What happened to the Subaru Impreza???

I always loved the Subaru Impreza especially the WRX STi version. I loved it for its looks and its performance. I loved it for what it was (and still is), a rally car for the road. Ever since the first Impreza came out in 1993, it always got better with every update. But looking at the 2008 Impreza, can this still be said? Has it gotten better this time as well? If you ask me, the answer is a clear NO. And all it takes to say no is just one look.

Just look at it and you would see why I think so. Does it look like an Impreza from any angle? It may still be an Impreza under the hood but come on, looks do matter when it comes to cars (and girls). The stying has definitely lost its flare. Subaru says that it wants to attract a broader range of customers but I don’t quite see how they plan to do so with such a design. Where is the masculinity in the design that is supposed to be there in a rally car? Where is the aggressiveness? The new Impreza is more of a poser trying to look mean yet elegant but failing to do so. Last time around, Subaru showed their chief designer the door for the controversial front end styling of the current Impreza. And this is what they come up with. Don’t get me wrong, the new styling isn’t bad but its just not an Impreza anymore. Also, the design of the hatch reminds me of the Chevrolet Optra CRV/Optra5/Buick Excelle HRV/Suzuki Reno, something which one would never want an Impreza to be. Another change is that the next Impreza WRC would be based on the hatch. The 2008 Impreza would be availabe as a sedan as well as a hatchback. Again, I don’t see why they want to do this. Almost all cars in Gropu-A WRC are already hatchbacks. Why does Subaru not want to continue with a sedan based rally car? Why does it want to follow others and lose its uniqueness.

For the sake of this wonderful car and all Impreza lovers, Subaru should reconsider the new design. The current Impreza design isn’t that old and maybe they could carry on with it with some technical upgrades till they come up with a car which deserves to be an Impreza. The new car maybe quicker and much better to drive but its not an Impreza. This new design could be launched as a new car but not as an Impreza. Otherwise, bad days for the Impreza lie ahead.