subarus (was: A valid comparison?

[Eliot Lim <eliot@u.washington.edu>]

subarus used to be no more advanced than f*** truck SUV's but they've
come a long way from those days.  if i'm not mistaken they have at
least one world rally championship under their belt, which means that
at the very least it's got better breeding than most japanese
appliances.  

contemporary subarus have much nicer springing and damping than its
rivals of the same nationality.  the suspension set up of subarus is
the sole responsibility of an individual who is an ex works rally
driver while the other makes have suspension that are usually done by
committee.

the problem with the american market is once again the marketing.
there used to a turbo legacy, but it was a castrated version,
with only one turbo sitting on one side of its horizontally
opposed banks.  not surprisingly it has terrible lag.  the
european and japanese versions quite rightly have two turbos
and 40 more horses.

there's now the impreza WRX that is doing really well in recent WRC
events.. twin turbos and 217 bhp into 3100 pounds stock.  i think they
picked up where audi left off in the rallying scene.  of course this
car is not available in the US.  sometimes americans deserve it for
their perenially poor taste.  yeah, that f*** truck 4X4 with leaf
springs is way more macho than a WRC killer.......

i wouldn't be in the least inhibited to take a serious look at a turbo
AWD subaru, especially one that is a WRC homologation special.  they
don't have the excess fat that a "luxury" name brand like audi
requires and the 4wd system is 100% modern, the flat four is pretty
bulletproof.  plus it would be a great Q ship too.

the only thing i'd miss from audi are the boost control electronics
and h/w that almost completely eliminate lag.  oh, and tuners like
ned ritchie...


eliot