First Drive Review
WRX fans might not love the styling of the new Impreza, but Subaru says there is method behind the apparent madness-the company wants to tone down the current car's import-tuner image and appeal to a wider audience through more conservative and mature looks, better interior quality, and improved packaging.
We had an opportunity in Japan to drive the 2008 WRX. Although the Japanese-market car has a smaller (and more powerful) engine, the rest of it is virtually identical to the WRX that goes on sale in the U.S. the first of September. It will be available as a four-door sedan and five-door hatchback, which replaces the outgoing wagon that accounted for about 25 percent of American sales.
This latest Impreza is bigger than the outgoing model. The wheelbase has increased 3.7 inches to 103.1, and the sedan is 4.5 inches longer at 180.3 inches overall. The hatchback is actually two inches shorter, at 173.8 inches long, but has more head- and legroom throughout. Despite the increased dimensions, Subaru says the new car is 50 pounds lighter than its predecessor.
The interior is a step up on the old car's. Higher-quality materials are used throughout, and the overall dash design is similar to the good-looking Subaru Tribeca SUV layout. It's a relatively simple setup that maintains the Impreza's standard three-dial climate-control arrangement and clear analog dials, and a navigation system finally makes its way onto the options list.
Subaru feels the car already has the power and grip it needs, so current owners expecting hefty power gains will be let down by the carry-over engine range, which offers little in the way of improved performance. The Japanese-spec WRX has a 247-hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged boxer engine that makes 246 pound-feet of torque. U.S. versions will get a 2.5-liter engine that makes the same 224 horsepower and 226 pound-feet of torque as the outgoing model, although the torque is achieved at 2800 rpm, 800 lower than before, thanks to a new intake manifold, intercooler, and turbocharger. The four-speed automatic and five-speed manual transmissions are also carried over.
As a result of this carry-over policy, the performance feels like it's stuck in limbo. It's as if Subaru had toned down the car's on-road thrills in line with its toned-down looks. You expect to be blown away, but you're not. It's not that it feels slower, but you always expect a new car to be faster.
Fortunately, the car's on-road demeanor is improved by a quicker steering ratio and a redesigned rear suspension that now employs a more compact setup. Throw the Impreza into a corner, and it stays flat, responding with minimal body roll and improved composure. The car turns in sharply with no apparent understeer and offers greater stability than the old WRX. The ride is vastly more compliant. The brakes have been switched from the four-piston variety to cheaper two-pot sliding calipers and deliver adequate stopping power.
In creating a car that has more space, better quality, and an improved ride, the '08 WRX should appeal to the "wider audience" its bosses are looking for. But on the flip side, the bland styling and the lack of performance upgrades give current WRX owners nowhere to go. Except, perhaps, to Mitsubishi, when the sharp-looking Lancer Evolution X surfaces later this year.
