Good omen? | The Press

At Subaru, we decided to revive the Impreza RS, which first appeared more than 25 years ago, with the aim of preparing the ground for the arrival of the WRX and WRX STi. Reintroduced in the spring, does this acronym also have the mission of announcing the return of the WRX STi to the catalog? Don’t believe it!

No, the RS does not foreshadow the return of the WRX STi (with a gasoline engine, of course). Rather, it is back in service to restore glamor to the Impreza family by highlighting not so much the style or sophistication of a model as its performance. Which may seem quite schizophrenic, whereas speed is no longer a rising value. However, there are still drivers fond of this more pungent type of seasoning. This nostalgia sequence is primarily aimed at the generation of those who, in the 1980s and 1990s, were immersed in the myth of the Volkswagen GTI at a very young age. Customers who, today, belong to the socio-demographic category in which most new car buyers are recruited.

The RS acronym is pinned to a car which is certainly no longer quite a youth, but which nevertheless benefits from many developments. The most notable of course is the integration of the 2.5L engine under the hood. A large displacement, but which translates into an increase of only 30 hp and 33 lb-ft of torque compared to the 2 L engine that equips the rest of the range (see our boxes). But the main gains here affect the sound level.

Let’s not beat around the bush, the Impreza RS does not have the expected smoldering character. This is measured from the first contact with the accelerator pedal. Concretely, this Subaru seems livelier than it really is.

That said, this mechanic packs enough punch when entering a fast lane or performing an overtaking maneuver. But the clock doesn’t lie… The competition is faster and, even better, more economical at the pump if you don’t take the drive mode into account. In fact, a Mazda 3 Sport equipped with the naturally aspirated 2.5 L engine and all-wheel drive consumes just as much as the Impreza RS, which also benefits from a larger fuel tank this year. But it uses a continuously variable box (CVT) technically supposed to be more sober. Mazda uses a traditional automatic transmission and it’s much nicer than Subaru’s proposal. And this, despite all the attention it receives this year. Alas, RS or not, all Imprezas drop the manual transmission as part of this partial redesign.

Notwithstanding these flaws, this RS with its perfectly tuned chassis is completely trustworthy. The precision of its steering, the specific adjustments made to the shock absorbers and springs, as well as the four-wheel drive technology give it reassuring road qualities in all conditions. On wet or, even better, snowy road surfaces, it’s not the Impreza RS’s sporty behavior or mechanical performance that stands out, but rather its stability.

Remarkably balanced, this car lets itself be guided with great finesse and precision thanks to a steering that offers enough firmness to provide good sensations. Traction is never lacking and the rear axle rolls up well, which allows it to be easily entered in tight turns. All this contributes to the feeling of safety that one experiences behind the wheel. The increased rigidity of the chassis limits body movements and allows the suspension to soften a little so as not to sacrifice comfort. This Subaru turns flat and short, and only the tight turns taken at (very) high speed reveal the lack of grip of its tires and the compromise of its ground connections which spare our vertebrae somewhat.

Typed sport with a small S, this Subaru is aimed primarily at a clientele of connoisseurs who want to have fun in all seasons (all-wheel drive) at the wheel of a car that is safe and pleasant on a daily basis.

With the RS, having a good time at the wheel becomes an accumulation of miniscule pleasures, made of stealthy accelerations, of delicate “feel of the road”, of simple pleasures.

Austerity

We slip into the controls of this RS or any other Impreza without any problem. The front buckets wrap you well and are comfortable over long distances. After having made the necessary adjustments to achieve a pleasant driving position, the eye and the hand are flattered by the all too rare sports elements grafted to the cabin. In addition, the presentation is austere and it would be even more so, had it not been for the two-tone treatment of the seats or the topstitching. The dashboard shell houses rather poor instrumentation for a car with a sporty accent. The quality of the materials is correct, nothing more, but it is – again – the seriousness and the robustness of the finish that catches the eye.