![]() ![]() Sure, it sounds a little buzzy, but that's where it likes to perform. Occasional glances reveal we've been driving it comfortably in the 3000-6000-rpm range, which comes as a bit of a surprise. Driving it around town, we find ourselves looking less at the tach for shift points and more to the momentum we feel in our seats and the tone reaching our ears. With an eyebrow-raising 9000-rpm redline, it's a car ready for the pages of Super Street magazine. ![]() Equipped with ABS, the Protege5 comes to a halt from 60 mph in a respectable 124 ft.īy adding a muffler that approximates an exhaust note more often produced by aftermarket systems, the Matrix XRS's 1.8L/180-hp TLEV-spec engine sounds more aggressive than the other two. No doubt the trick strut-tower brace and anti-roll bars aided in wagon's extremely flat and predictable nature. Still, it doesn't embarrass itself at the test track, returning a decent 8.82-sec sprint to 60 mph, and clips the slalom cones at a pace (66.4 mph) that would challenge most sports cars. Because of this around-town-rpm earnestness, we'd hardly say the Protege5 is slow-it's merely horsepower challenged. The Protege5 does, however, offer a more useable amount of torque at a lower rpm than the Matrix: 135 lb-ft at 4000 rpm versus 130 lb-ft at 6800 rpm. While it lacks the absolute horsepower the other two offer, its 2.0L/130-hp inline-four (the only engine currently offered) runs on less-expensive regular-grade gasoline and returns the best EPA mileage figures of the three. The Mazda Protege5 is the cleanest-running here, earning a ULEV rating. Do you see a continent-biased trend there? With the European wagons ranging from $28,000 to $50,000, suddenly the WRX's price becomes more palatable-especially considering the Subaru tops them all in base horsepower.Īll three wagons have high-revving capabilities, yet each manufacturer puts a different spin on the concept. This may seem like a lot of money for an AWD wagon, but consider the only other AWD wagons available: Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and Volvo. BBS wheels with Bridgestone Potenza RE011 performance rubber our wagon now wears are the only option we chose to add, bringing the total to $27,055. The only major available options our tester lacks are a 4A transmission-no thanks for this sport-biased test-and a premium-level stereo. But the WRX goes far beyond the others with full-time AWD (center differential and viscous coupling) with a limited-slip rear differential, ABS, racing-style front seats with side airbags, Momo steering wheel, and an aluminum hood with functional scoop. As a result, it's also the most costly at a base price of $23,495 and, like the others, includes the BGS standard equipment. However, as we intended, it's the most sporty engine/trans/driveline combo Subaru currently offers and represents the company's top-performing wagon. We've already touched on the WRX's 227-hp turbocharged intercooled, flat-four "ringer" status of the threesome. ![]()
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