Impreza broadens appeal
Don Adair
Marketing Department Columnist
Don's Take
Everybody has to grow up someday.
Cars, too. Like humans, they tend to get bigger, more comfortable and more practical with age.
So it is with Subaru’s 2008 Impreza. After an unfettered six-year run of youthful exuberance, Subaru has reined in its smallest model.
The new Impreza is larger and roomier. It rides on a new chassis and longer wheelbase. Its body structure is more rigid, with corresponding improvements in ride and handling and in an overall reduction of noise, vibration and harshness.
A new rear suspension increases cargo room. Framed windows replace the old model’s frameless panes, enhancing rigidity and cutting wind noise.
The rear seating area is larger, yielding improved hip- and legroom. The seat-back angles have been reclined, adding to passenger comfort.
Most noticeably, the revised Impreza has made its peace with the mean city streets. Even our pothole-riddled asphalt is rendered less fearsome, if not toothless.
So all is well in Subie World, right? Well, not exactly. The motoring press has landed hard on Subaru for committing the heresy of broadening the appeal of its entry-level vehicle. Too soft, they say; it’s lost its edge.
When you drive other peoples’ cars for a living, it’s easy to forget that someone has to buy these things. That reality is not lost on those who design and build them.
Plus, as we shall see, Subaru has not exactly neutered the Impreza. If you want yours wild and woolly, you can still get it that way.
The new Impreza is available in two body styles, a sedan and a five-door hatchback. As before, there are four trim levels (we use the term “trim” liberally, as each has its own style and personality). As always, each version is equipped with all-wheel-drive.
The entry-level 2.5i (from $17,640) is powered by a 170-horsepower flat-four powerplant. The Impreza Outback Sport Wagon ($20,640) uses the same engine but adds several uplevel features, including increased ground clearance, 17-inch wheels, two-tone exterior, heated outside mirrors, heated front seats and a windshield de-icer.
One step up, the WRX ($25,495) gets a turbocharger, which bumps power to 224 hp, and a batch of premium goodies, including a sport-tuned suspension. It’s available as a sedan or hatch.
Holding down the top spot in the Impreza dog-pile is the WRX STi ($34,995). It’s powered by a turbocharged, 305-hp version of Subaru’s 2.5-liter four and gets a host of high-performance goodies, including three driver-selectable performance modes and six manual differential-lock settings.
Even its stability and traction control systems are driver-selectable.
Yes, it is smoother and more comfortable, but the evidence says this Subie is just as quick on the track as ever.
For our test, we drove an Outback Sport equipped with a four-speed automatic transmission, with manual-shift mode. It may be best equipped of all the Imprezas for a Northwest winter.
Subaru could teach the rest of the world a thing or two about marketing wagons and hatches. At one point, I was stopped at an intersection, with a WRX wagon to the left of me, when another crossed at the green light. By tying the popular Outback name to wagons and hatchbacks, they’ve managed to overcome the public’s stubborn resistance.
Ours was, indeed, roomier and more comfortable than Impreza’s past. The new suspension and lengthened wheelbase absorbed bumps and potholes and the new sound-deadening measures seem to have worked wonders (although our tester’s front passenger window developed a wind leak at freeway speeds).
The curved dash thrusts the instrument panel toward front-seat occupants, making the controls an easy reach. Faux brushed-aluminum insets flow into the center stack, creating a nifty two-cockpit feel.
A small center console provides a bit of storage space; the sculpted door panels house molded recesses just the right size for a 24-ounce bottle.
Interior materials have been substantially improved, although fit-and-finish falls short of class standards and the seats lack sufficient bolstering and lumbar support.
The heated seats and mirrors and windshield de-icer that are standard on the Outback Sport earned their keep in the wet and cold, and this time of year the AWD system is worth its weight in gasoline. It’s even surprisingly capable off-road.
Larger rear doors open wider than before, improving ingress and egress, and two reasonably sized adults can be comfortable in the back.
A full set of advanced airbags is standard and all but the optional WRX performance seats incorporate active head restraints to prevent whiplash.
In standard trim, the 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine makes a class-leading 170 horsepower. Too bad it’s tethered to a four-speed automatic (a five-speed manual is standard); the rest of the world has moved on to five- and even six-speed gearboxes and Subaru should, too.
The little engine is thirsty, too. EPA estimates are 20 mpg city/27 mpg highway.
Even with its faults, the Impreza is well served by its newfound maturity. With more room and fewer rough edges, it has broader appeal than ever. And that, from Subaru’s point of view, is the whole idea.
