Now I'm a huge fan of keyless remotes, and guess what, the WRX has one. My favourite part of the remote entry system is the high-pitched sound it makes when locking or unlocking the car. I noticed that with a lot of vehicles the locking or unlocking sound is often an unceremonious toot of the horn, or come other unpleasantly loud noise. The tone associated with the WRX is sly and sexy, a premium car sound that draws attention not only to the car, but its driver! I like that.

The 205/55R16 89V Bridgestone Potenza RE92 tires mounted on 16" x 6.5" alloy rims grip the road tightly giving a feeling of safety. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press)

The 5-speed manual transmission definitely got two thumbs up while taking the curving Sea-to-Sky Highway on the way to Whistler, BC. It's a slick piece of work, shifting effortlessly. A 4-speed automatic with manual mode is optional. On the whole the car glides in and out of corners exceptionally well, leaving me feeling nothing but safe on an infamously dangerous road. The 205/55R16 89V Bridgestone Potenza RE92 tires grip the road well and the 16" x 6.5" alloy rims don't look too shabby either.

The fully-independent sport-tuned suspension and 4-wheel, 4-channel, 4-sensor ABS brakes increase the racy feel of the racy WRX. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press)

Cruising up the winding roadway I happened to stumble upon a street that was being repaved, and low and behold there was loose gravel. Again, another unfair situation. It was like dangling cheese in front of a mouse. Oh how I wanted to drive it like the pros, but alas I resisted temptation and drove responsibly. Indeed the Impreza WRX handled well in the loose terrain. Little slippage occurred and I could only tell a slight difference from its performance on the gravel compared to the pavement. The fully-independent sport-tuned suspension took to the rough stuff remarkably well, and despite seeming rock hard on pavement actually felt smoother in the dirt.

It's brake time. As expected the WRX has a pretty high-tech braking system, including 4-wheel, 4-channel, 4-sensor ABS. Also power assisted, the front ventilated discs with twin piston calipers and rear solid discs incorporate a dual diagonal system for safeties sake, plus Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD). Translation, great brakes. But, I think I just like saying "twin piston calipers," it sounds so racy, probably because it is.