Drivers Log.(News)(Product/service evaluation)

RAYNAL: 'Tain't a bad driver, this WRX. In fact, it's a whole lot of fun. Even as it feels as if Subaru has softened it up some (not a bad thing, in my book, because it wasn't softened up too much), the WRX is still one of the more fun cars to toss around that I've driven this year. It has good acceleration (you have to keep stirring the gearbox, though, which is sort of a chore, because the shifter is crappy) and grip beyond the imagination. And the engine sounds just as agricultural as ever.

I'm one of the few people who actually like the way this car looks. I vastly prefer the five-door to the sedan.

And did Subaru ever cheapen up the cabin materials. They look okay but feel mighty cheap, a trend in cars costing $20,000-something, not one in the $30,000s. It has nice grippy seats, at least.

A lot of cars I've driven this year are greatly improved over the cars they're replacing (Chevrolet Malibu, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4). This isn't one of them. It's more refined but still a rather crude beast. And what makes automakers think they can take their $17,000 econoboxes, put turbos in 'em and ask 30 grand? The nerve!

WILSON: Let's see how many ways I can disagree with our esteemed executive editor. Start with the interior materials. While I think they're not fully up to snuff for a $30,000 price, they're hardly cheapened from the previous WRX. I'm not sure that would be possible.

Maybe Wes liked the old car more than I ever did, because what's happened with this car, in my view, is that it has grown up. It's less noisy and thrashy inside, which some might call soft. The evidence of softness I found in the ride-and-handling department had more to do with fore-and-aft pitch. When the car is accelerating, there's a lot of weight transfer to the back; the nose comes up some, but it's more that the tail squats. The old ...