Victoria, British Columbia - Buyers never choose a Subaru Impreza for its style. All-wheel drive is obviously at the top of the list, followed by an addictive driving experience (think WRX).
But exterior styling? No way. And the new generation, unfortunately, doesn’t even come close to reversing the trend.
Quite frankly, it’s impossible for me to find anything nice to say about the design of the new 2008 Imprezas, even though I had the opportunity to test two different models.
Indeed, the 4-door sedan looks nowhere near like the 5-door wagon. When you put both cars next to each other, you’re actually led to believe that they’re made by two distinct brands.
But no.
They were built on the same platform, the Legacy’s, which has been modified in various places, particularly the front suspension. Both share the same 2,620-mm wheelbase (a 95-mm increase from last year), although the sedan is 165-mm longer overall than the wagon.
This differentiation between the two models has one simple explanation: unlike the 5-door Impreza, the sedan has been specifically designed for the North American market. In fact, you won’t find it anywhere else in the world.
As for other specifications, these two Subarus are identical.
Style? What style?
The old Impreza was not one of the cutest, but its originality had grown on us. The all-new sedan, meanwhile, is purely reminiscent of the Japanese cars of the ’90s. Long nose, Mazda Proteg?-inspired front fascia, unimaginative grille… If you want to add a bit of flair, I strongly suggest that you select the optional grille. That being said, there’s nothing to get visually excited about.
The 5-door Impreza does not fare much better. Granted, its European-styled curves are pleasant, but you quickly forget about them because the overall profile is oddly similar to the new Hyundai Accent’s. I’m not saying that the Accent is ugly, but it costs somewhere around $15,000 while the Impreza asks for twice as much (in WRX trim).
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