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Cars

All-wheel drive on small cars

By ANN M. JOB, Associated Press
Published October 7, 2005

All-wheel drive is popular on sport utility vehicles and trucks, and it has been surfacing as a feature to improve traction and handling of luxury cars.

But even buyers of the smallest sedans - subcompacts - can get all-wheel drive, and they don't have to spend $30,000 to get it.

Subaru is the only brand to make all-wheel drive standard on every vehicle sold in the United States.

This includes the subcompact Subaru Impreza line where the starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, is $18,920 for a five-passenger Impreza 2.5i sedan with manual transmission.

For 2006, Imprezas also have more powerful engines, exterior styling updates, more safety equipment than their predecessors and a first-ever three-sedan selection of the Impreza WRX sporty trim level.

Suzuki is the only other brand to offer all-wheel drive on an under-$20,000 subcompact sedan. The five-passenger Suzuki Aerio has a starting price of $17,594 for an all-wheel-drive, 2005 LX sedan.

Subaru Imprezas are available as both sedans and wagons.

The top of the line WRX STI has become a cult car among young men who like its expressive styling and 300-horsepower four-cylinder engine with high-boost turbocharger.

But the 2006 WRX sedan that was the test car seemed to strike a nice balance of spunky power and ride comfort.

Styling of all Imprezas now incorporates a three-section, mesh grille with more prominent headlights. In back, there are new taillamps.

But the real news is the power.

The base, 2.5-liter, naturally aspirated, horizontally opposed "boxer" four cylinder develops 173 horsepower, up a bit from 165, because of the addition of a valve lift system.

The Imprezas that are the next step up, the WRX models, have a new engine altogether. It's a 230-horsepower, 2.5-liter, intercooled and turbocharged boxer four cylinder capable of 235 foot-pounds of torque at 3,600 rpm.

The test WRX sedan with five-speed manual seemed to be rarin' to go and didn't need much time to get up to speed and effortlessly zip along. There was a bit of turbo lag at times, as I stepped on the gas and waited for the power to come on. But once it did, there was strong power delivery.

Best of all, the all-wheel drive helped manage how that power moved the wheels. In so many small cars, a rush of power can make the wheels spin and squeal and sometimes jerk the steering wheel to one side, but there was none of this in the WRX sedan as power was split among four wheels, not just two.

The WRX clearly outpaces the Suzuki Aerio, which has a naturally aspirated, 155-horsepower, 2.3-liter four cylinder.

The test WRX sedan didn't include a turbo boost gauge so I couldn't monitor visually inside the vehicle when the turbo was tapped.

Subaru said a boost gauge can be installed by a dealer.

Note the WRX requires 91 octane fuel, which in this day of high gasoline prices can mean $50 or more to fill the 15.9-gallon tank. That's a hefty sum for a subcompact car, but spokesman Dominick Infante said premium fuel is best for the turbocharged engine.

Fuel economy isn't as high as in some other small cars. It's 20 or 21 miles a gallon in city driving, depending on whether the WRX has a manual or four-speed automatic transmission. The car's highway rating is 26 mpg.

The WRX sedan handled easily, with a taut-feeling, sport suspension that didn't make the ride too jarring. There were vibrations that came through nearly all the time, and I felt the impact of the car going over manhole covers.

The WRX continues to have a wimpy, small-car horn, and the trunk lid doesn't have any padding, so it can feel lightweight and sound tinny when the trunk is slammed shut.

Trunk space is 11 cubic feet, which is about par for subcompact sedans.

I liked that the WRX sedan interior is no-nonsense and easy-to-understand with controls well arranged.

Even the fabric seats on the test car looked good, and I liked that automatic climate control - not manual - was included.

Among the safety features are new, front-seat side airbags to protect occupant head and chest in a side crash. But the Impreza still doesn't offer curtain airbags, which are showing up in more vehicles, including the low-priced, 2006 Kia Rio.

Seventy percent of WRX drivers are men, with median age of 36, which is a very young demographic in the auto industry. These buyers are well-educated, with 68 percent having a college undergraduate degree plus some extra schooling. Household income is $92,500.

Consumer Reports said the Impreza line has a "very good" record of reliability, and it's a Consumer Reports recommended car.

- Next car reviews, in this order: 2006 Mazda5, 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, 2006 Honda Civic, 2006 Pontiac Solstice.

2006 Subaru Impreza WRX

BASE PRICE: $18,295 for base Impreza 2.5i sedan; $23,995 for WRX TR sedan; $24,995 for WRX sedan

AS TESTED: $25,620

TYPE: Front-engine, all-wheel-drive, five-passenger, subcompact sedan

ENGINE: 2.5-liter, intercooled, turbocharged, horizontally opposed four cylinder

MILEAGE: 20 (city), 26 (highway)

TOP SPEED: NA

LENGTH: 175.8 inches

WHEELBASE: 99.4 inches

CURB WEIGHT: 3,192 pounds

BUILT AT: Japan

OPTIONS: None

DESTINATION CHARGE: $625

[Last modified October 6, 2005, 08:25:09]