Hot in the Lot
Michael Gentile's 2009 Subaru Impreza
NEIRAD enilno editionNewly hot in the lot, senior Michael Gentile’s 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX is definitely a hot car. With 265HP and 244 ft. lbs of torque, the WRX is propelled to 60 in a very respectable 4.7 seconds. Think about 4.7 seconds for a minute. A brand new $70K Porsche 997 Carrera does 0-60 in 4.8 seconds. A $60K Cayman S hits 60 in 5.1 seconds. A new BMW M3, starting at $53K, is equivalent at 4.7 seconds. What does the WRX cost? Starting at around $25K, it’s less than half the price with better performance than many of its German rivals.
The WRX, sporting a five-speed manual transmission is pictured in dark grey. It comes equipped with Subaru’s famous symmetrical AWD system which makes the WRX awesome around turns, and practical for the snow. For the winter months, Michael put on some glacier-grip tires in order to have maximum grip in the snow. Although these tires are great for traction on public roads, Michael enjoys hitting up parking lots in big snowstorms in order to practice winter driving without traction.
Michael’s WRX is currently stock, however he plans to install a Perrin Turbo back exhaust, Cobb downpipe, and Cobb Coilovers. The reason for the lack of modifications is actually because Michael doesn’t have any serious complaints about his Subaru. “The only thing I would change is the fact that there are two highly restrictive catalytic converters,” he said. Catalytic converters are in place to lower a car's emissions. The problem with this device Michael says is that it produces a highly damper performance.
Michael may be DHS’s newest automotive enthusiast since he just moved from Stamford to Darien in November, but he has always been an avid car lover. As a kid, he enjoyed drawing pictures of various vehicles. “My passion for cars came from my uncle. He’s always been into muscle cars and taught me the ways around them,” Michael said. My family doesn’t think the same way though, “My mom thinks I’ll go broke, and my friends think I take it too seriously. They know it’s a part of my life though, so they accept it,” Michael said.
Since Michael got the car in June of 2009, Mike hasn’t had any problems with the WRX. Since Subarus are known for their excellence reliability wise, he doesn’t expect any major automotive issues in the near future. Look out for this fresh ride around Darien, but don’t expect to see anything but the tail lights of this quick ride.
