[Jaggu]

Wow the car has really grown in size over the year! Great buy and Congratz!

Can we have more of interior shots and under the hood pics please.

[Samir Taheer]

Nice buy Sujay. I have a Legacy 3.0R Spec B and i absolutely love it to bits. Enjoy your car.

[sujaylahiri]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Beautiful car. How much did it cost ?

I have the one with the sport package. A new one has an on road price of $27,600 in Canada, which is very close to a 4 cyl Accord with similar equipment. But I didn't need something as big as an Accord just for myself. Mine being slightly used cost less than that since it had about 30,000 km on it.

Wow the car has really grown in size over the year! Great buy and Congratz!

Can we have more of interior shots and under the hood pics please.

I will get on it over the weekend.

[mohit]

Nice one Sujay! Looks hot in red.

You are far away from the border otherwise used Subarus from south make a much better deal.

[sujaylahiri]

Originally Posted by mohit

Nice one Sujay! Looks hot in red.

You are far away from the border otherwise used Subarus from south make a much better deal.

True say. I did talk to different dealers in Washington and Montana, and they did offer better pricing than the Canadian ones, but I simply didn't have the time to go over there and drive one back home. Maybe next time.

[balajird]

Hey Mohit / Sujay, How tough is it to get license in Canada, i am staying in Regina, Saskatchaven, a bit worried about the upcoming winter, any advice? between, nice looking car, good choice.

[sujaylahiri]

Originally Posted by balajird

Hey Mohit / Sujay, How tough is it to get license in Canada, i am staying in Regina, Saskatchaven, a bit worried about the upcoming winter, any advice? between, nice looking car, good choice.

Check out this link if you haven't seen it already.
How to Get a Driver’s Licence

I think you should be able to use your Indian license for the first 6 months of your stay, but you'll need to have some insurance with it. I might be wrong though.

As far as the written and the road tests go, it's all based on common sense and common courtesy. You should be fine.

And if you are getting a car for the winter, I'd strongly recommend an AWD or a FWD car, and winter tires are a must, especially for new drivers here.

[balajird]

Thanks Sujay, will surely keep these things in mind.

[sujaylahiri]

A little update on the Subie, mostly from my multiple trips to Edmonton, which is about 475km away from where I live.

At 120 kph, it revs at about 3000 rpm. At 100 kph, it's at about 2700 rpm. The cabin is surprisingly well insulated despite the high cruising rpm. In fact, you can barely hear anything at all, except maybe for some tire noise. Subaru clearly has put enough insulation in the cabin and also under the hood, which has made the car a bit heavy though.

As far as the driving dynamics are concerned, the AWD along with the Vehicle Dynamics and Traction Control (VDC) make up for an almost effortless highway cruising. In contrast to my old Lancer which was susceptible to crosswinds on the highway and also strong drafts experienced while passing semi trailers, the Impreza stays dead straight and I have not felt a single wobble or uneasiness whatsoever. The VDC along with the AWD takes care of everything and there have been times when I've maybe felt the tail wag out a little bit during very strong crosswinds but the steering stays dead straight as the VDC is doing its thing.

As for the ride, the new double wishbone rear suspension has really improved the ride quality for rear passengers, and my buddies who were sitting at the back loved the ride quality. They referred to the ride as being quite "rich". However the drivetrain tunnel running through the middle of the floor leaves really no room for a 5th person at the back, so it's really a 4 seater according to me. Other than that, I found the ride quality in the front to be excellent, soaking up all the bumps, just what I was looking for. Subaru has really matured from a boy racer and has grown up quite a bit in this version.

I usually average about 30 mpg (US) on the highway, and about 25 mpg in the city according to the trip computer, which may be a bit too optimistic.

The premium stereo with the 6CD changer and extra speakers is sufficient for me, and it also has speed adjusted volume control, which cranks up the volume automatically as you speed up. However, I've seen better quality speakers in other cars, and will probably upgrade them in the future.

[mohit]

Originally Posted by balajird

Hey Mohit / Sujay, How tough is it to get license in Canada, i am staying in Regina, Saskatchaven, a bit worried about the upcoming winter, any advice? between, nice looking car, good choice.

If you have a card type license from India, you can claim driving experience based on that and go for an advanced level instead of learner (judging by the fact that Saskatchewan has gaduated licensing). As Sujay mentioned, absolutely do not go for a RWD car and do get a decent set of winter tires. They will ensure that you stay on the road. Prairies have a harsh winter and a car can be a boon or a bane depending on how you take it.

If you have some sort of transit available, I would suggest using that as driving in snowy conditions comes with its inherent set of risks (though shortened U turns by using the handbrake make up for most ). Spring is a good time to start off as you get cleaner road to practice and can be confident enough by the time its winter.

Originally Posted by sujaylahiri

And if you are getting a car for the winter, I'd strongly recommend an AWD or a FWD car, and winter tires are a must, especially for new drivers here.

Not just for new drivers. I have seen the most seasoned drivers skid as the roads can be unpredictable. I say winter tires are a must either ways. if you are so far north from Edmonton, man you must be needing studded tires and all! Will be a fun winter for you!

[Nitin]

Missed this thread.
Congrats Sujay. I like the color! I've not seen a single sedan version of the Imprezza. Personally, I prefer the old generation Zzas, given the iconic status and the looks.

The Imprezza seems more in the league of the Jetta that you were considering, way off from the Dodge you looked at.
Anyways, hope you have miles & miles of good times with the car! Drive safe.

[sujaylahiri]

Originally Posted by Nitin

Missed this thread.
Congrats Sujay. I like the color! I've not seen a single sedan version of the Imprezza. Personally, I prefer the old generation Zzas, given the iconic status and the looks.

The Imprezza seems more in the league of the Jetta that you were considering, way off from the Dodge you looked at.
Anyways, hope you have miles & miles of good times with the car! Drive safe.

The previous generation Impreza was a very capable car on its own, but that was also its biggest weakness. It was a pain to have as a daily driver, and the interior quality was just appalling.

I was looking at something which is both good on the highway as well as at autocross. Although they've softened it quite a bit for this generation, frankly speaking, I don't mind it. I wouldn't want a bone jarring ride every day to work, especially on these Northern Alberta roads. But at the same time, I didn't wanna be just another guy driving a Corolla, Civic or a Jetta, which I consider inadequate for my needs. So I was willing to pay the $3-4k premium for the AWD and better engineering, let's see how it holds up in the future.

Originally Posted by mohit

Not just for new drivers. I have seen the most seasoned drivers skid as the roads can be unpredictable. I say winter tires are a must either ways. if you are so far north from Edmonton, man you must be needing studded tires and all! Will be a fun winter for you!

Unfortunately, studded tires are illegal here in Alberta. I ran a set of 14" Goodyear Nordics (from Canadian Tire) on my Lancer last winter, and they seemed to provide amazing traction on both ice and snow.
But 16" winter tires with rims are gonna be expensive for my Impreza. I'm just thinking of staying with the stock Bridgestone Potenza All seasons and taking advantage of the AWD and stability control for the winter. The highways are usually plowed here right after a snowstorm, it's the unplowed city blocks I have to be careful about.

[mohit]

Originally Posted by sujaylahiri

Unfortunately, studded tires are illegal here in Alberta. I ran a set of 14" Goodyear Nordics (from Canadian Tire) on my Lancer last winter, and they seemed to provide amazing traction on both ice and snow.
But 16" winter tires with rims are gonna be expensive for my Impreza. I'm just thinking of staying with the stock Bridgestone Potenza All seasons and taking advantage of the AWD and stability control for the winter. The highways are usually plowed here right after a snowstorm, it's the unplowed city blocks I have to be careful about.

I thought they would be legal in the upper reaches - like here in Ontario. Have you checked Hankook iPike 409 or the Hankook/Kingstar? Decent tires that you can get without breaking the bank.

e.g. Ontario pricing:

Option 1 - $650.00
4 x 205-55-16 Hankook SW41 Kingstar
4 x 16x6.5 Hubcentric Mazda Steel Wheels 67.1HB
4 x Toyo Tire Bags
4 x Mount, Balance and Install

Option 2 - $670.00
4 x 205-55-16 Hankook W409 iPike
4 x 16x6.5 Hubcentric Mazda Steel Wheels 67.1HB
4 x Toyo Tire Bags
4 x Mount, Balance and Install

These are Mazda sizes but you get the idea. And BTW these should be much superior to the nordics.

[sujaylahiri]

Originally Posted by mohit

I thought they would be legal in the upper reaches - like here in Ontario. Have you checked Hankook iPike 409 or the Hankook/Kingstar? Decent tires that you can get without breaking the bank.

e.g. Ontario pricing:

Option 1 - $650.00
4 x 205-55-16 Hankook SW41 Kingstar
4 x 16x6.5 Hubcentric Mazda Steel Wheels 67.1HB
4 x Toyo Tire Bags
4 x Mount, Balance and Install

Option 2 - $670.00
4 x 205-55-16 Hankook W409 iPike
4 x 16x6.5 Hubcentric Mazda Steel Wheels 67.1HB
4 x Toyo Tire Bags
4 x Mount, Balance and Install

These are Mazda sizes but you get the idea. And BTW these should be much superior to the nordics.

Yeah I have the same tire size as well. You guys are lucky in Ontario, with cheaper prices for everything. I have to add a 20-25% markup for buying anything here in Alberta.

Anyway I will also consider those Hankook iPikes along with the Nordics for the winter. Have heard some good things about them too.

One of the things on my to-do list is to go ice racing sometime this season or next season with the Impreza. Let's see how that works out. For that I'll definitely need some Nokians or Michelins though.

[sujaylahiri]

Just ordered a sway bar kit for the Impreza from the US. A 22mm solid bar for the front, 19mm solid for the rear. And also ordered the aftermarket endlinks as well. Can't wait to put them on the Impreza, however, shipping is expected to take over 3 weeks.