi, blitz, HKS and they all have the same distinctive character - for me the Scoobysport does have the nicest overall sound though and has the advantage of tangible performance gains too.

cheers,

Paul W