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:

    New Chassis Tuning for 2011
    The Subaru Impreza WRX STI was already a highly optimized performance machine. Specific chassis tuning. Aluminum front lower L-arms reduce unsprung vehicle weight. Major chassis tuning changes inc ...

    Forward direction
    Turn the “TUNE/TRACK/CH” dial clockwise to skip to the beginning of the next track/file (track). Each time the dial is turned, the indicated track/file (track) number will increase. NOTE In an ...

    Under the Hood
    A 2.5-liter horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine sends 165 horsepower to a standard five-speed-manual or optional four-speed-automatic transmission. Every Subaru vehicle has all-wheel drive, ...