Car Moon

Understandably, those who bought a 2008 Impreza WRX 224HP aren’t going to be feeling happy with the Japanese automaker this morning as Subaru confirmed earlier reports (see here) by revealing that the 2009 Impreza WRX gets a significant power boost, a retuned suspension and to top it all, a series of STI design tweaks. Since the 2009 WRX will be offered exclusively with a 5-speed manual, Subaru renamed 2008 WRX 224HP with the 4-speed auto transmission to the 2009 Impreza GT, maintaining the same 2.5-liter turbocharged boxer.

Back to the 2009 Impreza WRX, thanks to the larger turbocharger, the new larger-diameter exhaust and low-density catalyst for reduced backpressure, the 2.5-liter engine now produces 265HP at 6,000 rpm (from 224HP) and 244 lb.-ft. of peak torque at 4,000 rpm (from 226 lb.-ft. in the 2008 version).The suspension on the 2009 Impreza WRX has also been revised with new front upper strut mounts from the STI, stiffer springs, larger stabilizer bars and re-tuned suspension dampers. -Continued