Subaru Impreza adds new style to its function

Subaru Impreza adds new style to its function

Wheels

2008 Impreza 2.5i Sport
By: Lorne Drury

Subaru has built a reputation over the years of producing safe, reliable, and functional vehicles.

While far from being disasters in the styling arena, most Subarus have never had what you would call that 'knockout' punch when it comes to looks. Much like the Volvos of yesteryear, Subaru became known for solid, dependable vehicles that tended to blend in with the crowd and didn’t set hearts aflutter.

But that appears to be changing as a look at Subaru's 2008 Impreza lineup will attest.

I recently spent a few days with the Impreza 2.5i five-door hatchback — decked out with the fancy Sport Package — and it was impressive both from a looks and performance standpoint.

My time with the car coincided with a drive to Windsor for the North American International Auto Show across the river in Detroit.

It proved to be a perfect car for the excursion — easy on the pocketbook because of good fuel economy and with all-wheel drive in the case of inclement weather that often crops up in southwestern Ontario in early January.

The Impreza is an all-new car for 2008 and the 2.5i Sport five-door is the best looking model in the lineup in my opinion. I am partial to hatchbacks so I admit to having a bias, but even a couple of auto journalists walking past the car in a hotel parking lot gave it the once-over and commented on its looks.

And before leaving for the drive to the Motor City, a neighbour sauntered across the road as I was packing up to leave.

“Is that a Subaru?” he asked. “Wow, have they ever changed!”

Well, Subarus may be changing from a design standpoint, but they continue to offer what has made them popular in the first place — functionality and of course, their trademark all-wheel drive feature standard on all models.

On the five-door models, Subaru's new design for the Impreza features a sweeping roofline curve that flows into an aerodynamic rear spoiler. Front and centre is Subaru's new spread-wing logo design at the top of the wider grille. There's also a character line sweeping upward at the rear that produces a distinctive look.

Now in its third generation, the Impreza for 2008 comes in both four-door sedan (unique to the North American market) and five-door hatchback body styles with a choice of five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission with Sportshift. Both sedan and five-door are available with the Sport Package or turbocharged WRX option.

The basic powerplant is a 2.5-litre Boxer engine, delivering 170 hp and 170 lb/ft of torque. The WRX gets the 2.5-litre with a turbocharger and double overhead cams to produce 224 hp and 226 lb/ft of torque.

Prices start at $20,695 for the 2.5i sedan with manual transmission. The 2.5i five-door is $21,595, while the 2.5i sedan with Sport Package  is $23,195 and the five-door Sport is $24,895. The WRX sedan with manual is $32,995 and the WRX five-door prices out at $33,895. Add $1,100 for the automatic transmission.

Standard features on all Imprezas include anti-lock braking system (ABS) with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), front disc and rear drum brakes, driver and front passenger front and side-impact airbags and side curtain airbags, 16-inch steel wheels, power heated mirrors, AM/FM/MP3/WMA audio system with four speakers, air conditioning, cruise control, 60/40 split folding rear seats and cloth upholstery.

The Sport Package adds rear disc brakes, brake assist, vehicle dynamics control system and traction control, 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels, body colour door handles, halogen fog lamps, windshield wiper de-icer, leather wrapped steering wheel and gear selector, heated front seats and an enhanced audio system.

My time with the Impreza was uneventful from a weather standpoint, so I really had little chance to put the symmetrical all-wheel drive system to the test.

Subaru offers two types of all-wheel drive systems on the Impreza that are mated to the manual or automatic transmission.

In both cases, the system reacts to wheel slippage and power is supplied to the wheels with the best traction.

Inside, the cabin is comfortable with more hip and shoulder room than on previous models. The door opening has also been enlarged to make it easier to get in and out. A longer wheelbase 9.5 cm (3.7 inches) results in more rear seat legroom.

A new feature is a Hill Holder Incline Start Assist to prevent vehicle roll-back, standard on the 2.5i Sport and WRX models equipped with manual transmissions.

Competitive pricing, a new emphasis on design and Subaru’s continued refinement of the mechanical components, make the 2008 Impreza a solid choice in the compact segment, which made up more than 25 per cent of all vehicles sold in Canada last year.

The competition for the Honda Civic, Mazda3, Toyota Corolla et al just got stiffer.

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: 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. Add $1,100 for automatic.
• WEBSITE: subaru.ca

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