Subaru WRX fans starting to like Impreza’s new face

Posted Wed Apr 25 2007 2:56 AM by Viknesh Vijayenthiran

The auto world was shocked when the first images were leaked of Subaru’s next-generation Impreza and its sporty WRX variant. Almost everyone who saw them came to the same conclusion, that either it was some sort of prank or that Subaru’s designers had totally lost the plot. This was evident in the furious posting across car enthusiast forums as well as the hundreds of heated emails directed towards Subaru in the days following the release.

Now, after the car’s official debut at the recent New York Auto Show, Subaru of America senior vice president Timothy Mahoney has told Ward’s Auto that most WRX fans have come to accept the new design. “The WRX is a really emotional product and it has a very loyal following,” he said. Mahoney then went on to explain that most people came around after seeing the car up close, referring to the 100-odd WRX enthusiasts that attended a special post-show event hosted by Subaru.

Mahoney admits the original shots posted by Motor Trend were not ideal and didn’t present the car in the best light but it did generate some excitement for the official reveal, which proved to be a “white-hot” event for Subaru. The new model Impreza will hit showrooms in the US by August with pricing for the sporty WRX starting in the mid-$20,000 range. Both the WRX hatch and Sedan will run Subaru’s familiar 2.5L flat-four turbo, developing 224hp and 306Nm of torque.

Reader Comments

Wed Apr 25 2007 3:44 PM
craig says

Still ugly as crap on a stick.
Thu Apr 26 2007 9:27 AM
Anthony says

Fans starting to like the new face of the WRX? What a load of cobblers! I presume the 100 fans who attended the "post show invited party" were either Subaru employees or the entire continget of the world's population who have expressed anything other than horror at the WRX debacle (must have cost a fortune to fly them from all over the world!)

Next thing, we will have some self-dillusional Subaru executive saying that people think the new WRX is cool - then we will know they have gone completely insane! Having owned a Legacy Turbo (now that was an ugly car) and three WRXs, I understand COOL! Whenever I pull up in a service station, I realise that most service station attendants understood COOL as well! Ugly can be COOL, pink can be the new black, integrity is priceless, icons are timeless! Similarly, bland is bland, stupid is stupid and if you sell your soul to the devil, you should (deservedly) go to Hell!

The new WRX is a complete travesty. Manufacturers all over the world spend zillions of dollars and invest zillions of hours and endure zillions of failures in a never-ending search for an automotive ICON they can call their own. Subaru has just proved that it might take ten years to create an icon, but only ten minutes to destroy it â€“ which is how long it took me to study the shots of the new WRX and realize that no matter how much I despaired, the WRX was no more.

So.. it looks like I will be spending the next few years with the new Evo X (poor personâ€™s RS4) rather than the sad personâ€™s â€œHyundai-doppelganger-with-a-bonnet-scoopâ€
Thu Apr 26 2007 11:27 AM
Tony says

The face on this car is liked by those that liked the Tribeca !

I don't believe this car is liked by anyone for it's looks. Underneath the car is excellent (if a little underwhelming) but the styling is ugly. I have two theories about why this car is styled so poorly :
1. The japanese have no idea about styling. Their best efforts are copies of other designs. When they do it themselves they mess it up.
2. TOYOTA and GM are interfering with this company. Look what GM has done with SAAB ! TOYOTA will kill this company now it has it's hands on it like they did with Diahatsu
Mon Apr 30 2007 7:30 PM
Aralesan says

plzz don't do this to my favorite car in the world... that car is ugly. don't be like peogeot etc...
be your self ( Subaru impresa) my love !!! make another don't that think !!!
Tue May 29 2007 10:33 PM
AMIR says

I hate this new look of wrx, i dont know what is the beautiful of this face to put on the new wrx?!!! i think that the engeniers of subaru want really thinking about change this car or SUBARU will geting lost and my lovely impreza wiil be UNDERGROUND :( AMIR FROM EGYPT
Tue Jun 26 2007 6:18 PM
Subaru fan says

This car is VERY UNSAVOURY. Subaru were The Only car maker in the world who's vehicles had soul and the flagship was Impreza !
I really hope that the people from Subaru will realise that this design is horrible mistake. And most important this is a betrayal !!!
It is not a shame to fall down, it is a shame when you do not try to stand up again !
I believe that there are reason people in Subaru, I hope they know that it is not disgrace to admit your mistake and correct it.
Otherwise The Legend is DEAD :"(
Tue Sep 25 2007 7:13 AM
kenichu says

Very disappointedly, Subaru has "lost the plot".

While the bug-eyed WRX was ugly when it was first released, it still maintained that certain character of a WRX. That spirit. That passion. One would look at it, and can FEEL that it is a WRX. Ugly, but still with character.

That problem of ugliness was then downtoned through a series of facelifts. Then one would think that Subaru is starting to "fiddle" with its styling, but still glad that the "character" is still there. STI or WRX, both stillll held that aura. And for all loyal WRX fans out there, it's that aura that they are buying and feeling in their hands when turning that steering wheel.

Now what? An all-new WRX that is allegedly more refined, with bigger engine, better torque range... etc etc. This list goes on and on. But all without the CHARACTER of the original WRX or STI!

Same goes for the new STI as observed from spy shots... sure it's gonna have a big hood, quad-pipe exhaust and 300hps.

But where did that character go? The ONLY thing other than pure performance that the fans were buying and has been worshipping - the AURA and CHARACTER - has ultimately vanished in an instant.

While I am personally not a loyal WRX fan, it is still so disappointing to see a car manufacturer to lose its plot in a market-driven (as opposed to customer/passion-driven) decision. It needs to realise that practicality plays a much lesser role than a customer's loyal passion for a car in this class.

I hope the same does not happen to the next Subaru Legacy. And I hope Subaru realises this point before its next facelift for the WRX.

Please, Subaru, please.... learn from Honda (e.g. new Civic Type R) or even Hyundai. Relive that passion in cars please.

Don't want a protongrille+mazda3hatchstyled+fatmouth car to amount to the old hero of "WRX". The car does not live up to its long-established legend...
Sun Jul 27 2008 12:20 PM
y2g says

Very sad what these boardroom morons have done. They built a brand and now they have destroyed it! I am mourning the untimely death of such an icon. I have never in my life seen such idiocy! Not only is this stupid, but it is also a shameless betrayal! I am asking myself: Now that Subaru have turned an icon into a copy of other cars in the market, why would I choose this STI over the BMW 335i? The BM is prettier, has more power, consumes less fuel, is more luxurious inside and cost just about the same. More importantly, its soul is still there. I have been a fan of Subaru all my life, preferring it to anything a BMW , Mercedes or Audi could offer. That was because these great cars could not offer the Subaru spirit. Now the new WRX lacks the Subaru spirit. What a sad day!

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