Subaru Impreza Concept
Subaru calls this L.A show car a concept, but it's clear that—minus a bit of the flash—this is basically the next-generation Impreza.
The mug and fender flares on this concept Impreza definitely remind us of the current Legacy, which means that when the production car launches, it could be the first time in more than a decade that Subaru's cars actually show some heavy family resemblance. The Legacy's amoeba-shaped headlights are among the styling details not carried over to this concept, replaced instead with racier units that look like the Acura TL’s. Below those sit gaping air intakes, horizontally bisected by wing-shaped LED fog lights—an upscale design touch, and one we hope survives the concept-to-production transition. Ikuo Mori, the CEO of Subaru’s parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, recently said that the company is happy with the size of its products as they are now, so don't expect the next-gen Impreza to grow much from the current car's dimensions.
The Impreza concept features stereo cameras integrated into the A-pillars as part of Subaru's EyeSight system, a safety feature that determines the distance of cars and obstacles ahead and applies the brakes if you’re going to ram into them. EyeSight already is available on Japanese-market Legacys and is a part of the firm's dynamic cruise-control system, but we read the inclusion on the Impreza concept as an indication that EyeSight may be coming to American Subarus.
Peek under the Impreza concept's hood and you'll find a 2.0-liter, direct-injection version of Subaru's newest four-cylinder boxer engine, which debuted in non-DI, 2.5-liter form in the 2011 Forester. Although the new engine isn't substantially more powerful than the outgoing generation, it was significantly revised in other ways: the timing belt was replaced with a timing chain, which now drives two sets of dual overhead cams rather than the last gen's singles. It's paired with a CVT in the Impreza concept, and while we're generally not ecstatic about these rubber-band transmissions, almost anything’s preferable to the four-speed automatics that Subaru is still peddling in some of its current vehicles.
An Impreza you can buy will appear in mid-2011, we’re told, and it will boast Subaru’s first use of direct injection. While we're naturally most excited for the next Impreza WRX—and we think this styling will translate well to that hotted-up variant—from the look of this concept car, even the bread-and-butter models will have a lot to offer.
Subaru calls this L.A show car a concept, but it's clear that—minus a bit of the flash—this is basically the next-generation Impreza.
The mug and fender flares on this concept Impreza definitely remind us of the current Legacy, which means that when the production car launches, it could be the first time in more than a decade that Subaru's cars actually show some heavy family resemblance. The Legacy's amoeba-shaped headlights are among the styling details not carried over to this concept, replaced instead with racier units that look like the Acura TL’s. Below those sit gaping air intakes, horizontally bisected by wing-shaped LED fog lights—an upscale design touch, and one we hope survives the concept-to-production transition. Ikuo Mori, the CEO of Subaru’s parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, recently said that the company is happy with the size of its products as they are now, so don't expect the next-gen Impreza to grow much from the current car's dimensions.
The Impreza concept features stereo cameras integrated into the A-pillars as part of Subaru's EyeSight system, a safety feature that determines the distance of cars and obstacles ahead and applies the brakes if you’re going to ram into them. EyeSight already is available on Japanese-market Legacys and is a part of the firm's dynamic cruise-control system, but we read the inclusion on the Impreza concept as an indication that EyeSight may be coming to American Subarus.
Peek under the Impreza concept's hood and you'll find a 2.0-liter, direct-injection version of Subaru's newest four-cylinder boxer engine, which debuted in non-DI, 2.5-liter form in the 2011 Forester. Although the new engine isn't substantially more powerful than the outgoing generation, it was significantly revised in other ways: the timing belt was replaced with a timing chain, which now drives two sets of dual overhead cams rather than the last gen's singles. It's paired with a CVT in the Impreza concept, and while we're generally not ecstatic about these rubber-band transmissions, almost anything’s preferable to the four-speed automatics that Subaru is still peddling in some of its current vehicles.
An Impreza you can buy will appear in mid-2011, we’re told, and it will boast Subaru’s first use of direct injection. While we're naturally most excited for the next Impreza WRX—and we think this styling will translate well to that hotted-up variant—from the look of this concept car, even the bread-and-butter models will have a lot to offer.
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