2008 Imprezas arrived at my dealer today.

alls yous guys are all talking like it's the first ugly Impreza in a line of beauties but the Impreza has never been a good looking car. Not really... The 'Aeroplane' one had its moments. In STi spec and in the right colours that is. And the one before that looked good from the right angles but also only in the right spec and colour.... The one with googly eyes looked hideous and the early models look both plain and busy at the same time.

People buy these things because of how they drive. If they're still light, raw, agile and sharp then all is not lost.

But if they drive like they now look then we could be in trouble because they look like something my Dad would buy. And he wears a cardigan with a Kleenex stuck up the sleeve and on mildly cool days he complains that he's cold. He thinks this new Impreza looks, quote: "quite nice". That's worrisome.

The ghastly fake chrome can be taken off, the plain-jane styling can be enlivend by a nice bodykit and the overall appearance can be lifted by some nice, big wheels... but if it drives like it looks. Oh dear.
 
Raw, agile and sharp ?

Hasnt it always been a howling understeering bitch when you push into a corner ?
 
Well, we all know what clarkson thinks about the EVO/Impreza deathmatch:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOO9B2_50Oc&mode=related&search=[/youtube]
 
WRC Impreza Concept to debut at Frankfurt:

http://img505.imageshack.**/img505/3894/subwrc08concfrontyf4.th.jpg

Looks a lot better than the stock one just put those graphics on the street car and I like it a bit more.
 
Austere said:
alls yous guys are all talking like it's the first ugly Impreza in a line of beauties but the Impreza has never been a good looking car.
Click to expand...

That's the point.. this one isn't ugly, just...bland... Imprezas from the start have all been mad sedans/coupes with fat wings, lips and bulging wheel arches, this one's just a 1-series with the front of a Civic glued to it... it's nothing! :cry:
 
'08 Impreza WRX Sedan Test Drive

'08 Impreza WRX Sedan Test Drive

JayChou said:
Originally Posted by Vandal
I was very disappointed.

I have been waiting to trade in my '04 Impreza Wagon for a while.
I was waiting for the '08 WRX Hatchback. I was gutted when I saw the spy shots, but reserved judgement until I drove one.

Initial reactions . . .
. . . the interior materials / fit and finish have been improved. It feels grown up. Good thing. The car does look better in person, but doesn't have the Subaru aggresiveness to it. The front 3/4 view has a slight BMW 3 series look to it if you squint hard enough.

The drive . . .
. . . disappointing. The engine still feels great, but there is too much understeer and body roll. At 65 km/h around a traffic cloverleaf the front end was diving and washing away. ARGH! You bastards. They have dialed this car in for the "everyman." It does feel like a better made automobile, more grown up. Bad thing.

I don't think I'll wait to drive the WRX hatchback. I'm heading over to the Mazda dealership and putting a deposit down on an '08 MX-5 PRHT.

Sorry Subaru.
Click to expand...

What tyres is the demo car on?
if it has those Potenza RE92s, u can blame the tyre for the handling :confused:
and may i know which version are u test driving?
Click to expand...


The car was on OE rubber. I believe they are Bridgestones.
I drove a 2008 Impreza WRX Sedan with the 5 speed manual.

The tires were not the problem. There is too much body roll in the car and the steering feels dull and disconnected. I know there are aftermarket solutions to fix the problem, but I'm not much of an aftermarket kind of guy. I will already have to buy winter tires and a second set of rims because of my winter climate. I don't want to spend another $1000 on tires and $2000 on a Bilstein coil over system just to get the car to handle like the engineers should have made it handle in the first place.

What Subaru has done is build a car that will sell more units in North America. Good for them. I would like to see more Subarus on the road. I have always been a Subaru fan. But, they have alienated the diehards that kept the brand viable in North America for the past 10 years.

Oh well. I'll move on. There are plenty of great cars on the market. The Mazda dealership is just across the street.
 
Bland

Bland

ske said:
That's the point.. this one isn't ugly, just...bland... Imprezas from the start have all been mad sedans/coupes with fat wings, lips and bulging wheel arches, this one's just a 1-series with the front of a Civic glued to it... it's nothing! :cry:
Click to expand...
Yes.
Bland.
Perfect description.
 
Interesting reading all the responses. It seems to me that car fanatics, like what we for the most part are, really hold Subaru to a high regard and standard. It is like they are the ideal overall car company to many, yet so few people are actual owners.

Might I be bold to say that some here are secretly admirers of Subaru? ;)
 
Subaru Fan

Subaru Fan

^^ I do own a Subaru Impreza.

I've been anticipating the '08 WRX for at least a year, because I had wanted to trade up to one. That is why the '08 Impreza design / handling is so disappointing to me.
I will still be a fan. I'm sure the STI will be a screamer. I will probably purchase another Subie sometime in the future. The '08 WRX just doesn't stir my soul like the previous generation Impreza did. Oh well.
 
The wheel arches! Where are the wheel arches?

Thank you, Subaru, you've managed to raise the resale value on my MY05 WRX.

Vandal, why the long wait on your NC MX-5? I thought these types of waiting times were only for the P-cars or F-cars.
 
^ It's a four month wait for a MX-5 with the Retractable Hardtop, and I decided not to take delivery at the beginning of a Canadian winter.
I can wait. I hope.
 
jayhawk said:
Interesting reading all the responses. It seems to me that car fanatics, like what we for the most part are, really hold Subaru to a high regard and standard. It is like they are the ideal overall car company to many, yet so few people are actual owners.

Might I be bold to say that some here are secretly admirers of Subaru? ;)
Click to expand...
It's odd to see people talk about Subaru not being popular, because where I live you can't turn a corner without seeing one. Subarus are HUGELY popular here, if you don't own one you know at least 10 people who do. I'm actually thinking about buying a bugeye impreza for daily driving and rallyX.

I hope the new STi hits it off with normal people who want a bland car with power and handling, so the "banana eye" STis drop in price a lot. not really likely tho, Scoobys hold their value well here.
I don't want to spend another $1000 on tires and $2000 on a Bilstein coil over system just to get the car to handle like the engineers should have made it handle in the first place.
Click to expand...
if you aren't the type to look to the aftermarket then why would you even consider a set of Bilstein coilovers? there so many cheaper and more streetable options out there.
 
Hey Jayhawk

Hey Jayhawk

Hey Jayhawk (Kansas?) . . .

. . . I still have the '08 WRX Hatchback on my mind.
It looks like you work at Gerald Subaru in the Chicago area.
What cost effective suspension mods would you recommend out of the STI catalogue to give the '08 WRX a more direct or responsive driving feel.

I'm not giving up on Subaru that easily.

 
Vandal said:

What cost effective suspension mods would you recommend out of the STI catalogue to give the '08 WRX a more direct or responsive driving feel.

I'm not giving up on Subaru that easily.
Click to expand...

Well, from my knowledge of 2002-2007's...

Generally, you want to first get some UHP tires, like a set of Kumho SPT's. They are cheap and are well made, a rarity in tires. Tires alone can really wake up a cars dynamics. I think the new WRX's have the same Bridgestone RE92A's as the 2007's have; they are adequate and wear well, but are really a touring tire to minimize NVH.

Then get a set of Subaru "pink" springs. DONT SLAM A SUBIE!! There are 2 advantages to using STI pink lowering springs: firstly, they lower the car to the most about 20mm, thus retaining the correct geometry. Secondly, you can use them with the stock struts, without them wearing out prematurely. Imprezas have alot of suspension travel, and the suspension geometry really relies on that. Dropping it two inches, or using coilovers with improper spring rates will make the handling worse.

After you get it lowered, it will need an alignment, and you can safely do -1 degree of camber both front and rear, but expect excessive tire wear, more than a stock setup. LEAVE THE REAR TOE ALONE, or have it set to .01 -.02 toe in if you want to be safe. have more toe out in the rear will make it faster, but extremely dangerous, thus the reason why Subaru uses zero toe in/out in the rear. You will also have to purchase camber bolts to make it go past -1 degree camber in the rear.

Then sway bars. This probably helps the most. In the rear, replace the 17mm one with a 20-22 bar. This, along with the other parts, will make it a pretty neutral handling car. Then get a 22mm front sway bar. This, along with the other parts, will make it more prone to oversteer, but not excessive, as it is still AWD. I think out of all the parts I have mentioned, these are fundamentally the most important. You can also get solid end links for the sway bars, but expect noise from them, too.

I have yet to an STI catalog for the 2008 model years, but I suspect that this setup will be pertinent.

So in short:

Good UHP tires.
STI pink springs.
Alignment.
Larger front and rear sway bars.
 
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2008 WRX tuned by Cobb Performance, intake, exhaust, lowered and wheels:
http://img514.imageshack.**/img514/1135/dsc00506mv3.jpg
http://img406.imageshack.**/img406/7980/dsc00509nx6.jpg
 
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