Review below and Learn something new every day see this - "Unlike the North American EJ25 engine, the JDM Impreza GC8 comes with the 2.0 EJ20 engine. This is a high performance 2.0 turbo engine. Subaru has stated that this engine was not available to the North American market because the turbo manifold does not fit into a LHD vehicle."
[h=1]Subaru Impreza WRX review JDM (GC8 GF8)[/h]
Subaru Impreza (GC8 GF8) stats
Subaru Impreza Model Definitions
Subaru Impreza Limited Model Breakdown
The Impreza WRX is the flagship sports sedan from Subaru which was made famous as the king of rally and WRC. The small light weight sedan or wagon matched with the very hot 2.0 twin turbo boxer engine made people smile right from the get go. Subaru’s symmetrical all wheel drive system was shown to the world and proved to people that all wheel drive was not just for trucks. People bought it like crazy, and people started making them faster. Today it is one on the most modern and technological vehicles for export from Japan
Whether you get the standard WRX or the STi, the Impreza doesn’t fail to please. The car is meant to be a performer so expect to have fun with the twisty mountain roads. The 4WD system will give you a nice exit speed and the power from the engine is quite high compared to the weight. This gives the Impreza good acceleration and braking. Of course the Impreza comes with 4 wheel disk brakes to help you slow down.
The Impreza is 10.5 cubic meters and is roughly the size of other sport compacts like the Lancer Evo, the Toyota Celica, and the Mitsubishi FTO. The Impreza is built to be light weight despite the 4 doors (on most models) and the 4WD drivetrain. Being a small car it has weight benefits for spirited driving, but can be a bit small for drivers over 6”2.
Unlike the North American EJ25 engine, the JDM Impreza GC8 comes with the 2.0 EJ20 engine. This is a high performance 2.0 turbo engine. Subaru has stated that this engine was not available to the North American market because the turbo manifold does not fit into a LHD vehicle. Power numbers vary based on age and model. Many STi Imprezas have hand built engines. The engine makes anywhere from 240 hp to 280 hp at 6500 rpm. This engine has become a popular engine to swap for boxer Volkswagens and kit cars.
The Imprezas overall have very good reliability. If kept well the car will last for a long time, well over 100,000 km. Since this car is a high performance vehicle, it may be likely that it was driven hard at some time. This may lower reliability some but as with any 10 year old car, giving it oil changes, replacing the timing belt, and changing fluids can go a long way. For the price it is amazing performance and worth the investment of upgrading.
The Impreza is a very commonly tuned car in Japan. Many vehicles may have already been tuned with things like intakes and exhausts. It is also popular to upgrade the turbos to twin scroll turbos. Some enthusiasts in Japan have added anti-lag to theirs as there are a select amount of units with the hardware installed already. The CPU varies a lot between models and so it is recommended that it not be tuned unless it is done professionally by a Subaru Expert, however, the state of tune for the CPU is already very high so further tuning may not have big results.
Source - http://pacificcoastjdm.com/review/subaru/imprezagc8
Subaru Impreza WRX specs JDM (GC8 GF8)
This is a list of the Japanese WRX specs.
This is considered to be a complete list of all the manufacturer's versions per year. For information about the specific models and what they are equipped with please see my 1992 - 2000 JDM Impreza review.
Bold entries are limited edition runs and are mechanically similar to the standard model of that year.
For automatic transmissions please add 30kg to the weight.
[h=1]Subaru Impreza WRX model definitions JDM (GC8 GF8)[/h]
Subaru has made many variations of the Impreza but I will focus on only the WRX models. All WRX models came with the twin turbo 2.0 EJ20 motor.
WRX
This is the standard WRX and is known to have slightly more power than the world market WRX.
Type – RA
This is a model sold as a base vehicle for racing. It was stripped in options in order to save weight. It is unclear what RA stands for but it may stand for Race Altered. You could get AC, electric windows, or radios as options. These cars came with a shorter ratio transmission. Many examples came with roof scoops standard.
STi
This is the highly tuned WRX and is the most popular. Year by year is changed but it remained more powerful than the standard WRX. Other options such as water spray intercooler, larger intercooler, and more reliable engine internals.
STi Type RA / STi Type R
This was the stripped down version of the STi and included more power in some cases. There was a tuned transmission with Driver Controlled Center Differential (DCCD). This allowed the driver to lock all four wheels for rally driving. The interior had less sound deadening materials and the cabin was sparsely equipped. Type R is a 2 door version of the Type RA
Source - http://pacificcoastjdm.com/review/subaru/imprezagc8/models
[h=1]Subaru Impreza WRX review JDM (GC8 GF8)[/h]
Subaru Impreza Model Definitions
Subaru Impreza Limited Model Breakdown
The Impreza WRX is the flagship sports sedan from Subaru which was made famous as the king of rally and WRC. The small light weight sedan or wagon matched with the very hot 2.0 twin turbo boxer engine made people smile right from the get go. Subaru’s symmetrical all wheel drive system was shown to the world and proved to people that all wheel drive was not just for trucks. People bought it like crazy, and people started making them faster. Today it is one on the most modern and technological vehicles for export from Japan
Whether you get the standard WRX or the STi, the Impreza doesn’t fail to please. The car is meant to be a performer so expect to have fun with the twisty mountain roads. The 4WD system will give you a nice exit speed and the power from the engine is quite high compared to the weight. This gives the Impreza good acceleration and braking. Of course the Impreza comes with 4 wheel disk brakes to help you slow down.
The Impreza is 10.5 cubic meters and is roughly the size of other sport compacts like the Lancer Evo, the Toyota Celica, and the Mitsubishi FTO. The Impreza is built to be light weight despite the 4 doors (on most models) and the 4WD drivetrain. Being a small car it has weight benefits for spirited driving, but can be a bit small for drivers over 6”2.
Unlike the North American EJ25 engine, the JDM Impreza GC8 comes with the 2.0 EJ20 engine. This is a high performance 2.0 turbo engine. Subaru has stated that this engine was not available to the North American market because the turbo manifold does not fit into a LHD vehicle. Power numbers vary based on age and model. Many STi Imprezas have hand built engines. The engine makes anywhere from 240 hp to 280 hp at 6500 rpm. This engine has become a popular engine to swap for boxer Volkswagens and kit cars.
The Imprezas overall have very good reliability. If kept well the car will last for a long time, well over 100,000 km. Since this car is a high performance vehicle, it may be likely that it was driven hard at some time. This may lower reliability some but as with any 10 year old car, giving it oil changes, replacing the timing belt, and changing fluids can go a long way. For the price it is amazing performance and worth the investment of upgrading.
The Impreza is a very commonly tuned car in Japan. Many vehicles may have already been tuned with things like intakes and exhausts. It is also popular to upgrade the turbos to twin scroll turbos. Some enthusiasts in Japan have added anti-lag to theirs as there are a select amount of units with the hardware installed already. The CPU varies a lot between models and so it is recommended that it not be tuned unless it is done professionally by a Subaru Expert, however, the state of tune for the CPU is already very high so further tuning may not have big results.
Source - http://pacificcoastjdm.com/review/subaru/imprezagc8
Subaru Impreza WRX specs JDM (GC8 GF8)
This is a list of the Japanese WRX specs.
This is considered to be a complete list of all the manufacturer's versions per year. For information about the specific models and what they are equipped with please see my 1992 - 2000 JDM Impreza review.
Bold entries are limited edition runs and are mechanically similar to the standard model of that year.
For automatic transmissions please add 30kg to the weight.
| November 1992 - September 1993 | |||||
Chassis | Engine | Power | Torque | Weight | |
| WRX | GC8A48D | EJ20G | 240ps | 224 lb/f | 1220kg |
| WRX RA | GC8A47D | EJ20G | 240ps | 224 lb/f | 1170kg |
| WRX STI | - | - | - | - | - |
| WRX STI RA | - | - | - | - | - |
| WRX Coupe | - | - | - | - | - |
| WRX Wagon | - | - | - | - | - |
| WRX STI Wagon | - | - | - | - | - |
October 1993 - September 1994 | |||||
Chassis | Engine | Power | Torque | Weight | |
| WRX | GC8B48D | EJ20G | 240ps | 224 lb/f | 1250kg |
| WRX RA | GC8B47D | EJ20G | 240ps | 224 lb/f | 1190kg |
| WRX STI | GC8B48D | EJ20G | 250ps | 228 lb/f | 1230kg |
| WRX STI RA | - | - | - | - | - |
| WRX Coupe | - | - | - | - | - |
| WRX Wagon | GF8B58D | EJ20G | 220ps | 206 lb/f | 1250kg |
| WRX Wagon SA | GF8B58D | EJ20G | 220ps | 206 lb/f | 1250kg |
| WRX STI Wagon | GF8B58D | EJ20G | 250ps | 228 lb/f | 1250kg |
October 1994 - August 1995 | |||||
Chassis | Engine | Power | Torque | Weight | |
| WRX | GC8C48D | EJ20G | 260ps | 228 lb/f | 1230kg |
| WRX RA | GC8C47D | EJ20G | 260ps | 228 lb/f | 1190kg |
| WRX STI | GC8C48D | EJ20G | 275ps | 235 lb/f | 1230kg |
| WRX STI RA | GC8C47D | EJ20G | 275ps | 235 lb/f | 1190kg |
| WRX Coupe | - | - | - | - | - |
| WRX Wagon | GF8C58D | EJ20G | 220ps | 206 lb/f | 1250kg |
| WRX STI Wagon | - | - | - | - | - |
August 1995 - August 1996 | |||||
Chassis | Engine | Power | Torque | Weight | |
| WRX | GC8C48D | | 260ps | 228 lb/f | 1230kg |
| WRX V-Limited | GC8C48D | EJ20G | 260ps | 228 lb/f | 1230kg |
| WRX RA | GC8C47D | EJ20G | 260ps | 228 lb/f | 1190kg |
| WRX STI | GC8C4ED | EJ20G | 275ps | 235 lb/f | 1240kg |
| WRX STI 555 | GC8C4ED | EJ20G | 275ps | 235 lb/f | 1240kg |
| WRX STI RA | GC8C4DD | EJ20G | 275ps | 235 lb/f | 1190kg |
| WRX STI RA V-Limited | GC8C4DD | EJ20G | 275ps | 235 lb/f | 1190kg |
| WRX Coupe | - | - | - | - | - |
| WRX Wagon | GF8C58D | EJ20G | 220ps | 206 lb/f | 1250kg |
| WRX STI Wagon | GF8C58D | EJ20G | 260ps | 228 lb/f | 1250kg |
| WRX STI Wagon 555 | GF8C58D | EJ20G | 260ps | 228 lb/f | 1250kg |
September 1996 - August 1997 | |||||
Chassis | Engine | Power | Torque | Weight | |
| WRX | GC8D48D | EJ20K | 280ps | 242 lb/f | 1250kg |
| WRX RA | GC8D47D | EJ20K | 280ps | 242 lb/f | 1190kg |
| WRX STI | GC8D4ED | EJ20K | 280ps | 253 lb/f | 1250kg |
| WRX STI V-Limited | GC8D4ED | EJ20K | 280ps | 253 lb/f | 1250kg |
| WRX STI RA | GC8D4DD | EJ20K | 280ps | 253 lb/f | 1190kg |
| WRX Coupe STI Type R | GC8D2DD | EJ20K | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1190kg |
| WRX Coupe STI Type R Signature | GC8D2DD | EJ20K | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1190kg |
| WRX Wagon | GC8D58D | EJ20G | 240ps | 224 lb/f | 1290kg |
| WRX STI Wagon | GF8D4DD | EJ20K | 280ps | 253 lb/f | 1290kg |
| WRX STI Wagon V-Limited | GF8D4DD | EJ20K | 280ps | 253 lb/f | 1290kg |
September 1997 - August 1998 | |||||
Chassis | Engine | Power | Torque | Weight | |
| WRX | GC8E48D | EJ20K | 280ps | 242 lb/f | 1250kg |
| WRX RA | GC8E47D | EJ20K | 280ps | 242 lb/f | 1190kg |
| WRX STI | GC8E4ED | EJ20K | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1250kg |
| WRX STI RA | GC8E4DD | EJ20K | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1190kg |
| WRX STI RA V-Limited | GC8E4DD | EJ20K | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1190kg |
| WRX Coupe Type-R | GC8E2DD | EJ20K | 280ps | 242 lb/f | 1190kg |
| WRX Coupe Type-R V-Limited | GC8E2DD | EJ20K | 280ps | 242 lb/f | 1190kg |
| WRX STI Coupe Type-R | GC8E2DD | EJ20K | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1190kg |
| WRX STI Coupe Type-R V-Limited | GC8E2DD | EJ20K | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1190kg |
| WRX Wagon | GF8E58D | EJ20G | 250ps | 226 lb/f | 1290kg |
| WRX Wagon (*auto) | GF8E58P | EJ20G | 240ps | 226 lb/f | 1320kg |
| WRX STI Wagon | GF8E5ED | EJ20K | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1290kg |
| 22B STI (March - August) | GC8E2SD | EJ20K | 280ps | 265 lb/f | 1270kg |
September 1998 - August 1999 | |||||
Chassis | Engine | Power | Torque | Weight | |
| WRX | GC8F48D | EJ207 | 280ps | 249 lb/f | 1270kg |
| WRX RA | GC8F47D | EJ207 | 280ps | 249 lb/f | 1210kg |
| WRX RA V-Limited | GC8F47D | EJ207 | 280ps | 249 lb/f | 1210kg |
| WRX STI | GC8F4ED | EJ207 | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1270kg |
| WRX STI RA | GC8F4DD | EJ207 | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1210kg |
| WRX STI RA V-Limited | GC8F4DD | EJ207 | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1210kg |
| WRX Wagon | GF8F58D | EJ205 | 240ps | 228 lb/f | 1300kg |
| WRX STI Wagon | GF8F5ED | EJ207 | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1300kg |
| WRX STI Coupe Type-R | GC8F2DD | EJ207 | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1200kg |
| WRX STI Coupe Type-R V-Limited | GC8F2DD | EJ207 | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1200kg |
September 1999 - October 2000 | |||||
Chassis | Engine | Power | Torque | Weight | |
| WRX | GC8G48D | EJ207 | 280ps | 249 lb/f | 1270kg |
| WRX RA | GC8G47D | EJ207 | 280ps | 249 lb/f | 1210kg |
| WRX RA V-Limited | GC8G47D | EJ207 | 280ps | 249 lb/f | 1210kg |
| WRX STI | GC8G4ED | EJ207 | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1270kg |
| WRX STI RA | GC8G4DD | EJ207 | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1210kg |
| WRX STI RA V-Limited | GC8G4DD | EJ207 | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1210kg |
| WRX STI Coupe Type-R | GC8G2FD | EJ207 | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1200kg |
| WRX STI Coupe Type-R V-Limited | GC8G2FD | EJ207 | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1200kg |
| WRX Wagon | GF8G58D | EJ20G | 240ps | 228 lb/f | 1300kg |
| WRX STI Wagon | GF8G5ED | EJ207 | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1300kg |
| WRX STI Wagon Limited | GF8G5ED | EJ207 | 280ps | 259 lb/f | 1300kg |
[h=1]Subaru Impreza WRX model definitions JDM (GC8 GF8)[/h]
Subaru has made many variations of the Impreza but I will focus on only the WRX models. All WRX models came with the twin turbo 2.0 EJ20 motor.
WRX
This is the standard WRX and is known to have slightly more power than the world market WRX.
Type – RA
This is a model sold as a base vehicle for racing. It was stripped in options in order to save weight. It is unclear what RA stands for but it may stand for Race Altered. You could get AC, electric windows, or radios as options. These cars came with a shorter ratio transmission. Many examples came with roof scoops standard.
STi
This is the highly tuned WRX and is the most popular. Year by year is changed but it remained more powerful than the standard WRX. Other options such as water spray intercooler, larger intercooler, and more reliable engine internals.
STi Type RA / STi Type R
This was the stripped down version of the STi and included more power in some cases. There was a tuned transmission with Driver Controlled Center Differential (DCCD). This allowed the driver to lock all four wheels for rally driving. The interior had less sound deadening materials and the cabin was sparsely equipped. Type R is a 2 door version of the Type RA
Source - http://pacificcoastjdm.com/review/subaru/imprezagc8/models