Subaru Impreza 5D 2.0 S-GT Review

If you have been to the National day parade, you will see tanned, well built and clean-cut paratroopers in their crisp uniforms and glittering medals. Common sense tells you that these guys can also be thrown into a jungle, sweaty and dirty, and still come out on top of the situation despite their neat appearance.

Outside

This slick, black hatchback reminds us that there is definitely more than meets the eye to, with familiar Impreza features an obvious given.

The rather teardrop-like, curved silhouette reminds us that Petter Solberg and his group of "rally enthusiasts" have finally managed to convince Subaru that they must change over to hatch form to remain competitive. LED tail lamps rule the tailgate, and so does the "hood-scoop" that sadly, isn't as large as that of the previous generation, GDx bonnet intake.

Hit head on, you might like the set of beautifully designed yet aggressive stare of the projector headlamps, and that familiar, throaty growl of the boxer engine when you give the ignition key a twist.

Think of it as the Spartan King, Leonidas, in a Ralph Lauren suit.

Inside

The Optitron meters greeted us with an STI style "opening ceremony" where the speedometer and tachometer swing to their maximum threshold, and back. Yours truly was surprised that the semi-bucket seats of this supposed "war machine" were comfortable and sturdy enough to hold the bulky frame of the two front occupants.

Boot space was reasonably large, and one could squeeze a golf bag or two in, but unfortunately not much else. Rear legroom felt reasonably good for the average joe six pack (read: 6 beers). Three swarthy commandos would be able to squeeze inside, although that would probably have a detrimental effect on the vehicle's overall performance.

Then, it hit us like a bolt from the blue. The words 'comfort' and 'space' aren't default terms used to describe a performance vehicle, more so a rally derived signature from Subaru.

There was only one way to find out if the monster beneath the hood had been sedated and domesticated - To irritate and heckle it.
Driving Impressions

Within our comfortable, well adjusted thrones, we pushed the S-GT onto the normality of Singaporean roads, where as expected from the Legacy derived contraption, didn't feel out for 2.0 DOHC turbo. This was probably due to the rather conventional (by today's standards that is) four-speed auto equipped with Subaru's "Sportshift" manual mode. The ride was unusually smooth and peaceful.

A little too peaceful for its own good.

Certain open stretches of highway unoccupied by other lifeforms seemed to be the defining moments of the S-GT.

The brochure informed us of the fact that the engine produces 248bhp worth of power at 6000rpm and 333Nm worth of torque at 2400rpm. Yours truly had to resort to a little flooring of the accelerator to simply overtake a Malaysian Cub bike. Where'd all that low end torque go?

A slight shudder, accompanied by a loud wheeze as we spirited past the cub. Maybe there was a taxi and an old Toyota somewhere in between. Our photographer clocked 4 secs for the 60-100km/h sprint. What was surprising was not the pickup of the engine, but how stable our soldier felt as he burst forward in his shuttle run.

The century dash still takes about 7.6 seconds with half a tank of gas on a hot day.

Despite the "intact" acceleration abilities of the Impreza be it in Sportshift mode or otherwise, the car feels slower than it should be, a byproduct of excellent insulation and build, but where is the exhilaration?

On the bright side, wind, engine and road noise was kept to an all time low, for Impreza standards that is, because we could still hear Jamie Yeo rambling on and on over the radio.

So this particular warrior was already sedated with narcotics galore then, and we were disappointed, much like having paid 300 quid to see Brazil play, but instead of dribbling and flamboyance, one ends up observing lots of unwanted, efficient defending, direct passing and lots of long balls.

up, the handling test. We threw the S-GT around some extremely tight corners in the fringe areas of Singapore.

The legendary Subaru All Wheel Drive system did not let us down. Hugging the bends and curves with zest, the flexible independent suspension responding to every order that was barked its way by our hard hitting, aggressive driving style.

When driven progressively, the Yokohama Advan 17 inchers proved to be grippy enough for the everyday driver, with the turn-in abilities of this car akin to that of a Tigress pouncing on a slab of meat, but the limit reared its ugly face fairly early in the game.

Time flies when you are having fun.

Our metal comrade had accomplished his mission, and was going to be transported back to base, and to cool things down, the trip on the way back was much tamer.

Verdict?

For $95,388 and little other Japanese competitors in this segment, the S-GT may not be as rapid as the 2.5 Impreza WRX which by the way, really isn't as manic as the old one either. It may not have the raw growl, muscle and force of the manual gearbox fitted brute. One thing is clear though - in terms of comfort, ease of handling, pickup as well as aesthetic qualities, it still ticks the right boxes for the everyday driver seeking a fast, hassle free ride.

Not everyone will love it. But the young manager, trendy career woman and even a middle aged family man might take a shining to this racy hatch.

Just remember though, not to provoke any of these, potential S-GT drivers at the lights™