Microstar

Sold my Hawkeye saloon and have been looking for a roomier hatchback car to replace it (growing family).

I tried a MY08 WRX, but what a disappointment! OK, its quick enough, but the steering feels vague in comparison to the older cars and it feels loose and floaty on corners, doesn't feel too solid either. I just wonder what the used value of these new Impreza's will be like in a few years, they already appear to be 'unloved', I can't see many enthusiasts buying them and they are a bit too costly to run for the average motorist.

I tried a Golf GTi - great car and much better chassis than the new WRX. Lovely broad spread of torque from the engine at virtually all RPM. I then tried a Skoda Octavia VRS - very very impressed, basically feels the same at the Golf GTi, but with a fair bit more room in it and cheaper too. Very sweet chassis and feels very solid. So probably going to get the Skoda.

What is the world coming to when a Skoda is better than a Subaru?
I really hope Subaru get their house in order, the AWD concept is great and I like the boxer engines, but they need to up their game to keep with the competition. I wonder how long some of their dealers can hang on. I read that Subaru sold less than 90 cars in the whole UK during August!

S3TH

iTrader: (2)

I have had 2 mk 1 Octavia VRS and they were superb all rounders. Found it quite easy to drive on the limit as well with no nasty surprises. Basically it was a hot hatch when you wanted to be and a refined cruiser when you wanted to take it easy. Cant fault it really, although cheaper ive heard the spec on the mk2 VRS is a bit stingy though, ie wind down rear windows?

Of course completely different car to an impreza but in the octavia you can still have fun and id reccomend them to anyone.

ScoobyDoo555

I don't think it's so much that Subaru have to up their game, as by all accounts the new car is actually quite good (if you like that sort of thing! )

it's more so that the competition have REALLY upped their game.

I've been out of a Scoob for 2 years after a very long time with the marque. cuurrently driving something german and quick Looking at a Golf GTi of some sort too.

Would I come back to Subaru? To be honest, no. But purely because the competition is SO much stronger now, and in most cases, IMHO, the product is stronger too.
The Scoob still is high-performance motoring (to most people, a 200+bhp car is high-performance!) on the cheap. But that isn't the only factor now.

Good luck Subaru, you've still got a good product, but everybody else wants a piece of a pie that's been predominantly yours for the last 15 or so years.

richs2891

Have to agree with what you said !

Richard

Microstar

Yes, but surely the new Impreza hatch ought to drive better than the old Hawkeye - it doesn't. The steering feels a good deal less precise and the car feels less balanced in a corner.

RyanSTI

iTrader: (1)

i was pretty impressed with the skoda to be honest, space is much better than the audis or vw's. however at least with the scoob they are fast, which the skodas are not.

AlanPPP

iTrader: (2)

Used to wrok at a Skoda franchise and loved the VRS's...IMO i'd go for the diesel Octy VRS in blue or black Not much in it for speed and they handle better due to the extra weight up front.

miff13

I was in your position a year ago, I wanted a new car but just didn't fancy the wrx, in the end got the petrol TSFi version of the VRs.



I'm very happy with it; it's fairly quick out of the box, the engine is great and pulls like a train from low revs up to the limit, and has enough torque that I can pootle around in 6th gear at 40mph and yet it still responds when you accelerate. It may not be as quick as an impreza from a standing start but it's not far off.

It has loads of room in the rear and a massive boot, and the petrol consumption is pretty good too, I manage 30mpg on my short run into work in town driving, and have got 40mpg on long runs. Afaik the diesel version does not get much better mpg, so unless you're doing a lot of miles a year I'd go for the petrol version.

Microstar

Are we talking MY08 WRX here (not STi)?

I drove the WRX and then the Octavia vRS turbo about an hour later. The WRX is certainly quicker from a standing start. The vRS doesn't feel that quick in first gear - maybe some kind of electronic torque limiting going on? Once the cars are rolling though, the vRS has very swift in-gear acceleration, the torque curve is very flat from 1800rpm-5000rpm and you can sprint past most things in 3rd gear.
I'm sure that the WRX would beat a vRS turbo in a traffic-light sprint to 60mph, but in real-world A and B-road driving I've no doubt the vRS would be faster, especially with the better steering and cornering balance. That's why I was disappointed with the MY08, it doesn't feel like a fast cross-country car. Its a bit like the Mazda 3 MPS - a very rapid motor in a straight line but lacking something when you come to a corner. The older Impreza's were better in that regard, my Hawkeye always felt very planted. And why do the Japs insist on over-light steering on the newer cars? - MY08 and Mazda 3 mps - both over-light.

Microstar

Yes, I shall be getting the petrol. I tried the diesel, but I felt the petrol felt a fair bit livelier.