The Impreza GT fits between the base Impreza and the WRX in Subaru's model lineup. But with no cabin tech options available and a price comparable with the WRX, we can't see what this car is doing in the line-up.
Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Subaru gets a lot of use from its Impreza platform, using it for everything from an inexpensive compact car to the rally-pedigreed WRX STI. The GT version sits right in the middle of the line-up.
The Impreza's new design, launched last year, narrows the grille and dips the front down, yet retains a nice bow-shaped curve from headlight to headlight.
From the side, the Impreza GT appears more like a standard compact car, although the belt-line gives a sporty edge. The car can carry five people, with a little tightness in the rear seat. The car is also available as a hatchback.
The engine is what makes this car a GT. Subaru takes the base 2.4-liter boxer four-cylinder engine and adds an intercooled turbocharger, bumping up the horsepower from 170 to 224.
As the automatic transmission has a manual mode, the tachometer can be useful. But even in manual mode, the transmission will shift up if the revs get too high.
Cabin tech consists of this stereo head unit. It has an in-dash six disc player that can read MP3 CDs, but there are no other options besides a dealer-installed iPod interface.
