• The WRX offers performance that appeals to enthusiasts, wrapped in a package that appeals to kids.
• There's plenty of space for two + gear, but rear seat room's hardly there.
• Excellent AWD system and capable suspension combine with good driving ergonomics.

Although the 300 horsepower STi is grabbing the lion's share of Subaru headlines, the "plain-Jane" Impreza WRX to isn't quite yet ready to be banished to the enthusiast doghouse. After all, on paper any 3,085-pound AWD sedan with 227-horsepower and 217 pound-feet of torque wouldn't appear to be anyone's slouch.

Our smiles certainly weren't slouching when lo and behold, the scheduled delivery of a run-of-the-mill Impreza sedan metamorphasized into a WRX. Just in time for one of our favorite weekend drives, a 600-mile blast from Phoenix to Las Vegas and back.

As performance cars go, the WRX is certainly dressed to play the part. To anyone over the age of 30, Hooter's (restaurant) fabled slogan comes to mind while gazing upon this souped-up grocery getter. "Delightfully tacky, yet unrefined" pretty well sums up those oversized fender blisters, the gawky rear wing and the enormous hood scoop--at least it's functional. Completing the package are the huge fog lights and honeycomb 16-inch alloy wheels.

Inside, the boy-racer theme continues with stoutly bolstered sport seats and a (genuine) MOMO-brand leather steering wheel. Additional equipment on this test car finished The Fast and the Furious premise: short throw shifter ($345), turbo boost gauge ($297) and center armrest ($145).

In spite of its questionable attire, at a base price of five dollars under $26k--$27,332 as--tested our 2004 model "San Remo Red" WRX is one of the best bangs for your enthusiast bucks. And make no mistake, this ride is designed for drivers who know how and are willing to wring out performance from a tightly strung two-liter turbo-charged and intercooled four-banger. Don't expect the WRX's 227 ponies to push you back in the seat, and don't think you're going to perform a F1-style tire-burning standing start.

Do expect low-end torque to be minimal, and until the turbo kicks in (around 3,000 rpm) this little beastie's straight-line speed is more akin to a docile four-door commuter. Once in motion, however, all bets are off. Manipulated with the proper combination of gear selection and throttle, this Subaru is a match for sports cars and performance sedans costing 10 or even 20 thousand more. Sweet.

The entire Impreza family lineup received upgraded suspension struts for '04, and the WRX makes full use of the improvement, mating them to lower L-arms with liquid-filled rear bushings and stabilizer bar in front and parallel links and stabilizer bar in the rear. The suspension bits support the aforementioned alloy wheels (16 x 6.5 inches wide at all four corners) which are shod with V-rated 205/55 all-season radials. Putting a whoa to the go is a 4-channel/4-sensor anti-lock braking system with Electronic Brake-force Distribution, utilizing front 11.4-inch ventilated discs (and twin-piston calipers) and 10.3-inch discs in back.

The WRX's AWD system is most remarkable for how it will make you utterly forget it's there. Power is automatically distributed between front and rear wheels based on traction needs. Our five-speed manual transmission model sported a viscous-coupling locking center differential. Automatic transmission models -- not that you'd ever get one, right? -- have "Variable Torque Distribution," which uses a planetary center differential in conjunction with an electronically managed continuously variable transfer clutch. All WRXs have a viscous limited-slip rear differential.

As a package, the WRX screams to be a car that's ridden hard and put away wet. Not that the interior switchgear nor overall ergonomics are anything but fine. Rather, there's no feeling of refinement here; simply get in, hang on and shut up, never mind that annoying little dash creak or the nasally din of the exhaust.

There is plenty of space inside the WRXs trunk for several moderately sized pieces of luggage, and the same can be said of the back seats. Unfortunately, if you want to stash full-sized people in those rear accommodations, they (or you the driver) had better have short legs; there's little in the way of roominess back there. At least the front cabin area is well laid out and comfy.

Settling in for our round-trip Vegas stint, we quickly came to appreciate the fully supported seats. Unlike the performance chairs in many sporty models (the 330CI and Enthusiast Z come to mind here), these seats are wide enough at the shoulders to fit or plus-sized drivers. Any sort of power adjustment might have been a nice touch, but we're willing to sacrifice such niceties in the name of stripped-down performance. The stiffly sprung and firmly dampened suspension forgoes any notion of casual cruising, so you might as well concentrate on nailing your passing opportunities, and not getting pulled over.

Through tight turns, the WRX exhibited a bit of understeer, although the overall balance is close to neutral. The short-throw shifter option provides crisp gear changes through the smooth manual box; a good thing as you'll often find yourself down into third for optimum passing power. In spite of the considerable workout we put it through, we still achieved just a tad over 22 mpg on the freeway and about 18 mpg in combined city/highway driving. With a more judicious use of the throttle the EPA estimates of 20/27 (city/highway) should surely be attainable, if that's your thing. If it's not, be forewarned that you will not be making the 300-mile mark before your fuel-warning gauge glows a nasty yellow. Both coming and going we had to halt our progress to gas up so we'd be sure to arrive.

Were clobber-you-on-the-head styling cues to our taste, we'd certainly entertain putting a WRX in the garage. It's great fun to drive when really getting out and driving is what one has in mind. Outside, inside and under the hood there's no subtlety here (and even less so in the utterly over-the-top STi) and precious little in the way of refinement. There is terrific performance and good value, and for lots of enthusiasts, that's more than enough.

P.S. In addition to the WRX sedan, we spent some time in a Sonic Yellow-colored 2003 WRX wagon that priced in at $25,474 even though it was equipped with an $801 Performance package (titanium shift knob, turbo gauge, short-throw shifter), a $105 differential protector and a $462 premium sound package that included a huge subwoofer back in the cargo area under that squared-off hatch back.

The audio system may be the best we've ever heard, and nothing we've driven since has provided the same depth of tonal quality. Even though it had the body (and space) of a station wagon, this WRX still had amazing grip, even in a substantial rainstorm. However, the knobless shifter takes some getting used to, and the wagon had a tendency toward front-end dive under heavy breaking.