I’ve been fortunate enough in my short life to attend press events all over the globe. From jaunting on the autobahn across West Germany to trekking the mountains of New Zealand like my namesake Frodo to marveling at the Northern Lights from a dark roadside patch outside of Reykjavik, Iceland, sometimes I feel like I’ve seen it all. Obviously I haven’t and I was reminded of that fact recently when Subaru gave me a chance to head to Kennebunkport, Maine to get a first hand look at the new Subaru Impreza.
If I had to name 100 places on my list to travel to, I doubt K-Port would have been on there. That’s a serious mistake. Beginning with our accommodations at the Hidden Pond, an idyllic forest campus of bungalows with private golf carts whose owner Tim Harrington will literally go to the end of the earth (or Maine at least) to make sure you have everything you need and ending with an epic finale dinner at Arrows, the 14th best restaurant in America that produces 90% of what it serves on premises, the trip was like a fairy tale that I never knew existed. The most amazing thing is that it was all bonus. The real reason I was there was to get some serious hands on time with the Impreza, Subaru’s stalwart all wheel drive sedan and hatchback that has been completely relaunched for 2012.
The car itself was exactly what I expected it to be – a go-anywhere workhorse with stress-free dependability. In my line of work, while I appreciate luxury, I mostly want to make sure I can get to the mountain for first tracks or get through a day in Brooklyn without giving a shit about the dings and dents I’m bound to acquire, and the Impreza more than delivered on the sense of dependability front. As we tracked our way through the Maine countryside to the coast I constantly had the feeling that I couldn’t hurt the car if I tried and believe me, I tried. Whether pushing 100mph on local straightaways or getting gnarly on the offroad tip, the Impreza did all the work, leaving me and my driving partner CJ Washington able to have all the fun. So that’s exactly what we did. We dodged a variety of roadkill, geo-cached our way through cemeteries, stopped for a lobster bake in the Bush’s neighborhood, took a Trek for a spin and most amazingly, learned that apple cider is actually produced by Jamaican yardies who brave the cold of Maine for three months every year to make America’s most traditional fall/winter drink – seriously who knew??
The entire trip was truly an adventure and one that was served perfectly by a vehicle that tops out fully loaded at only $22,500. In other words, the Impreza impressed. Check out some of my snaps after the jump. The photo above is an actual shot of CJ and me getting dirty by Jack Brumm. Expect to see me in a Subaru this winter!
