The Outback Sport is a lot of fun to drive. We drove it over a wide variety of terrain, from the two-lane tight and twisties of Utah's Bryce Canyon to flat-as-a-roadmap, four-lane stretches of the Southwest. We maneuvered around an autocross course with water and sand traps. We found the ride quality, handling, and braking to be superb. Under normal conditions, the power from Subaru's horizontally opposed boxer engine is directed to the front wheels. But when traction is lost the viscous coupling locks up and sends up to 50 percent of the power to the rear wheels. Besides reducing the chance of getting stuck, this system improves handling dramatically in all conditions by more effectively distributing traction in the corners.
For '97 the 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine delivers more punch, spinning out 137 horsepower at 5400 rpm. Torque and fuel economy are improved as well.
Standard Impreza models are equipped with 1.8-liter four-cylinder horizontally opposed engines that generate 115 horsepower at 5600 rpm and 120 lbs.-ft. at 4000 rpm.
A five-speed manual transmission is standard, with a four-speed automatic for $800. We tried both and recommend the sporty, smooth-shifting manual, particularly if you're a closet rally racer. There is good power off the line, throughout the range and the Sport has a broad power band to aid with passing.
The long-stroke, four-wheel independent MacPherson strut suspension found on the Outback Sport is standard on all Imprezas. This suspension allows the rear differential to be mounted higher in the chassis, which allows greater ground clearance and a more direct flow of power to the transmission.
For off-road applications, this suspension system helps keep all four wheels on the ground while traveling over obstacles, through ruts or being tossed around on dirt roads. Additional ground clearance is realized by virtue of the transfer case differential being no larger than a grapefruit.
We found the Outback Sport highly capable in all types of on-road driving conditions. On dirt roads, it handles extremely well and is a lot of fun to drive. Don't confuse it with a Jeep Wrangler, however. The Outback lacks the skid plates and low-range set of gears necessary for tackling the Rubicon Trail.
The Outback Sport's power-assisted rack and pinion steering is precisely tuned to give Velcro-like stick in corners. Power-assisted four-channel anti-lock brakes do a good job of slowing things down.
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