AutoExpress reviews the new Subaru Impreza diesel.

“A hefty 350Nm of torque makes for exciting acceleration, but it is the smooth power delivery which steals the show. Plus, superb flexibility means the Impreza is just as happy being pushed hard on a B-road as it is cruising around town.

However, while the permanent all-wheel drive is predictably foolproof, the chassis isn’t as adjustable as the STI’s more complicated and sporty set-up. And it shows when you take a corner – the car understeers rather than tucking in its nose.”

Read more…

The New York Times reviews the Subaru WRX and the Mitsubishi EVO.

“With the performance side of the Impreza and Lancer lines now extending from the 237-horsepower Lancer Ralliart and 224-horse Impreza 2.5 GT on up to the Evo MR and WRX STI, the $25,690 WRX and $33,710 Evo GSR are the middle children. In a lot of ways, they’re the sweet spots of their respectivelineups.

The WRX now offers most of the STI’s thrills for two-thirds of the money, and the 5-speed Evo GSR is quicker than the more expensive MR. With its noncomputerized transmission, the GSR will be easier to modify, an important consideration for the legions of Evo owners who bump up their horsepower.”

The 2009 Subaru WRX was reviewed by Alvarado Post, and it looks like they enjoyed the car a lot!

“Subaru has definitely raised performance and handling to a new level because this car is an absolute blast to drive.

Handling is outstanding — simply outstanding.

While I could literally gush over how crisp the re-tuned suspension and steering systems perform, I’m even more impressed with the increase in performance Subaru has managed to deliver in the 2.5-liter Boxer turbocharged 4-cylinder engine.

With a base price starting around $26,000, the Impreza WRX includes a long list of standard features, including: 60/40 split fold down rear seat back, audio system with CD player, automatic climate control system, cruise control, digital clock and outside temperature gauge, electroluminescent instrument gauges, incline start assist, leather-wrapped steering wheel with controls for cruise and audio systems, performance-designed front seats, power windows and door locks, remote keyless entry, tilt-and-telescoping steering column and intermittent wipers.”

Wow! Intermittent wipers!

Ken Block performs a road test of the Subaru WRX – a real world road test.

Car and Driver has a long term road test of the 2008 Subaru WRX STI. It looks like they got a bunch of mechanical issues with the car. The review is pretty extensive and is worth a read.

“The first few months with the STI were smooth sailing. [...] Around the 11,000-mile mark, second gear began repeatedly popping out of its engagement, and into service the STI went.”

“Engine problems cropped up with just 23,000 miles on the clock. [...] An air-fuel-ratio sensor was initially suspected and subsequently replaced, but the new sensor proved no fix. Finally, after months of trying to track down the unhappy ghost in our engine bay, a new engine control unit was installed, curing the problem. [...] It took so long to identify the issue that Subaru asked the dealer to do a compression check on all cylinders, to make sure driving the car with the surging issue hadn’t caused it to go out of spec. As it turned out, the compression was indeed out of whack, so a new short block (which really means most of the engine beyond the cylinder heads) was installed at 32,066 miles.”

“[...] when the car was functioning properly, it was an extremely capable and fun-to-drive machine.”

“The all-wheel-drive system proved fantastic during the winter months and the suspension provides a much more civilized ride than that of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.”

Chris Powell, a reader and new owner of a 2008 WRX, left an interesting comment on this blog about the new 2008 WRX. Seeing as the new car has received pretty bad comments from readers of this blog, I think Chris’ opinion is worth sharing.

He says:

“Interesting list of quotes from the trade magazines, even more interesting comments from the readers of this blog. My only question is, do you own one? Well I do! I think the car is great. I’ve had it a week now and traded in my 2003 WRX Wagon for the 2008 5 door.

The previous blogger Timis posted “make a comparison with latest VW Golf / Audi A3 / BMW 120i / Opel-Vauxhall Astra models”. Well he is right, only one big difference, it’s a Subaru! I upgraded the car with STI metal pedals and a short-throw shifter. Unfortunately that is all you can get right now from SPT at Subaru. I’ll add intake and exhaust upgrades from the dealership as soon as they become available.

The first thing you notice (apart from the more stylish and mature look of the car) is the sound of the doors when you close them. They sound and feel much more like a BMW or Audi rather than that “tin” door feel of my 2003 WRX. As soon as I took off from the dealership I immediately noticed the lower end torque of the 2.5 Liter engine versus my old 2.0 liter block. You also notice much more of the hood out the front windshield in the new version of the car.

The handling is completely legendary Subaru. Just yesterday I flew in to a 90 degree left turn on the way to work. I remember quite distinctly in the old wagon that I tried the same turn some years back “a bit too fast”. In that “incident”, I under-steered and nearly slid off the road on the right hand side of the corner as I came out of the turn. This time in the 2008, I hit that hard left (well in to the oncoming lane), and only slid a half lane to the right. I was in much better control of the situation. I was probably well over 100-110kph around the turn in third gear and I mean a two lane, hard 90 degree left (we drive on the right here in the US just in case you haven’t been here). It was only then that I noticed the car also has additional traction control and I saw a wonderful little orange indicator light come on in the dash to let me know I had lost traction. I‘m going to light up that baby more often! I didn’t have any indicators like that at all in the 2003.

All in all, the car is very impressive and with the new quiet in the cockpit, the 6 C/D stereo sounds much, much, better. Buy one if you can, we only had five, 5 doors here in Houston (Sept. 07) and the charcoal grey one is smoking tires on the street as you read this!”

Well it sure sounds like a fun car to drive and I’m glad people are actually enjoying the new car!

A few weeks ago, the new 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX was unveiled at the New York Auto Show. According to the many comments I’ve received on this blog, current Subaru owners and fans are quite disappointed by the new look and lack of performance upgrade. But what do other news source and blogs think of the new WRX? I’ve compiled a list of facts and opinions found on the internet since the beginning of the month.

What do others think of the new ‘rex?

Scoop has an interesting quote from Chris Rickards, the General Manager of Subaru of New Zealand: “More than 60 percent of Impreza purchases are either made by women or influenced by women. Increasingly we are finding women seeking style and performance as well as safety in their new car purchase.”

IGN says: “Subaru has never been known for making ‘pretty’ cars, and its latest ride – the 2008 Impreza WRX – is most certainly not a ‘looker’”. But then, no Impreza has ever been pretty. To be honest, every Impreza known to man has been more than a bit ugly, but just like you say to the hot cheerleader that won’t date your ugly ass, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.”

theage.com.au says: “While the WRX has been toned down to be more conservative in an effort to appeal to a different audience, Subaru insiders suggest the range-topping STi model will be more radical than ever. [...] The leaked images of the new hatchback-style Impreza model have already stirred debate on motoring forums, and the official pictures of the more conservative WRX range are guaranteed to polarise more opinions.”

Subdriven says: “Developed around the product concept of new, more refined designs for comfort, the latest Impreza incorporates sophisticated styling and rich interior design, roominess and space, and outstanding comfort and utility, while offering a pleasant and safe ride enhanced by Subaru Symmetrical AWD (All-Wheel drive) with the Horizontally-Opposed engine.”

Motor Trend, who was the first to leak pictures of the new car, says: “How does a kid racer mature without growing up? In the case of the Subaru Impreza WRX, it loses the fender flares and becomes a hot hatch, that Euroesque ideal of the small, fast, cheap car. And it becomes more liveable, more sophisticated. [...] Unfortunately, this first look at the new model-now a five-door hatchback as well as a four-door sedan-hitting showrooms in September doesn’t include a drive. The news is about everything but getting behind the wheel and flogging it sideways in the dirt or snow.”

Autoblog says: “It looks better in person than in photos, but we’re not yet ready to commit to, you know, actually liking it. Inside, the Impreza has a roomy feel, but the overall quality left us feeling a bit unsatisfied.”

Jalopnik says: “Subaru wiped the cosmoline off its new Subaru Impreza WRX, in the upcoming sedan configuration. It’s the one an informal survey of Jalopnik comments chose as the best looking of the new Impreza models. And it does look pretty good in three dimensions, if slightly more generic that its blocky predecessor.”

Auto123 says: “The new Subaru Impreza is here. Having lost its aggressive boyish good looks, the 2008 edition of the Impreza is now more mainstream and should actually attract more potential buyers. [...] Unfortunately, the engine choice are directly carried over from the previous car; too bad for those that were hoping for big power increases for the WRX.”

Mobile Magazine says: “Although I’ve never owned a Subaru myself, I’m a fan of the carmaker because of their sporty Imprezas (particularly the STi) evoke a great sense of power in a beautiful all-wheel-drive package. The newly unveiled 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX ditches the pig nose fascia found on the current model, replacing it with a wider, sleeker grille.”

Sunday Mirror says: “SUBARU took the wraps off their new WRX this week – and the four-door has to be the most handsome incarnation of the new Impreza line-up. With more than a hint of the BMW 3-Series, I particularly like its gaping bonnet scoop, and for once there’s a frontal aspect that isn’t going to frighten small children. [...] Die-hard Scooby fans may be disappointed, but I think this is absolutely the right way to go with the Impreza, moving its market away from a bad boy’s toy to a 30-something’s skateboard. In the process it’s bound to steal sales from the excellent but ubiquitous 3-Series.”

Hamilton Spectator doesn’t care about the appearance: “There has been some fan griping on the Internet about the bigger size and ‘Camry-like’ new look but most WRX aficionados, having gone through previous cosmetic makeovers, swear they don’t care what it looks like as long as it still rides, handles and performs like a WRX.”

New Zealand Herald thinks the new hatchback’s been designed with women in mind. “The five-door hatch is moving upmarket with a more stylish design to appeal more to women buyers and break into the European hatch market.”

Motor Authority says: “Subaru of America senior vice president Timothy Mahoney has told Ward’s Auto that most WRX fans have come to accept the new design. “The WRX is a really emotional product and it has a very loyal following,” he said. Mahoney then went on to explain that most people came around after seeing the car up close, referring to the 100-odd WRX enthusiasts that attended a special post-show event hosted by Subaru.”

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

Apparently, some new pictures of the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX were “leaked” by the magazine Motor Trend. A user of the NASIOC forums claims he received the May issue of the magazine, in which a hatchback version of the new WRX is featured. I think it is a bit far fetched and it might be a marketing move by Motor Trend, but if you want to see the pictures head to this thread at NASIOC.

One thing I hate about these pictures is the external antenna. I think it makes the car look cheap (and very much like a Mazda 3). I like my ‘05 WRX for this: it has no external antenna.

I won’t be posting any more unofficial information or pictures of the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX until it is officially announced, probably in ten days from now on April 5th at the New York Auto Show. There have been far too many rumors already on the subject!

Recently, the British magazine Autocar has stated that Subaru had no plan of carrying over the WRX model in 2008, instead offering only the base Impreza and the more powerful STI models.

It appears the rumor is not founded: Autoblog was contacted by Michael McHale, Subaru’s Director of Corporate Communications. Michael McHale let them know that Subaru is going to offer the WRX model in 2008.

Furthermore, he also mentioned that there WILL be a sedan version of the redesigned 2008 Impreza. He did not confirm the hatchback rumors though. Well that’s two good news. It looks like we’ll be able to buy a 2008 WRX sedan after all!

Concept art of the new 2008 Impreza have been flooding the automotive blogs and news sites from all around the world lately. Ever since Subaru announced a major redesign of the Impreza model for 2008, it’s been nothing but rumors and speculations. Let’s feed the fire some more wood!

Some new pictures of the much anticipated Impreza WRX car have surfaced today. The new pictures have been found on a Russian forum via Autoblog and CarDomain Blog, who are also eagerly following the hype around the new car. These pictures look amazingly like those posted on other Subaru blogs a while back – except it’s a hatchback. Even the reflection on the car in the picture is the same!

This picture was first posted on Scoobyblog in July 2006.

While there is no doubt the 2008 Impreza WRX will bear resemblances to the concept pictures we’ve seen surfacing in these last few months, I still don’t believe we’re seeing anything like the final model. These pictures have been originally posted in a forum in September 2006 and Autoblog’s dug them up. Notice the Pirelli stickers on the Subaru WRC car: the Subaru World Rally Team has since switched to BFGoodrich tyres. I don’t think all these pictures represent the new 2008 Impreza very well. However, most of the art surrounding the new 2008 Impreza is very well done and at first glance is hard to discern from an actual photograph.

Recently surfaced picture from Japanese magazines.

As for the hatchback-only rumor – for some reasons I can’t get myself to believe it’s true. Subaru currently dominates the performance sedan market with the Impreza WRX STI along with Mitsubishi with the EVO car. I think leaving that market wide open to Mitsubishi in 2008 would be a dire mistake on Subaru’s part. A hatchback version of the Impreza in 2008 is a possibility though, but I doubt they’ll drop the sedan altogether.

That spoiler is a real rear-view blocker.

I’d like to see some official information on the new 2008 Impreza, but Subaru isn’t feeding us any. We’ll probably have to wait until it’s revealed at a motorshow somewhere around the world before we can get a glimpse of the real thing.

Straightline has posted photos of the new hatchback 2008 Impreza taken from Japanese magazines. The pictures show a hatchback version of the 2008 Subaru WRX STI, which will probably also be offered in a sedan version, with the ugly grille that was introduced in 2006 gone.

Picture from Straightline (magazine unknown)

I like the front grille on that one, but I preferred the old hood scoop.

Picture from Straightline (magazine unknown)

Now, remember: these are only concept pictures. They’re not necessarily the real thing. For example, look at past concept pictures of the 2006 WRX taken from Japanese magazines:

Picture from Flickr

Picture from Flickr

Picture from Web Wombat

And this is how the production car finally turned out:

It’s true that there are a lot of similarities between the concept pictures and the final product, but they still have time to change this. I guess Subaru will keep the suspense high until 2008. I can’t wait to see the next generation Impreza in April though!

No Subaru Impreza WRX for 2008?

According to the British magazine Autocar, Subaru is not planning to have a 2008 WRX car in production, instead offering the new redesigned 2008 Impreza WRX STI.

That’s right. Subaru’s only going to offer the base Impreza model (a new hatchback, according to the rumors) and the high performance Impreza WRX STI model, skipping the intermediate WRX model entirely.

I really don’t see why they’re dropping the WRX – it’s such a nice car and it offers a lot of performance for the price. There doesn’t appear to be a lot of STI on the road here, but WRX are far more common. We’ll see if the rumors are founded. Let’s hope they’re going to carry over the 2008 WRX!

The 2008 Impreza will be revealed at the New York International Automobile Show in April, according to Autocar. The new 2008 Impreza will be a five door hatchback powered by a choice of 1.5L and 2.0L boxer engine. Unfortunately for the rally driver in us, we will have to wait until 2008 to have a glance at the new WRX STI model.

I sincerely hope that Subaru will also offer a sedan version of the 2008 Impreza. Autocar does not reveal its source; one can always hope that it’s just rumors.

The 2008 WRX to harbor a new design

What will the 2008 WRX look like? It is a well-know fact that the 2008 Impreza model is being redesigned. It’s still only rumors and speculations, but here is a list of possible design that you can find around the web.

2008 WRX is not the B5-TPH prototype

At first it was thought that the 2008 WRX would look like Subaru’s B5-TPH prototype. Subaru however corrected those rumors and mentioned the new model would not look like the B5-TPH prototype, which in my opinion is very ugly, but might borrow some of its features.

Concept pictures from japanese magazines

The ScoobyBlog has 2008 WRX concept pictures. The car looks pretty much like a current generation WRX but is more stylized. In my opinion, it is not what the new model will look like because Subaru said they would be changing the nose grille on the 2008 Impreza models and in the pictures it remains almost unchanged.

Hatchback rumors

Increasing rumors on the 2008 WRX wants it to be a hatchback. DubSpeed Driven has spy-shots pictures of the new model which is a hatchback. These pictures however are obviously fakes. They show a VW in disguise, not a WRX. They’re still interesting nonetheless. Note that the 2008 Subaru Impreza is rumored to come in both hatchback and sedan format.

No official word yet…

While Subaru is not releasing much information, it’s entertaining to see all the rumors spreading around. The final design of the new Impreza will probably be announced at a motor show sometime soon. I can’t wait to see the new 2008 WRX model!

According to the U.K.’s Auto Express magazine, the next-generation Subaru Impreza will arrive within the next year and will be available first in a five-door hatch, followed by a traditional sedan.

From: New Subaru Impreza getting closer to production

An article published in The Vancouver Sun suggests a guide for picking up a color for your new ride, and they list the Subaru WRX:

SUBARU WRX

Colour to avoid: Every colour except World Rally Blue.

Colour to get: World Rally Blue, a hue synonymous with Subaru and off-road rally championships. Add the optional gold rims and the WRX is a thing of beauty.

I agree with them that the World Rally Blue car looks pretty nice. However, I think it’s far too common. According to what I’ve seen on the road, at least 2/3 of every Subaru WRX is blue and has gold rims.

For this reason, I tend to prefer the black WRX with silver mags over the blue one. I find it much more aggressive. The white WRX is a close second – especially with a carbon fiber hood. The world rally blue model comes third, simply because it’s far too common. Silver models are last because as silver is one of the most popular car color, the WRX blends too much with other cars.

It’s true that the world rally blue has higher resale value since it’s the color that’s most in demand, but the difference is minimal. Pick the color your really want for your new car. And who knows, maybe Subaru will introduce new colors to go with the redesigned 2008 WRX!

Since Subaru announced the redesign of the Impreza in 2008, there has been a lot of speculation on the web as to what the next generation of Impreza will look like.

Some news sites, such as MobileMag and LeftLaneNews, have announced the Impreza 2008 to be a hatchback based on the B5-TPH hybrid prototype.

According to Subaru, however, the redesign of the Subaru Impreza is NOT based on the B5-TPH prototype. There is nothing yet to discredit the hatchback rumor though.