Subaru Impreza blossoms from wallflower to looker for 2008

Subaru Impreza blossoms from wallflower to looker for 2008

2008 Subaru Impreza
By: Jim Robinson

VICTORIA, B.C.: A Subaru Impreza with a sense of style! You wouldn't have expected it even a year ago, but here's the 2008 Impreza that actually stands out from the crowd instead of trying to blend in with it.

Previously, the Impreza was an okay looker, but there was this sense that Subaru thought that bland was good much as Toyota did in the past when it worked for them.

Sure, Subaru brands itself as selling nothing but all-wheel-drive cars, but AWD is now not just readily available from its competitors but approaching commonplace. Even the segment below the Impreza has more and more people discovering that having four wheels gripping the ground is always better than just two, especially in this country.

Available as a four-door sedan or five-door hatch, the 2008 Impreza pair can attract a crowd even when parked.

At the press launch of the car in Victoria, two sedans and two hatchbacks were parked in front of the hotel where we were staying for a twilight photo op after dinner. As we were eating, we noticed people stopping to look and point. When it swelled into a crowd, Subaru Canada president and CEO, Katsuhiro Yokoyama leapt up from his dinner to go and greet them. He was out there for an hour answering questions and showing off the features like the wider doors and the much-changed interiors.

His actions fit in with what he had told me before dinner about Subaru realizing that the need to attract the attention from owners of other brands and win them over is what the 2008 Impreza is all about.

"We have to tell about the quality of the new Impreza and the price that is now lower but with more features that we had before," he said. "If we get them behind the wheel of the new Impreza, I am sure they will buy it."

The Imprezas now have character lines with real character. On the hatchback in particular, there is high beltline crease that makes it look a lot like flagship Tribeca. Gone is the oval grille, replaced by an egg crate style. From the rear the jewelled look of the LCD lighting actually sparkles in the sun.

On the turbocharged WRX, the hood scoop that feeds the engine intercooler is now broad and low with a grafted-in look that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional. Much wind tunnel testing resulted in the new scoop design that has the added benefit of not jutting up in the forward vision of the driver.

The 2008 Impreza is offered in naturally aspired form as the entry-level 2.5i and the up-trimmed 2.5i Sport Package and also as the turbocharged WRX with a five-speed manual transmission as standard and an optional four-speed automatic with Sportshift. It allows the driver to select one of three modes: Drive for economy; Sport for quicker response and Sport Shift that allows sequential manual shifting.

Pricing with manual shift is: Impreza 2.5i sedan, $20,695; Impreza 2.5i five-door, $21,595; Impreza 2.5i Sport Package sedan, $23,195; Impreza 2.5i Sport Package five-door, $24,895, Impreza WRX sedan, $32,995; Impreza WRX five-door, $33,895.

The price point is another point in Subaru's "conquest" buyer strategy.

The Canadian compact car segment makes up 25 per cent of all cars sold here. Most buyers are looking in the $18-$22,000 range with the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic (that don't offer AWD) smack dab in the centre. The 2007 Impreza, with AWD as standard, was just above the radar at about $23,000. With the 2008 model, its $20,695 base price puts Subaru squarely in the game.

The Impreza is a totally different car from the previous model; the only thing being shared is the name and some of the drivetrain. The new platform is what Subaru calls the Dynamic Chassis Control Concept or DC-Cubed. Not only is it separate from other models, it features a new suspension front and rear using subframe to further distance passengers from noise, vibration and harshness, or NVH.

And wonder of wonders; the doors now have frames, the first that I can ever remember on a Subaru. Frames not only seal better, they permit wider opening angles and also cut way back on wind boom at speed.

The entire AWD driveline sits 10 mm lower. Already set low to the ground, that further adds to stability and is complimented by a longer wheelbase than the 2007 version.

There are two power plants. On the 2.5i and Sport, the classic "flat" or "boxer" four-cylinder engine is used, this time displacing 2.5-litres, with a single overhead cam producing 170 hp and 170 lb/ft of torque. In the WRX, the 2.5-litre gets double overhead cams and a turbo making 224 hp and 226 lb/ft of torque. While power is the same as the previous WRX, Subaru pointed out peak torque is now achieved at 2,800 rpm instead of 3,600 rpm, making for sooner passing.

We did this "first look" in pre-production models with Subaru saying the ones coming into showrooms now had eradicated some of the little deficiencies like having a larger brow over the trip computer readout that was washed out in direct sun.

The concept of the interior is the double wave first seen on the topline Tribeca. It gives a kind of twin cockpit feel that works so well in the Subaru flagship.


I drove both the hatchback in 2.5i Sport trim and the WRX automatic painted in that great iridescent blue Subaru uses on its World Rally Championship racecars.

The hatch, to me, with its shorter body and bobbed tail was a knockout in red. Under a stunning clear blue sky driving up from Victoria to scenic Sooke, the hatch was great fun to fling around on back woods blacktop. With AWD, a new independent suspension and a crisp shifter to work with, there was no upset despite the challenges of cresting a hill with a massive redwood tree staring you in the face with the road dropping off to the side either left or right.

At times like this you have to have a cool head and a steady hand on the shifter. But when you get it right, it's really right and a drive like this alone would sell anyone on AWD.

With the WRX, the challenge was finding a site for a "beauty shot" of the car to go with this story. That meant turning down little cottage roads or taking the undulating coast road. Turbos, by their nature, muffle exhaust tones and there was nothing of the classic sound that is so unique to naturally aspirated boxer engines. Where the power and engine tone in the 2.5i Sport rose and fell with the amount of gas pedal pressure and gear selection, the WRX's grunt came in much more forcefully with the automatic and without aural histrionics. There was a hint of turbo lag, but the new lower torque band helps greatly in getting the power down.

I forgot to use the Sportshift mode on the WRX to see how close it is to the stick, a mistake I will rectify later in the year with a full road test.

In the meantime and from first blush, the Impreza now has the looks to make it much more of a complete package and should do a lot to find those conquest buyers Subaru is looking for.


SUBARU IMPREZA 2008 AT A GLANCE

BODY STYLE: Compact sedan/hatchback.

DRIVE METHOD: front-engine, all-wheel-drive.

ENGINE: 2.5-litre "boxer" four-cylinder (170 hp, 170 lb/ft); 2.5-litre turbocharged "boxer" four-cylinder (224 hp, 226 lb/ft).

FUEL ECONOMY: 2.5i, four-/five-door; manual 10.6/7.3L/100 km city/highway; automatic, 10.4/7.5L/100 km city/highway. WRX, four-/five-door; manual 10.9/8.1L/100 km city/highway, automatic, 10.6/7.9L/100 km city/highway.

PRICE: Five-speed manual: Pricing for with manual shift is: Impreza 2.5i sedan, $20,695; Impreza 2.5i five-door, $21,595; Impreza 2.5i Sport Package sedan, $23,195; Impreza 2.5i Sport Package five-door, $24,895, Impreza WRX sedan, $32,995; Impreza WRX five-door, $33,895.

WEBSITE: subaru.ca

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