How a legend was reborn… and died again

Last week, Subaru succeeded in creating some hype around a big announcement they were going to make at the New York Auto Show. They put a big countdown timer, entitled “A legend will be reborn - April 5th”, on their web site. Everyone was expecting to see the all new 2008 Impreza then.

A short time after the timer had been running, the magazine Motor Trend leaked some pictures of the 2008 WRX hatchback. A lot of people were doubting the photos… we’ve all had our share of “photoshopped” Impreza pictures. However, seeing all the negative comments the pictures from Motor Trend generated around the web, Subaru felt the need to release official pictures before the official announcement was made.

Today, as the counter reached 0, Subaru announced the 2008 Impreza at the New York Auto Show. I was still hoping for some kind of late April’s Fool joke on Subaru’s part when they first released the pictures - but sadly it was not so.

This is the real thing. The car has become much more mainstream. Heck, it even looks like a Corolla. Judging from the comments left here on this blog and on the Subaru forums around the world, current WRX owners are not too pleased by the Impreza’s new looks.

Please Subaru, change the front grille, remove that silly antenna and give us our sports car back.

Glenn Macneall, Chris Atkinson’s co-driver in the World Rally Championship, has stepped down from the Subaru World Rally Team for personal reasons.

Glenn said: “Competing in the World Rally Championship is far more than just a job, and while I really have enjoyed my time with the team I’ve simply come to the point now where I want to do other things. Having made up my mind to go, it wouldn’t be fair on Chris for me to carry on with anything less than 100 per cent commitment, and for this reason I felt it would be best to step down straight away. I’ll continue to follow the sport very closely and I wish Chris, Petter and the whole Subaru team the best of luck in the future.”

Glenn Macneall joined the Subaru World Rally Team in 2001 and has been Chris’ co-driver on all of his 36 WRC starts. There will be an announcement shortly regarding Chris Atkinson’s new co-pilot.

Chris had to retire from Rally de Portugal last week because he missed a pace-note and went off-road. I wonder if it could have been the last straw for Glenn Macneall.

Source: SWRT

After some unofficial pictures of the 2008 Impreza WRX hatchback were leaked last week (yes, it appears the photos were real after all), Subaru has released official information on the new car.

Here it is in its full … glory?

Sedan version of the new WRX. Picture from Inside Line.

It does not look so bad, but Subaru fans’ expectations were very high regarding the new Impreza. It’s much better than the hatchback model in my opinion. Still, the antenna is killing me! It makes the car look so cheap.

Sedan interior. Picture from Inside Line.

And what’s with the beige interior? I sure hope it comes in a choice of color. While the cabin has definitely been improved, it looks like the interior of a spaceship.

Hatchback version of the new Subaru. Picture from Inside Line.

The 5-door hatchback WRX will replace the current wagon model.

The new hatchback from behind. Picture from Inside Line.

The 2008 Impreza WRX sedan is destined for the North American market only. It will use the same 2.5L engine as the hatchback version and will come in either a 5-speed manual transmission or in a 4-speed automatic. Power output is expected to be roughly the same as the current model, about 224 hp and 226 lb-ft of torque, but reachable at 5200 rpm and 2800 rpm compared to last year’s 5600 rpm and 3600 rpm respectively. While the sedan is 4.9 inches longer than the current model, it will actually weight less, losing about 50 pounds.

The WRX STI version is expected to be announced early next year. And you guys with a 2004-2005 WRX out there: hold onto it dearly. As a fellow owner, the 2008 WRX is not what I was hoping for and I won’t be getting one anytime soon.

Source: Inside Line, Car and Driver

Fourth place for Solberg

Petter Solberg set a good pace and managed to finish 4th overall, bringing home enough manufacturer points to place the Subaru World Rally Team in third place in the championship for manufacturers.

Petter Solberg: “Overall we can take a lot of positive things from our performance this weekend. On many stages were able to challenge the pace of the leaders, and although we were unable to pressure them this afternoon - we think because of an electrical problem with the turbo’s anti-lag system - we’re continuing to improve the performance of this new car. We have a test planned soon, and I’m feeling confident that with some more stage mileage we will unlock more of the potential in time for the next event.”

Petter Solberg during SS11. Picture from SWRT

Chris Atkinson retired

Sadly, Chris Atkinson had to retire during Leg 2 when he missed a pace-note and drove off the road at high speed. He and his co-pilot, Glean Macneall, were uninjured but the car took a beating and they were unable to continue the rally.

Chris Atkinson: “It hasn’t been the best weekend, that’s for sure. It’s a great shame because I thought this rally would suit my driving style and the car. This morning I struggled with the handling a bit, we had some balance and understeer problems and I was struggling to get the car turned in properly – especially on such slippery roads. We started the stage (SS10) pretty well but in hindsight I was thinking too much about the feeling, and not concentrating on the road. I missed a corner note, got on the wrong line and just went straight off. Clearly the team and I have some work to do before we find a good, balanced set-up for wet and dry conditions. And while we experimented a bit here, it’s not an ideal environment in which to test. We have a proper test planned shortly which should give me the opportunity to work on the set-up specifically. Petter and I have shown that the outright speed is there, but this is only the second rally for the new car and clearly there’s a lot to learn.”

The next event takes place in Argentina from May 4th through May 6th. That gives the Subaru World Rally Team one month to tweak the car to their liking and run some extensive tests on it. Let’s hope for a podium finish next time!

Source: SWRT