Innehållsförteckning för March 2004 från MotorTrend

GRAN TURISMO OMIGOD-O Wow! I just looked at your article on the new Pontiac GTO (December). The thing that caught my eye wasn’t the jaw-dropping style or the all-powerful Corvette engine. No, what caught my eye was the interior fit and finish. Is that really a Pontiac? I see a little bit of several high-quality makes. I see a simple three-knob climate-control system (like the Toyota Camry’s), an orange triangular hazard flasher button (like Mercedes-Benz), shift knob and boot, emergency-brake handle, dash curves, and gauge design that seem as though they were robbed from Porsche, and seats that would not look out of place in a BMW M5. The GTO is a step forward and up for GM. William McLeodHendersonville, North Carolina Great article on the new GTO. I’m so…

• Aston Martin DBS goes topless • Chrysler stashes second and third rows • Safety becomes voluntary ST270? Ford Motor Co.'s North American product-creation vice president, Phil Martens, hints at a sport sedan for the Ford division. The “Euro rally tuned” performance sedan would make 270 horsepower, he says, without giving any more specifics. Sources report Martens’s announcement is a bit early, but look for Ford to tweak its upcoming Mazda6-based Futura sedan to that level. The car could be called the ST270, after Ford’s new Euro-style line of sub-SVT performance sedans. FUTURA'S UPMARKET SIBLING Mercury’s version of the Mazda6/Ford Futura (to make its debut at the Chicago or New York auto show this year) will be called the Montclair. GM BINDS ON SSANGYONG Still bereft of a European luxury-car…

Chrysler says the long-wheelbase Town & Country and Dodge Caravan are on a new platform for 2005—but you wouldn’t know it to look at them. Both have cleaner-looking grilles and headlights, there’s some new side trim on the Chrysler, and both have revised interiors. The new platform is designed specifically to accommodate two rows of foldaway seats. The second-row captains chairs and third-row split bench have a feature called “Stow ’n Go,” which lets you stow them flush into the floor The second-row stowage bay offers hidden storage when the seats are up. Chrysler says it’s revised the body for a much quieter ride: Two layers of steel sandwich a plastic lining for the floor that blocks noise transmission. The spare is between the front seats, and the AWD option,…

Smooth…real smooth It’s hard to pick which car looks better: the Aston Martin DB9 Coupe or the Volante. After the Coupe’s Frankfurt show debut, the Volante (convertible) warmed up the winter cold of the Detroit show. But its production timing is less than ideal. While the new Gaydon plant will deliver the first of the handbuilt Coupes to customers this spring, Volante buyers will have to wait until fall. Aston expects each to more or less evenly split DB9 production. The DB9 Volante is the 13th convertible from Aston Martin. It was designed to be its own car rather than a coupe with the top cut off, according to CEO Ulrich Bez. It has a larger trunk than the DB7 and two rear seats. Design Director Henrik Fisker incorporated styling…

Six-hundred-and-twenty-six horsepower is to Mercedes-Benz what the amp that “goes to 11” is to Spinal Tap. The German maker has so many cars that go to nine or 10, you almost have to wonder about the reason for the SLR (Sport, Light, Racing) McLaren. AMG’s 5.4-liter supercharged SL55 V-8 as well as the SL600 twinturbo V-12 are rated at 493 horsepower, with the SL55 making 516 pound-feet and the V-12, 590. And the upcoming SL65 AMG’s 6.5-liter twin-turbo V-12 ups horsepower to 612. The SLR, assembled only in left-hand-drive versions by McLaren in Woking, England, retunes the SL55 supercharged V-8 to 626 horsepower and 575 pound-feet. Is that extra thrust worth three times the price of the SL55, which only takes another 0.6 second or so…

Kia’s ambitions—besides building brand image and improving quality—include a tough order: Break into the full-size-sedan segment. Aimed at (and approximately the same size as) the Buick LeSabre and Toyota Avalon, the new Amanti arrives high on value and long on standard features. A DOHC 3.5-liter, 200-horsepower V-6 drives a five-speed automatic with manual-shift mode. Eight airbags join ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution to let Kia check the box, “Look, lots of safety stuff.” Options include leather seating, an Infinity stereo with six-disc in-dash CD, sunroof, heated front seats, and a traction-control/stability system. In a Kia? Tread past the gawky exterior and be surprised. The interior won’t challenge the Avalon’s on fit and finish, but it’s pleasant and intelligently laid out. Firm seats with minimal bolsters seem appropriate for the…

M3 Compact BMW is going to try the 3 Series Compact thing one more time and cap the effort with a serious performance variant. We can’t confirm the powerplant choice, but even if it’s no more than the current M3’s 3.2-liter, 333-horsepower I-6, it should be a stormer, as this car is lighter than the M3 coupe or convertible. More aggressive bodywork, an uprated interior, and M-spec suspension will complete the package. We can only hope it'll make its way to the U.S. M5 This is the Super Bimmer everyone has been waiting for, since the last one was, and remains, a crowd favorite. Look for 500-plus horsepower from a new V-10 engine as well as a six- or even seven-speed sequential manual gearbox. Not visible in this photo are…

Computers used to be content to make pie charts, transmit e-mail, and help us share dirty pictures on the Internet. Suddenly, though, they seem to be taking over our cars. Is this a good thing? Answering such a query has long been a favorite assignment of automakers. In the late 1950s, GM produced a short film that showed a family of the future taking off for a cross-country drive in their sleek, spaceshippy "Firebird II." The film shows the driver, before entering the highway, turning over the reigns of his car to an onboard computer that will do the driving for him. And just when did these filmmakers of the Fifties foresee such a future? Why, way out there in nineteen hundred and seventy six. Of course, when that fateful…

MT’s Figure-Eight Test captures our three sports cars’ performance envelopes as they charge around a %-mile course. Composed of bursts of acceleration, braking, and cornering, it’s rich in the subtleties of transient behavior. Consider the Average g value, which averages the absolute value of all the forces generated over an entire lap (including transitions). It’s interesting to see how closely each car’s lap time placed to one another for distinctly different reasons. Here we find the 350Z strongest in acceleration, while the S2000, though narrowly pipped by the Nissan’s power, is best in cornering and braking. We found the RX-8 could run the entire course in second gear, while the S2000 and 350Z needed to shift between second and third gears to make a full lap.…

2004 JAGUAR XJR Jaguar’s previous flagship sedan was pretty but cramped and based on a platform dating from the late 1980s. The new-for-2004, aluminum-intensive XJ wipes the slate clean with a larger, more modern, yet still beautiful machine that again makes Jag a player in this class. Our platinum-over-black, supercharged XJR has it all: a blown 4.2-liter, 390-horsepower V-8, six-speed automatic transmission, sport-tuned air suspension, adaptive cruise control, dynamic stability control, and reverse park aid, just to name a few amenities. To the $74,330 base price, we added the $2650 Multimedia Package (includes Alpine 320-watt AM/FM/seven-CD changer, limolike dual rear LCD screens crafted into the front headrests, and a DVD player) and the $2200 DVD-based Navigation Package. With $665 in destination charges, our R retailed at $79,845. So far, we’ve…

Mazda’s Miata not only revived a segment thought dead—the affordable roadster—but it managed to crush the subsequent competition while wearing a goofy (if bemused) smile. For the second-generation car, launched in 1999 (there was no 1998), Mazda kept close to the script, producing more of the same. Although the second-gen car looks bigger, it rides on the same 89.2-inch wheelbase and is just 0.3 inches longer. The bigger rump increased luggage capacity from a miniscule 3.6 cubic feet to a merely paltry 5.1. Improved chassis stiffness and uprated suspension gave the new car a heftier, more solid feel. Thanks to a revised 1.8-liter, 140-horsepower 1-4, the new Miata’s performance held fast as its weight increased almost 100 pounds in the makeover. For 2001, the engine received variable-valve timing and a…

FUTURE FARE "Trend" is half our name, so we spend a lot of time peering out over the automotive landscape, identifying what's on the way and deciding what it means. We look closely at the cars that come to market, pump manufacturers for early intelligence on upcoming products, pay spy photographers to catch vehicle-development teams on the road, examine concept cars for hints of designs to come, and ponder what all this tells us about the directions of car making in the world today. We also get to decide how we feel about all that, and, through this magazine, express those feelings in a public forum. Herewith, a few of my own highly personal and completely biased observations from the front. Hybrid drive. Toyota's Prius, named our Car of the…

Volkswagen’s Passat W8 is a short-timer, but VW isn’t abandoning the segment between its midsize sedan and the new Phaeton flagship. This is a look at what’s being considered beyond 2005, when the automaker introduces an all-new Passat. The next Passat shifts to a transverse-mounted engine layout, separating itself from the Audi A4/A6, with which it now shares basic architecture. VW is considering various body configurations, including a sedan, a sporty wagon, and a crossover with a highly functional/flexible interior, like Mercedes-Benz’s upcoming R-Class. Neither the next Passat’s transverse-engine platform nor the Phaeton's expensive one are feasible for the Cl. If VW chooses to build a sedan or sporty wagon, it’ll probably raid the Audi parts bin for all-wheel drive and longitudinal engines. But another scenario has Maserati (which…

Delusions of SUV-ness for Buick and Saturn GM hopes to convince customers its 2005 Saturn Relay and Buick Terraza are sporty, as in a combo of sport/utility and minivan. All-wheel drive remains an option (Chrysler dropped it from long-wheelbase 2005 minivans) and includes independent rear suspension. Only the Buick has IRS on front-drive versions. The sport/utility component apparently has much to do with the minivans's new, long nose and more aggressive-looking bumpers. The Chevy and Pontiac minivans also get restyled and go on sale (this fall) along with the Saturn and Buick. The long nose is as much for front-crash standards as for styling, and the new models use the same roof stampings as the old. The old minivans were designed to include an Opel version, so they have narrow…

Toyota gets serious about sport compacts Hoping to take another bite out of Honda’s dominance of the sport-compact market, Toyota is rushing its new Corolla XRS to dealerships for May. It’s built off an obvious formula: Install a more flexible version of the 2ZZ twin-cam four and six-speed manual that currently powers the 180-horse Celica GTS and 173-horsepower Matrix XRS. That the Celica is a short-timer in North America, anyway (“News,” January), helps. The 2ZZ is a high-revving, 1.8-liter VVTL-i variable valve timing and lift engine. In the Corolla XRS, the high-revving 2ZZ makes 170 horsepower from 6000 to 7800 rpm. Zeroto-60 times in the sub-eight-second area and EPA fuel economy of 25 mpg city, 32 highway are expected. Suspension upgrades include stiffer springs and shocks, a one-inch-lower ride height,…

Right up until your first twist of the Audi TT 3.2 quattro’s ignition key, you’ll be distracted by the car’s curious Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG). The promise of its crisp, trigger-pull manual shifting is intriguing, particularly compared with the “one-Mississippi” delay delivered by typical manumatic transmissions. But ignite the engine. The 250-horsepower narrow-angle V-6 settles into a deliciously throaty burble, the sort of rapid, irregular bass drum roll normally associated with cylinders bigger than this car’s 0.53-liter-per-piston swipe. Knock the shifter into D, probe the throttle, and the TT shoves you back with all the kindness of a gangland thug. This latest TT is a lot more than a nifty new tranny. For instance, if you stomp both of the TT’s pedals and pop your left loafer off the brake—as Senior…

With the QX56, Infiniti has set its sights on the full-size luxury sport/utility market. Based upon Nissan’s Pathfinder Armada, the new rear- and all-wheel-drive Q-ship retains most of the Armada’s bodywork; everything is new forward of the A-pillar and the wheel-arch molding. Infiniti’s waterfall grille, large Xenon headlamps, and family fascia help refine the somewhat quirky Nissan design. The QX56 shares the Armada’s 5.6-liter DOHC V-8 and five-speed automatic transmission, but an increase in compression to 10:1 boosts horsepower to 315 and torque to 390 pound-feet. Off-the-line acceleration is impressive. The electronic throttle is too sensitive at tip-in, but select AWD and a less-aggressive algorithm kicks in for easy modulation off-road. Infiniti engineers revised the Armada’s shock/spring rates and added a rear air-leveling suspension. On pockmarked roads, we found…

Carroll Shelby is 81 years old. He's won tha 24 Hours of le Mans, as a driver and as a team entrant. He's built sports cars in partnership with all three domestic automobile manufacturers. He's had more than a hand's worth of wives and nearly as many organ transplant. He's worked the oil fields of texas, lived in Africa, and raised chickens. He's made many great business deals during his amazing life-along with a few bad ones. And he's patented one helluva chili recipe. Whether you revere or revile him, there's no get-ting around the fact that in the automotive universe, Carroll Shelby is an intergalactic icon. So why, at a point in life when many octogenarians are content just to maintain a pulse, would he want to get involved…

We’ve seen the future, and a lot of it is rear-drive. But who would’ve expected rear drive to find its way back into small cars? That trend is being encouraged by GM’s chief product dude Bob Lutz and his desire to get a four-cylinder, classic two-seat sports car into the Pontiac lineup. Enter the Solstice, the 2002 concept that becomes a real 2006 model in autumn 2005. For $20,000, you’ll get the base Solstice engine, a 170-horsepower, 170-pound-feet, 2.4-liter Ecotec 1-4 (a 2.2-liter turbo or supercharged four will be available later for around $25K). The production Solstice’s weight is significant, at “under 2900 pounds.” Bob’s baby uses Opel Corsa seat frames, Fiat HVAC controls, GMC Envoy backup lamps, and Grand Prix foglamps, but draws considerable inspiration from several Alfa Romeo…

FERRARI 350 DINO One of Enzo’s best is reborn in this modern, lightweight, no-frills mid-engine sports car. An aluminum structure, high-revving 350-horse V-8, and a Porsche 911-fighting pricetag are among its calling cards. Save the weighty, expensive options like paddle shifters and nav systems—just give us another Pin in farina masterpiece like that original 246. BRONCO III Keep those king-size Excursions and Expeditions: Bring back Ford’s original sport/utility! This one trades fake wood and DVD players for ballistic nylon seating and a hose-it-out cabin. A torquey V-8 teams with 4WD and an air-adjustable suspension to help it go anywhere. It’s tough, compact, and cool. See Ford’s version elsewhere in this issue. PORSCHE 914 "STi" Stuttgart targets the PlayStation set with this low, compact, mid-engine, Targa-topped handler. The Subaru's 300-horse turbo…

There was 4 time when sport coupes filled this magazine’s pages. For example, our July 1995 issue featured a shootout with a Honda Prelude VTEC, Toyota MR2 Turbo, Nissan 300ZX Turbo, Chevrolet Camaro, Mitsubishi 3000 GT VR-4, Pontiac Trans Am, Toyota Supra Turbo, and Mazda RX-7 R2, among others. Where are they now? Within just a few years of that test, all would disappear outright or withdraw from our market. Jump to 2004, and, suddenly, coupes and convertibles are back with a vengeance. Why? Besides a worldwide economic upturn, the cars themselves have come down in absolute and relative price, fuel consumption and performance are better—as are emissions—and, believe it or not, the cars are a whole lot easier to drive and to live with. Sure, the Corvette’s and Porsche…

"That man is richest whose pleasures are the cheapest."—Henry David Thoreau "Consequences, schmonsequences! So long as I'm richi"—Daffy Duck Henry David Thoreau would’ve hated the Maybach 62. V Then again, the man hated anything with a pricetag. Of? course, we’re talking about an ill-paid writer whose idea of? a rowdy good time was spending two years near a pond by J himself, staring at the clouds, eating bran, and living in a • house he built for $28. So it’s doubtful that Henry David would have warmed to a 20-foot-long luxury sedan with a 543-horsepower, twin-turbo V-12 engine; a futuristic electro-transparent glass roof; a 155-mph top speed; and a base price of $359,500. Even if he hadn’t died in 1862. On the other hand, for lovers of the good life…

First the good news: Acura’s all-new 2004 TL is such a marked improvement over its predecessor that, even in base trim, it outgunned the well-regarded 2003 TL Type-S in our performance tests. The bad news: Acura says it won’t offer the new TL in Type-S trim. But there is something even better, called A-SPEC, that will be available on TLs and other select Acuras. The 2004 TL makes use of a torquey SOHC, 24-valve 3.2-liter V-6 that churns out a solid 270 horsepower (up 10 from the previous Type-S). It serves up 238 pound-feet of torque and runs buttery smooth right up to 6200 rpm. Acura judged this "good enough" for now, so no engine mods are part of the A-SPEC package. This also helps the company avoid costly recertification.…

Ah, the 1950s. Postwar, Eisenhower-era enthusiasm drove our country and its many forms of industry, in spite of the Cold War and McCarthyism. A newly defined notion, called “aerospace,” had scientists and the aircraft industry looking beyond the propeller; jets and rockets would power man past the sky and into space. The automobile industry was easily captivated by the fantasy of Flash Gordon becoming reality, and car designs adopted rocketlike themes. The Turbo-dyne (top) was a product of the Ford engineering staff’s advanced styling department and, in theory, would be powered by a gas turbine. “High-speed stability will be afforded by the twin butterfly tails,” according to the notes that accompanied this early 1954 rendering. Chrysler had the same mindset, as shown in this 1955 concept drawing (bottom), dubbed simply,…

Honda sets new safety standard for itself All Hondas and Acuras sold in North America will have front-seat side airbags, side-curtain airbags, and anti-lock brakes standard by the 2007 model year. Okay, there are exceptions: You won’t find side curtains in the Honda S2000 or Acura NSX. But for all its mainstream products, from the inexpensive Civic on up, Honda will offer safety features often not found in much costlier cars. It’s an offensive that seeks to match Volvo's and Mercedes-Benz’s safety reputations and lead the rest of the industry—at least until their self-imposed 2009 safety standards take effect (see next page). The Honda safety initiative also will make Vehicle Safety Assist brake and throttle control and rollover sensors standard in all light trucks, including the CR-V, Odyssey, and MDX,…

Ups and downs of 2003 The American car and truck market remained robust in 2003. The Big Three domestic manufacturers all lost shares, but Ford Motor Co. declined the most, while GM saw the smallest decline. Imports continued to gain share, with American Honda (including Acura) leading the way, just a shade ahead of BMW (including Mini). Sport/utilities continued to take sales away from cars and minivans, with the luxury-SUV segment leading the charge. Sadly for car nuts, it was the entry sporty car and sports luxury segments-models such as the Mitsubishi Eclipse and the Lexus SC 430-that lost the most ground. —John Rettie Change in Sales Volume (2003 vs. 2002) This table shows changes in the percent share of the overall U.S. market. Figures are based on share of…

With the addition of a “basic” model known simply as Cayenne (no S) consisting of a six-cylinder engine, 17-inch wheels, and slightly decontented interior, Porsche plans to increase its SUV sales by about 5000. Without the V-8 of the S and Turbo models, Porsche can trim the sticker to entice new buyers to the Cayenne clan. The “new” 3.2-liter narrow-angle V-6 comes courtesy of Volkswagen. The company claims the DOHC V-6 is a true Porsche piece, however, incorporating a unique composite intake manifold with variable-length intake runners, a heavy-duty oil/water heat exchanger, a sport-tuned exhaust system, and specific computer calibration. While the V-6’s rated torque of 228 pound-feet won’t set any records, it delivers good propulsion over a wide rpm range, as we confirmed at Porsche’s cold-weather proving ground north…

The “different kind of company” from Spring Hill, Tennessee, known for its no-haggle pricing and dent-resistant body panels, now builds a different kind of SUV. Saturn teamed with General Motors Performance Division to engineer the Vue Red Line, an SUV that offers more sport while maintaining the 'ute. Enhanced utility comes from increased towing capacity (up 1000 pounds to 3500), thanks to a 3.5-liter Honda-sourced V-6. The new powerplant (standard in any V-6-equipped Vue, Red Line or not) offers 38 percent more power and a 24-percent bump in torque over last year’s Opel-based V-6. This class-leading power is matched to a Honda five-speed automatic gearbox, in either FWD or AWD. Included with the Red Line package are stiffer and shorter (by 26 mm) springs to reduce body roll and…

Nothing is more frustrating in all of autodom than a car like the Chrysler ME Four-Twelve prototype. Presented at the Detroit auto show to gauge the market potential for a “halo” Chrysler that could sticker for more than a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, the ME Four-Twelve is a bigger surprise than the 2003 Dodge Tomahawk V-10 motorcycle and recalls the Cadillac Cien concept of 2002. The ME’s frustration quotient comes from the fact that DaimlerChrysler can produce this car in ultra-low volumes—but only if it gets enough orders. With modern mid-engine supercar styling and a seriously impressive 850 horsepower and 850 pound-feet of torque, who’s going to say, “Nah, don’t bother”? And yet, Chrysler needs rich people to prove their interest with hard cash. This may not be easy, as ultra-exoticville…

They want to dump the steering wheel. Within a decade, the part of a car we take most for granted—along with its tires—could be history. “They” are the researchers and engineers who believe we'll be better off with new kinds of steering controls. Don’t laugh: Technology is finally making the idea possible. This isn’t a new concept. From the late 1950s into the 1960s, America’s carmakers experimented with replacements for the steering wheel. They tried joysticks and dual- and single-dial controls that worked surprisingly well with the lower-tech systems of 40 years ago. Ford fitted a system called “Wrist Twist” to five Mercury convertibles and conducted a six-month test with more than 100 drivers in cities across the U.S. “We were surprised how naturally most drivers accepted Wrist Twist,” said…

GM 2005 CHEVROLET COBALT Chevy wants its share of Civic, Corolla, and Focus buyers and claims the Cavalier-replacing Cobalt will do the job. Based on GM's global Delta platform, which underpins the less-than-spectacular Saturn Ion, the Cobalt will offer three Ecotec four-cylinder engine choices: a 140-horsepower, 2.2-liter; a 2.4-liter with 170 horses; and, sometime after a fall 2004 launch, a supercharged 2.0-liter for the Cobalt SS good for at least 200. The company claims the Cobalt's interior materials and quality levels will satisfy those who lust for Hondas and that these cars will be big fun to drive. The Pontiac Sunbird goes buh-bye. FORD 2005 FOUR FIVE HUNDRED AND MERCURY MONTEGO American brands are suffering from a dearth of solid, midsize sedans. These two fresh and handsome four-doors are aimed…

While steering feel is subjective, responsiveness can be measured. One of the best ways to do this is via a step-steer test. The concept is simple enough: Suddenly snap a predetermined amount of steering angle into the wheel and measure the time (hence, distance) the car travels before it attains its final lateral-g cornering rate. Here, we premeasured the steering angle each car needed to achieve 0.6 g at 30 mph and monitored the lateral-g forces via an accelerometer. Our trio’s report card: All three are quick responders, but the RX-8 has the fastest reflexes, trailed by the S2000 and the heavier-feeling 350Z. The Honda seems to match the Mazda, but we suspect its quicker steering ratio contributes to that illusion.…

Because not everyone wants a minivan, sport/utility vehicles have assumed the mantle of all-purpose family expeditor. There's a special breed of full-size SUV out there with three rows of seats, a truck-based ladder frame, V-8 power, a macho stance, and a tractor-beam tenacity to tow something really, really big. Oh, and don't forget four-wheel drive, even though most of these big rigs will go to their second owners without low range ever being engaged. The point is, you would if you could, but you won't if you don't the hardware for that life-defining remote rendezvous. We're talking battlestars here. Whether you define adventure as parasailing off El Capitan or visiting the jump house in Uncle Milt's driveway, a well-kitted utility wagon can come in handy. Three-hour fertilizer sale across town?…

BREEZY RIDER Anyone with an appreciation for fine craftsmanship and nostalgic toys will love the handcrafted custom wagons produced by Art Uchimura of Ontario, California. Art's sleek designs range from tiny-tot wagons to racy, knobby-tired Low Boys like the model pictured here. Basic Low Boys start at $500. Contact Art for more info. 909/986-1871 www.uchimurawagons.com PRIME TIME To commemorate Ferrari's Formula One championship last year, Swiss watchmaker Girard-Perregaux has released this gorgeous, limited-edition Ferrari F2003-GA chronograph. It'll help if you have a Schumacher-like salary: Prices for the GA range from $11,500 for the steel version to $38,500 for a white-gold edition. A titanium model rounds out the lineup. Contact Girard-Perregaux for a dealer near you. 877/846-3447 www.girard-perregaux-usa.com SPACE & SOUND With the cool, new Delphi XM Roady satellite-radio receiver ($119.99)…

Subaru single-handedly redefined the sport-compact market in America when it introduced the turbocharged Impreza WRX. For years, we’d been forced to endure glowing, near-heroic WRX reviews from our overseas counterparts, but, finally, we got to experience the hype first-hand. What some felt was a gamble on Subaru’s part turned out to be a harbinger of good—no, great—things to come. We figured any automotive enthusiast who could fog a mirror would certainly appreciate a mid- $20,000 sedan packing 227 horsepower and all-wheel drive—and we were correct. When the opportunity to sample a WRX came along, we decided to add one more element to the mix: “Make it a wagon to give the unsuspecting motoring public a shock.” We took delivery of our blue-pearl sport wagon in October 2001. Because the car…