 | 1998 Subaru Impreza Outback Ready to rally to the store.
By Sue Mead,
New Car Test Drive .com |
Overview
What does racing rally cars have to do with driving to the grocery store? Everything, Subaru would tell you. Subaru specializes in all-wheel drive and has enhanced its reputation by winning the World Rally Championship where drivers race on ice, snow, dirt, mud, and wet and dry pavement. It's the ultimate performance and durability test. So when you drive to the local grocery store in a Subaru you have the benefit of what the company has learned racing around the world. And, in the case of the Impreza Outback Sport, its rally styling cues make you feel like a racer when you bring home the bread and milk. All Subarus nowadays are equipped with all-wheel drive. The beauty of all-wheel drive is that it applies power to the tires with the best grip. All-wheel drive offers better performance than traction control, which typically limits power to reduce wheelspin. And Subaru's seamless system provides better fuel economy than the part-time four-wheel-drive systems found on many sport-utilities. It's important not to confuse our Impreza Outback Sport with the larger Legacy Outback. While the Legacy Outback is driven by Crocodile Dundee in Subaru's commercials, the Outback Sport is driven by Crocodile's young nephew. It's a clever advertising campaign that does a great job of pointing out the advantages all-wheel-drive cars have over four-wheel-drive sport-utilities. And Crocodile's nephew appears to be a young, active type--just the sort of person who would consider the Outback Sport. Based on the Subaru Impreza, the Outback Sport has a rugged appearance that includes larger wheels and tires for added ground clearance, a hood scoop, body side molding, a new grille, hood and integrated lower front bumper and spoiler. Subaru did not raise prices on the Outback Sport for 1998. Because it's an all-wheel-drive subcompact, the Outback Sport is unique to the market. It's a sure-footed alternative to sporty compact cars. And to some extent, it competes with the mini sport-utilities: Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Suzuki Sidekick and Chevy Tracker. This group is clearly outclassed by the Outback Sport's impressive handling and acceleration performance, however.
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