4westdan

If you consider this spam - please remove it. However, I feel it is a genuine post to a group of enthusiasts who would appreciate an independent review of the replacement for their beloved Impreza and we are genuinely interested in any comments on the new model.

Subaru New Impreza
Good:
Price, ride and handling, full-time 4WD

Not so Good:
Styling, performance, lack of a diesel (but it's coming)

Overall:

At the beginning of the 1990s, Subaru was a company that made quirky 4WD vehicles for farmers and folk for whom wearing Barbour was a lifestyle choice. Then along came Prodrive and a couple of World Rally titles and suddenly the Subaru Impreza was THE performance car to have. Mica Blue with gold wheels was the choice combination, with the dedicated few going the whole way and applying sticker kits so that their WRX looked like an Impreza WRC. Changing their name to “Solberg” or “McRae” to ensure the name on the rear window was correct, however, was one step too far for most.

With that spectacular rise to stardom, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Subaru would be releasing a performance version of their new Impreza model way before the everyday “cooking” models reached showrooms. Not so. The company wants to put the “niche manufacturer” tag behind them and become a mainstream car company, apparently, so the 1.5 and 2.0 litre cars were launched first, to a blaze of indifference. Subaru forums and car enthusiast websites are packed full of negative criticism of the new Impreza, but could it really be that bad?

First impressions weren’t good. Quite often, pictures of a car won’t do it justice (which is why we often post “first videos” of cars that make them look a lot better than the stills), but in the Impreza’s case, the design was as bland as we’d seen in the press pics. The inside was no better, with a dated dashboard design that featured hard, shiny plastics rather than the “soft-touch” stuff we’ve come to expect in recent years. On the positive side, there’s a decent-sized boot under the rear hatch and a longer wheelbase than the old Impreza means the rear seats now have lots of legroom.

On the move, we really liked the quality of the new car’s ride and handling. The “boxer” flat-four engines – Subaru’s trademark – mean a low centre of gravity and the car felt very solidly planted to the road as we hustled through the Cotswolds. Performance isn’t a strong point of either of the engines, unfortunately, and so we’d strongly suggest waiting for the WRX or STI models if you drive “enthusiastically”. We’d even go so far as to recommend avoiding the 1.5 litre engine altogether – it might return nearly 38mpg, but there’s a nasty buzzing sound to the engine that just gets louder when you press the accelerator.

Talking of fuel economy, Subaru’s biggest weakness is the lack of a diesel engine in its line-up. To their credit, rather than compromise and source one from another manufacturer, they’ve developed a boxer oil-burner that’ll reach showrooms in 2008. That may well make the Impreza a lot more attractive to buyers, as much of the opposition returns fuel figures in the 50mpg range or better. The new car’s two undoubted strengths are its price – the range starts at £12,495 – and its full-time symmetrical 4WD system, but the diesel can’t come soon enough (and not just in the Impreza).

Subaru’s decision to aim for the mainstream marketplace is a little puzzling, to be honest. Okay, the old, fire-breathing Impreza was never likely to win any environmental awards, but to alienate its loyal customers does seem as though the company has shot itself in the foot. Add to that the new Impreza’s bland looks and disappointing performance and you have to wonder if the new STI will be enough to keep the fans from going elsewhere.

Report by Mark James, ukcarnews.com

Full video roadtest available at ukcarnews.com

Varboy

The final paragraph, I believe, summarises quite well the utter confusion and dismay of Subaru's current direction with the Impreza.

FFS Subaru, sit up and listen!

speedking

I'd read the review in The Telegraph on Saturday, and was feeling quite positive.

Mark'sWRX

I read the review in The Telegraph and was surprised to see that they thought it was a very good car, whereas AutoExpress this week had barely 1 good thing to say about it in the group test with a Mazda 3 & Astra.

Both cars only 1.5R models of course.

It just shows how personal opinion makes a big difference.