trev.p

I'm not joking, what on earth are Subaru doing to the impreza. It looks like something our of Korea FFS!

The Sun Online - Ken Gibson: Impreza is hatchback


The Sun Online - Emma Parker Bowles: This new Impreza just mings

Alan MaC

If this is true, the Emma Hart ending," the Subaru is dead long live the EVO!"

If any one at Subaru is reading this, LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMERS NOOOOOOOO!

THOMO

Seen it last week .That could not grow on me even if it was given to me to drive for a week for free its EMBARRASSING!!

T5NYW

iTrader: (4)

The STi will have to be something rather special

trev.p

The EVO X looks absolutely fantastic, and what do Subaru come up with to rival this, something that resembles a DAYWOOO!

Janspeed

iTrader: (1)

Old news.......

THOMO

The evo does not look that good either.Given the choice i would buy a evo 9.

sticks

iTrader: (1)

it's no longer a battle between the imprezza and an evo.
looks like subaru,have thrown in the towel,such a shame.
why didnt they just bring in that new shape as an alternative to the imprezza.

T5NYW

iTrader: (4)

I have to agree with you I really loved it in the picture from 6 months ago, I watched the Video and gone right off it


Hopefully the STi will be awesome

trev.p

EVO X doesn't look good? Are you sure........
http://www.leblogauto.com/images/lancer_evo_x.jpg

nraponi

Looks like a Mazda 3.

Rasher

why oh why didnt they let the Impreza name die and call this something else. It IMHO is insulting the Icon!

Andy-pay

thats not the real EvoX though - check out the Mitsu wbsite; they've buggered up the grille when compared to the concept/motorshow car.

marmski

Does the standard Impreza look good in any other form though?

Its takes the WRX to make it even look slightly acceptable and the straight up agressiveness of the STi to really sale any of the shapes produced soo far.

If the STi looks anything like the below (Photoshopped) images then i would be interested to have a look at it in the flesh (just like i would with the Evo) before deciding whether the Impreza is really a competitor to the Evo or not:

marmski

Just to add also:

Who is to even say that the STi will share 100% of its body panels with the WRX? Its not unheard of for a car manufacturer to use seperate panel sets (allowing more agressive looks / wider tracks) for their performance models. Even in its current form the gap between the WRX and STI is huge... underneath they are massively different, if they carry this into their skin deep changes then we could have to eat our words (i hope soo anyways.. cos i agree that this looks awful)

Might even push Ford to finally produce a RS of the Focus, and Citreon to give us something that they can accredit to what they have learnt from Rallying.

Just imagine the choice: Evo X, Impreza STi, Citreon C4 4WD, Focus RS... shop on!!

Bug Eyed Peas

I have said this on various threads Rasher. Keep the iconic Impreza shape and name this something else.

Any ideas?

Anthony

trev.p

Yeah I am a little behind with the post, but I agree with Rasher, could they not of called it something else and let the impreza go down in history as the icon that it is.
As I die hard Subaru owner, I'll can't see me staying with them. Over to Mitsubishi, lets hope that the STi does look spectacular, but I just can't see it myself.

trev.p

It's a bit like calling the DAYWOOOs Chevys! Come on it a fkin DAYWOOOO not a classic american iconic Chevy is it.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

I actually quite like the new shape, no doubt when the classic came out there was "oh my god what the hell is that" comments, then we had it with the new age, now we have it with the latest incarnation, yet how many of you have driven one? oh sorry, not one of you.
Has it not occured that most impreza drivers forgive the ugliness of their car? (anyone who says these cars are beautiful are either blind or have no taste in cars of any sort).
Mitsubishi have the evo X, yes it looks mean, oh but have you seen the 1.8ltr GDi version yet? sooooooooo boring.... in exactly the same way no one has seen the STi version of this car.
Go out and drive one (with the new 2.5ltr engine or the JDM 2ltr engine) then come back, but until you ACTUALLY see one in the flesh you wont have any real opinion on now it looks as pictures do not tell the whole story.

Tony

T5NYW

iTrader: (4)

Tony

mykp

found this searching google.jp and there saying the same thing as the UK press.

Nihoncar.com : ス�ル　インプレッサWRX STI 2008 ?!?!?!

talk about not knowing your market? and even if they are aiming more at the mums shopping car, what about a saloon and hatchback.

~DrEaM~

Okay the STI does look abit better

dreamer_girl

Subaru say they'll beef up the STi and put gold alloys to attract male buyers.

Ahem i hate this sexist bollox

pappasmurf

All standard Scoobs of the past have looked rather bland to me and the present generation WRX along with the bug eye and blob eye look uninteresting and bland too....Evos are the same.
The Impreza STi hatch will it's rumoured have a large bonnet vent, Flared/blistered wheel arches and spoilers, more power and be lighter. Sounds good to me.
I'll wait to see and test drive one before i say no.

I think we might all be surprised how good it is.

Mr Leigh

I'm sorry, but it is a dog. And a hatchback to boot. Even the mock Sti pictures look terrible. The Impreza has become mums shopping trolley. I agree some off the other models have looked bland in base spec, but this goes way beyond bland. It is nasty and offensive.

Put flaired wheel arches and spoilers on it to try and make it look better????? Great! It will look like a Max Power special. This is not the route to great car design.

Nate

iTrader: (2)

I don't like the idea of framed doors myself, I think I can get over the 'uglyness' as it is being called, and think I would like to have one of the STi's ...... As it will get noticed !

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Well ford did it with the focus ST (and mondeo ST) and the focus RS, mitsubishi did it with the Evo. Its common to enhance the top of the range car, now would you go out and buy a lancer (none evo) because it looked bland? no, the fact is not many performance cars give you such a variety of models that Subaru do, not everyone wants big spoilers or the likes so that their car sticks out like a sore thumb and as for max power special.... subaru have been doing that since the V5 STi came out.

Tony

Mr Leigh

I see what you are saying Tony but the Fords you mention, are not bad looking motors even in standard trim. In the same way a standard Audi A4 looks nice, the RS4 looks better. And the changes made to the RS and ST models not very large in scope.

The past Subaru Impreza Sti's have had Spoilers etc but they IMO have been done with some style and look great. With the new Subaru they will have to really 'large it up' to make it look 'Special'

Oh and I hate hatchbacks - but thats just me

Mr Leigh

I've just had another look at the pictures Come on Tony, look hard can you really picture it ever looking nice?

Just look at the basic shape, even if they put rally car size wheel arches on, its going to be a stinker

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Buy a saloon version they are doing one in japan
The focus, when that came out, lots of people hated it, especially the interior, same with the sierra, hated it, didnt sell for the first year, then BOOM! off it went, see what became of that a classic performance icon (the ones that were not nicked that is )
You also have to remember that this car is also a rally car, notice which of the cars are winning the rallying just now? they are hatchbacks, not saloons, the ford focus and the citroen, but dont underestimate what this car will be like, it will have more performance, less weight, better handling than its predecessors which will make it a car that people want to drive, its also modern (line up all the impreza's over the ages and the latest one looks the best, the others look a bit dated compared to it).
The new civic was a bit controversial, thats grown on me, and many others, its like any new car, dont give it a chance and only the marque that people are "suppose" to like goes down the drain, I for one will be looking at getting a new shape one in 2008

Tony