Exciting drive

The 2.5-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged engine may also play a role in injecting "go-fast" into your blood. The engine creates 265 horsepower and 244 pound-feet of torque, which for a car that weighs 3,200 pounds is more than enough juice. The WRX loves to be flogged and pushed through decreasing radius turns.

Rarely do work commutes leave a little sweat streaming down your back, but the WRX lets you hop out of the car a little more excited than when you got into it.

Even the five-speed manual offers quick throws and makes you drive with a little more enthusiasm. Drivers use manuals. A six-speed may have helped the car's mileage, though, which at 19 miles per gallon city and 25 mpg highway are middle of the road at best.

But that's just one of the give and takes with any car. Want great performance? What are you willing to give up?

    See also:

    Checking the brake pedal reserve distance
    1) More than 2.56 in (65 mm) Depress the pedal with a force of approximately 66 lbf (294 N, 30 kgf) and measure the distance between the upper surface of the pedal pad and the floor. When the me ...

    Deleting old transmitter codes
    The control unit of the remote keyless entry system has four memory locations to store transmitter codes, giving it the ability to operate with up to four transmitters. When you lose a transmitter ...

    To hook the top tether
    To hook the top tether 1. Remove the head restraint at the window-side seating position where the child restraint system has been installed with the lower anchorages or seatbelt; lift up the head res ...