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Subaru Reviews Subaru Forester Subaru Impreza Subaru Outback Sport Subaru Legacy Subaru Outback
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Subaru Reviews2002 Subaru Forester Review
 Ready for snow, dirt roads, and pavement. 2002 Subaru Forester Base Price (MSRP) $20,295 As Tested (MSRP) $25,445 Subaru's Forester is not a SUV in the traditional sense, though it provides cargo utility and off-highway capability. It drives more like a car than a truck. That means it offers superior handling to trucks in all but the roughest terrain. There's nothing to fear from snow, mud, dirt, gravel or wet pavement with Subaru's well-designed suspension and excellent all-wheel-drive system. Yet crisp throttle response and competent handling make the Forester fun to drive on dry pavement. 2002 Subaru Impreza Review
 2002 Subaru Impreza Base Price (MSRP) $17,495 As Tested (MSRP) $24,520 Subaru has an all new Impreza lineup for 2002. Value-oriented models are gone, replaced by high-performance models. Headlining this exciting lineup is the WRX, one of the most exciting new models from anyone this year, especially for rally fans. Though based on an economy car, the WRX is a factory hot rod that combines turbocharging, four-wheel drive, rally breeding, and attitude. The all new Impreza lineup for 2002 includes an updated 2.5 RS four-door sedan and a 2.5 TS Sport Wagon. Also based on the Impreza is a new Outback Sport wagon. The WRX is available as a sedan and a sport wagon. The WRX is currently one of the hottest tickets on the automotive scene. Part of what makes it so hot is its 227-horsepower turbocharged engine. Knowledgeable rally enthusiasts have been lusting for this type of car for years. The WRX began in Japan in 1993 as a homologation special, a limited-production model built to satisfy production requirements for the World Rally Championship. Hugely popular in Europe, the WRC is a series of races run on all types of roads, often unpaved, and in all kinds of weather. Subaru's turbocharged all-wheel drive is particularly well suited to for driving flat out on gravel roads at night. Rally-prepared Subarus have been available in Japan and Europe for several years, but the WRX is the first that meets U.S. emissions requirements. 2002 Subaru Outback Sport Review
An outdoorsy subcompact for the snowbelt or anywhere else. 2002 Subaru Outback Sport Base Price (MSRP) $18,695 As Tested (MSRP) $20,345 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport is a subcompact for the snowbelt. Its all-wheel drive will get you home when you probably shouldn't have been out, as well as provide extra traction and handling on wet pavement. It's all new for 2002. Like the other Impreza models, this year's Outback Sport boasts a new chassis and styling, and a larger standard engine. (See nctd.com for review of the sporty Impreza 2.5 RS and WRX models.) The Outback Sport's spunky 2.5-liter engine and all-wheel drive push this outdoorsy wagon out of the budget wheels category. Subaru recognizes this by equipping it with features usually optional on entry level models. The price, starting at $18,695, also pushes it well above small wagons such as the Kia Rio Cinco or the Ford Focus wagon. But then, the Outback Sport offers much more. 2002 Subaru Legacy Review
Practicality and all-weather capability. 2002 Subaru Legacy Base Price (MSRP) $19,295 As Tested (MSRP) $26,020 City cousin to the adventurous Outback, the Subaru Legacy features the same base engine and all-wheel-drive in a buttoned-down package that's both lower to the ground and lower in price. Legacy costs less than other mid-size sedans that don't offer all-wheel drive, and it easily motors past those other cars when it snows. It'll also stop much more quickly than an SUV, whether the roads are dry, wet, or covered with snow. Even when the roads are dry, the Legacy is fun to drive. 2002 Subaru Outback Review
Wild in suburbia, mate. 2002 Subaru Outback Base Price (MSRP) $25,995 As Tested (MSRP) $32,390 Having released a six-cylinder Outback last year, Subaru has further expanded the line for 2002 with two additional six-cylinder models. Four-cylinder Outbacks continue nearly unchanged. With either engine, Outback offers an attractive alternative to a bulkier, truck-based sport-utility. Even the powerful six-cylinder versions rate 20/26 mpg city/highway, and while that's not exactly economy-car territory, it's significantly better than the 15/20 mpg you can expect from even a mid-size SUV. Four-cylinder Outbacks deliver more than adequate performance, and get 22/27 mpg. An Outback won't wring your wallet dry, and it it'll ride and handle much better than a truck. Yet it will give you a tall seating position, large cargo capacity, and foul-weather capability. In other words, the Outback will give you most of the positive attributes of an SUV. Unless you're genuinely interested in serious off-road adventure (and most SUV buyers are not), the Outback gives you everything you need. It works great on wet pavement, dirt roads, and on snow and ice. It's even fun to drive on dry pavement. And isn't that really where you drive most of the time? Subaru Reviews
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