Real (NZ) Road Test: 1997 Subaru Impreza HX-20S - who needs a turbo?!
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- čas přidán 30. 07. 2024
- How very HubNut. It's a non-turbocharged Subaru Impreza HX-20S! Proper JDM-spec, and very much a turbo without the turbo. It still has a bodykit, rear wiper, fog lamps and sporty bucket seats, and pretty sporty suspension too.
It's a daily driver that lives on a farm and is used by a volunteer fire fighter, hence it is not spotlessly clean. It's ideal for getting to the station quickly though! I drove it on my travels through New Zealand.
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The details of the snippet of sad music are: Decline by Kevin MacLeod , licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com/ - Auta a dopravní prostředky
For a 20+ year car, the design has aged very gracefully.
It's a soapbar, they don't really have a very high standard for beauty.
Thanks for taking my little baby for a spin..and yes great for fire calls on gravel roads..😜👩🚒🚒❤
Have you shown Ian the 🚒?
I thought it was a lovely car, it looked great and seemed to drive really well. Approaching the perfect car - apart from one thing..
Aaaarrrgghh! The seat covers....
Engage Petter Solberg mode...
No rear wiper action. Disappoint !
Nice car , thanks for lending it to Ian 👍
9:03 R.I.P Rear wiper Rust In Pieces
What a fantastic car, and what a terrific road to test it on. You didn't see a single other car. It's like Wales without tourists. Very sad scene with the back wiper though.
Felt your pain with the rear wiper, loved the musical addition though 😁
Hope your having fun Hubnut,and you supply us with more of your adventures very soon...
Thanks for this video, Hub Nut! This car, the Impreza from the late 90’s, is the one that first made me a Subaru fan. Subarus have got even better since then, and they really deserve the popularity they enjoy in Australia. Solid reliable cars that are great fun to drive. And the all-wheel grip is awesome - making it possible to launch off the beaten track onto a sandy track or (where permitted) onto a beach from time to time - within the bounds of reason and ground clearance of course. There’s something thrilling about driving an ‘ordinary’ car that actually delivers far more than you might think it would.
Turbos are great fun but there’s also something very satisfying about the NA driving style! Great video Ian
Drove a 1999 Impreza 2.0 sport for 5 years loved it...+ From 99 on they were upgraded to 150 bhp.. love your Chanel man keep up the good work. Greetings from Ireland 😉
I had a T-reg Legacy Estate with pillarless windows and a boxer engine and it was a lovely car to drive
No turbo but recovers it's sportiness by use of a Hubnut sticker, the choice of champions the world over.
Yes, that looked very enjoyable. Style wise I do like the way they make a 4 door look like a pillarless coupe, very neat.
Top quality motoring journalism. Really excellent. I like the Subaru.
In the 70s in Australia the 4WD Subarus were popular. Coming from London I had never heard of a 4WD saloon or estate - and in fact don't think I'd heard of Subaru either?
I predict Hub nut will soon have the quality of his work recognised by the worlds clever, sensible car lovers and before you can say, ''Scissor Jack for Reliant Robin'' will have built a deserved monopoly for fine motoring on CZcams.
Hello Ian,nice review on this Scooby Impreza,sounds nice and thought all of them were turboed,a nice example of its kind, window cleaning is alot easier to do being not framed.
You ended the test drive at night chasing the rabbit but it was daytime when you did your outro. It's like the sun came back out.
Had to record the outro before it got dark!
Nice functional alternative to the turbo with lower running costs.
Thanks Ian.
I chuckled several times whilst I watched this video. Good!
Thanks for that Ian, always like the Impreza in that shape (love the big fogs on the front!)....Think you might just have been channelling your inner 'Colin McRae' on the road test a bit there!😉
It's a small mad car.....brilliant! Love small cars!.......I'm currently driving a Peugeot 207 cc which is not much larger than my bed. Thanks hubnut.x
Always interesting Ian, thank you
Love the scenery. Hard to tell this is New Zealand and not the UK! Indeed not the first of your NZ videos I've noticed where some of the scenery is similar to that where you live in Wales!
That looked fun on that empty road!🚘
I was actually watching a really old Top Gear clip last night for the non turbo Imprezza on it, so even if I wasn't a subscriber and regular watcher, I imagine the algorithms may well have recommended this vid to me anyway.
HubNut's channel shows TopGear up for what it really is - cr@p! Subscribe to this channel and you won't be disappointed. 😉
Very Grrrr indeed. Enjoyed that. Sorry, no idea what the sticker in the back window is. Found one in my motor as well!
Worked in a Subaru dealer as a mechanic around the time this classic shape was going over to the updated model. Best manufacturer & tech training I've experienced. I found the cars to be fairly basic at that time. Which gave them great reliability.
We owned a Mk1 Forester NA followed by a Mk2 turbo. Both great cars but the ride in the more basic model was very soft and relaxing. I miss them both.
Nice evening drive! It does look like a dandy vehicle to get to rural fire scenes!
Craig..especially when you miss the appliance as we live 8km from the fire station 🚒👩🚒
A damn good car that. I see them on the roads all the time, most still in very good condition.
I worked in the Parts Department of my local Subaru Dealership in the mid 90's. This car was as RX, as compared to the turbo WRX, which was the ram raiders choice of vehicle at the time. I supplied lots of parts for lots of crash repairers for both models, either due to accident damage or vehicles being stolen and damaged after joy rides.
Brought out the tearaway in you HubNut,,,😂😂😟
Brilliant, thanks ian👍
I have the 1999 JDM spec. I owned her for 10 years and I'm still loving thst car.
Very cool and the gang Scooby with gorg steering wheel! Like it v much.
Can't remember if you mentioned it before, but the 180kph speedo is one of the easiest ways to figure out if a car was a JDM import due to the gentleman's agreement between Japanese manufactures to not make Japanese Domestic Market cars faster than 180kph and 280hp.
6:55 - that modern JVC CD player - if that's the model I think it is, best stereo to fit in an old motor ever and adorned my first car, a '94 Hyundai Sonata. Drove a much more modern non-turbo cooking Impreza about 4 years ago and whilst also impressed with the boxer engine note, was less than impressed with the fuel consumption (about as much as my 9-5 drinks booting it, whilst treating the Impreza very gently since it was the garage's).
Oh yeah, Subarus are generally thirsty old beasts.
@@HubNut Thing is, 9-5s are horrendous in-town on fuel but brilliant on the motorway even down to the twisties. The TiDs are witchcraft however in how little they sip, shame I wrote mine off (ironically enough outside the Volvo factory in Gothenburg!).
I think the design is rather tasty like an old beemer, just got my hubnut sticker by the way, Goerge has excellent handwriting
edit sorry paw writing
Some impressive hedges in those parts. I was paying attention to the test drive, I promise. Just couldn't help noticing the rather stately arborial architecture.
Cypress pine windbreaks
@@garynew9637 Yes. Reminded me of parts of Italy and the continent.
160,O00 or so miles on the clock and it still fires up immediately, sounds terrific and drives brilliantly..awesome car.
Mine has 378,800, on the clock and still fires up first pop of the key, even in the cold.
I loved my Impreza Sport. It replaced a Land Rover 109 which had become just too uncomfortable on the long (slow) trips to the Peaks and Snowdonia. Used to get all of my kit in (it was the 5 door) and fast enough on the remote roads. Had it for 5 years and the only things that went wrong were a MAF meter (my fault due to an oiled cotton air filter) and a leaky crank seal. Had the odd knobjockey wanting to race in and around Nottingham and got caught up in a cruise once that strangely resulted in the plod following me to the local David Lloyd fitness centre for a few mornings - they could have just had a word and I would have explained I just happened to be passing at the wrong time! I've looked at unmolested WRXs over here in Oz but they have all been thrashed and trashed.
A nice car. A mate of mine had a two door JDM turbo and folded it in the middle around a lamppost 🤔. Yes maybe the plain 2 litre is more than enough car for normal pilots like us Hubnutters. Always liked the fact that they were a bit different had an old 1974 beetle once and loved the Boxer sound.
It makes a change to see a lower spec Impreza after seeing so many WRX STI's. Talking about WRX STI's with fart cannon's Varex Mufflers in Australia offer exhausts on them which allows you to alternate between loud and quiet.
That's how my first driving lesson started, reversing in a Subaru Leone.
I was waiting for a handbrake turn when ian was reversing
Or something similar - indeed.
No hooning around in this video unlike the previous clip with the Fairmont:p
Yh me too 😂😂😂
I have the lancaster version of this. 2.5l no fart cannon. But the 4wd is very good, the way they rotate in the corners, then just accelerate out never gets old. Mine is a 10 speed manual ( i have low range) so i can split gears just for fun.
They were the skiers car, usually driven with no fear at all.
You should drive up some of the ski roads. Some are very scary, particularly the club fields.
Lovely. I owned a turbo Impreza (the same one) for seventeen years and loved it. Was a bit buzzy and harsh on the motorway though and did encourage "spirited" driving. I still miss it. A great shame that Subaru have finally canned the flat four recently. These were all about 4wd and that engine.
They will never can the flat four,they've retired the EJ motor though after donkeys years service.
Right, I heard incorrectly then, good to know. The EJ has had an incredible run.
Fart cannon?! best description of a exhaust ever!
It’s American slang,
Usually known as
“FART CAN”
@@tylert6573 ...and it aptly describes the sound, a loud, buzzy fart in a large tin can, followed by the (on turbo models of many sorts) inevitable anti-lag back (after) fire!
Things best not to say in a road test "I crashed mine after 2 days". Owt else I can borrow? 😉😀
That's how you gain experience, right? :D.
Stephen G 😂🤣😂🤣
This is on top of my to have last as a track car next spring. But as a wagon.
Sounds like the car you drove to the Nedderlands was a very, very bad example. I had the pleasure of driving one from Berkshire to South Wales and back in 2002 and it was a real pleasure. Stonking torque and very, very refined
Are we having a minute's silence for the demise of the rear wiper?
\ /
After an unfortunate meeting between my Alfa 147 and a bus, I found myself in a 2003 Subaru Forester XT. A nice compromise between N/A and the Flat out Colin McRae models. Sure it's performance on a straight line is probably a little pedestrian these days but show it a country road and it comes to life - it almost begs to be hurtled into bends where as you say it grips and grips and then slingshots you out of the corner. It's old, they rust and it's economy is terrible but I adore it and the only thing that annoys me - the fact the interior lights don't come on when you open the doors, but I forget that everytime i'm sat waiting in idle it sits there with that characterful thrum only the 4cyl boxer can give. Come give it a hubnut review one day?
I have a thing about Subaru's had a 1990 legacy turbo. Now have an 03 legacy 2.5 saloon with yes a sports s/s exhaust. It's not a silly big paint can one. Just the right size grips and grips. Great fun fast enough, and runs on LPG. Just needs a bit of welding then I can enjoy it again!!;
Frameless doors, one of the reasons why I love my 2009 Mini. Doesn't have that horrible plastic triangle at the front of the door either.:-)
'sounds like an unhealthy ford Sierra' that did make me chuckle thanks Ian
Naturally aspirated awsomeness
Yes, another scooby review for this evening. Woo hoo!
09:01 whiper fanatics (with dramatic music) LOL.
Very HubNut.
9:05 Serves you right for saying the car is "iconic".
Realy that is soooooooo BBC.
Hey Hubnut, any chance you can get your hands on a late Humber Sceptre? As an (expat) Yank I particularly enjoy your insights on extinct British marks. You're sympathetic towards them, unlike Jeremy C et. al., refreshing. Maybe Hillman Imp too. Sunbeam. Rootes cars. Please... loved what you did with Austins on here.
Always liked that generation of Impreza . Reminds me of the great Colin McCrae 👌
I love these cars. My dream car. Won the JD Power Survey in Britain back in in the late 1990s and more reliable that the Ford Escort Cosworth of the time!
Shame it was such a busy road, try and avoid rush hour next time. 😜
I live in New Zealand and have a 1990 legacy wagon 2.2 4wd. Its auto but would be keen to convert it to manual when I have enough money.
Hare today gone tomorrow.
Nice car 1 whole bhp less than my astra 2 litre though hehe.
Good video.
1066gaz the UK Sport model I had, made do with 113bhp!
@@emmajacobs5575 Oops that's bad.(:-)
really good 👍 cars, I've owned several including a rally blue wrx turbo at present day 😊😊
Que linda las curvas de este tablero mi papa tuvo uno muy grato de manejar sobre todo en calles malas
I had an girlfriend who had one of the non turbo versions, even the NA versions are huge fun to drive but have horrible notchy gearboxes. In my opinion they are nicer to drive than the turbo ones over longer distances and as you don't get the deafening noise and turbo lag and also as you said they are better damped than the wrx and sti versions.
The original one love it ,
0:04 Very funny that the cow's moo far away translates to "it's a non-turbo".
if in doubt, flat out
Brilliant,noticed the 3rd to 5th gear change ,I do that too , ain’t nobody got time for 4th
Pointless once cruising speed has been achieved. I do like a block change.
My gear changes are on an as required basis. 4-6, 6-4, 3-5, 5-3 are all common. 2-5 occasionally and 6-1 ;)
There's a short steep narrow hill I often use. 3rd is the ideal gear for it but it'll manage it in 4th on a good day. 2nd is the safe gear - handles lower speeds but not very low speeds or the fire goes out. 1st works reasonably well but it really needs a cow on the bonnet to stop wheelspin. When I get to choosing my own car, rear wheel drive will be part of the spec.
@Indosarnia Going down sequentially doesn't - unless climbing a hill.
@Indosarnia Coming up to a r/about, one could easily do 4-1 or even 4-N.
Might be worth noting changes I'm thinking of are in a 6 speed - so the ratios are closer together. However, even in a 4 speed, using 2nd to get up to the speed limit quickly is reasonable - and once there, 4th maybe quite appropriate to maintain that speed.
Consider 5th gives you 1200 rpm, 4th gives 1400 rpm and 3rd 1900 rpm. If your not desperate for acceleration, 6th would be fine (1000 rpm). For acceleration, 3rd, or even 2nd (2500 rpm) would be fine but if you're already in 1st (4000 rpm) there's another 2000 rpm 'headroom' before a change is getting urgent !
@Indosarnia 6 - 1: No force necessary.
Without coasting, you get stalling and that's independent of gear selected.
But your are right, coasting is considered as not being in full control of your vehicle. Still, it needs to happen but obviously, for a shorter time as possible. On selection of N, I did not, will not and cannot specify a speed but for reasons stated above, zero is a good choice.
Time less styling but frumpy rear Scubies all look great with their body kits and the blue and green colours turbos great tunable even low down torque and smoother ride possible loads of after market stuff
I was going to offer an NZ new version of this, an RX-i although it is held together with sticky tape so this one much cleaner.
Got to love a Subaru boxer. Legacy drive up next?
Hub hope your ok still enjoy your vlog gt take care Richard ann UK
Impreza with no turbo? That is VERY Hubnut.
Ian, at 9:00 there is a vehicle behind your head with large wheels - please do give it a test drive. Another view of it towards the right at 10:00
Shame about the rear wiper but a nice car that looks fun on country roads👍
A good and solid car but I would worry about the price of a new clutch etc. I did see somewhere that a replacement one for the turbo model can be about £500 {not sure if that includes labour}, whereas a clutch for my old pug is under £50. Even a Stage 2 upgrade is under £250, plus fitting costs. The hare reminded me of a Dobermann I once owned, when a hare and he eyed each other across the concrete embankment of a river. It was a 'you are NOT my friend' moment.
This is one of the best cars ever made.
9:14 ian in a horror movie, but it does really feel like the start of a horror movie funnily enough like the rushing and stuff
Lovely Jubbly Mr HubNut, I think if that was in the UK, unloved condition, it would be be in the scrap yard.
oooh those roads oooh those roads, THOSE ROADS!!! Ian you lucky bugger:¬}
I had a 1995 Turbo estate (N404 CJO) on a sadly non-fully funded company car contract (private fuel wasn't free). Kept it for 18 months and enjoyed it for the most part but the fuel consumption (25mpg generally) and the din on a long run even with the standard exhaust made me fall out of love with it. Even as a relatively new car I could see that the body corrosion protection was poor. With the end of the gentlemen's agreement on import quotas they became more affordable rather quickly and they grew old disgracefully. The dodgy fashion for loud exhausts in Japan transferred to UK chavs almost seemlessly and now they are more valuable in pieces rather than whole cars.
Nicr to hear a Subaru without the "Boxer Rumble" for once.
Doesn't mean the rumble isn't cool, I do like it when I hear it, but I just prefer the overall cleaner sound without the rumble.
Rear seat room damned by faint praise :-) Pity about the rear wiper, not on any Aus market sedan either. These were sold here as Impreza RX, a WRX without the turbo I think. Nice car though, quite desirable. Cheers.
Marketed as the Impreza RX in Australia without the “W” not as much Street cred as the WRX still nice just the same,
Just bought an rx!
If I'm not mistaken the Japanese dohc 2.0 engines have 150 hp. Some went up to 180 hp in early to mid 2000 legacies and maybe some others.
Hang about. A Hubnut video with...music?!
"Agri-yob", I believe was the phrase Clarkson coined... meanwhile, back home in Blighty a local garage has a 1986 Renault 11 with 67,000 miles on the clock for sale. Hmmmm.
Beautiful machine, but I might be biased.
Your biased. No but seriously they are lovely sounding cars but I think I would want mine with a turbo.
Rarest Impreza to find are the very early versions with the strange oval shaped grill insert. I think they were the very basic versions with wheel trims, very hubnut. Also doesn't the Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT86 have a similar non turbo flat four.
7:30 The idea of frameless doors is that with the window down you can get into the car without the horrible noise.
any advice about this gen impreza 1.6/1.8 engine? head gasket, oil leak?
We have a impreza 2.0 hatch rx most reliable car I have ever owned 131k on the clock and only had to replace the clutch at 111k, and the exhaust at 108k other than that only money it's cost is service items in the 6 years of ownership
Quite noisy yes but what a glorious noise!
What do you like better the Impreza or Evo?
I'd always choose Impreza, purely for the noise.
The cow is right 😂👍🏻
Cool 😀