15/08/2008 15:18. It's tough playing second fiddle to a fire-breathing, rally-bred superstar like the Subaru WRX STi . The Impreza WRX has always been a trusty sedan with the utility to slog its way through brutal winters, but with 81 fewer horses than the STi—more than a Smart car 's worth of stallions—if you wanted brutal thrust, there was only one game in town.

Well, that's changed a bit now.

The 2009 Impreza WRX has gotten brawnier inside and out, bringing it several steps closer to its overachieving big brother. Subaru calls the process Kyo-Ka, the Japanese word for strengthening, but we simply call it one more reason to... // Popular Mechanics