2012 Subaru Impreza
One of the more important debuts at this year’s New York auto show is the 2012 Subaru Impreza, shown in both sedan and five-door body styles. But the 2012 Impreza is more than just another transportation appliance; if you read Car and Driver with any regularity, you know that the Impreza is nothing but a WRX or an STI waiting to spread its turbocharged wings.
Does this Car Make Me Look Fast?
Subaru previewed the 2012 Impreza last fall at the Los Angeles auto show with the sinister-looking Impreza concept. Alas, the production version is predictably tamer, though it does have a more-protuberant chin, more-defined “hawk-eye” headlamps, and bulging fenders. Interesting details include a sharply raked windshield that starts nearly eight inches further forward on the hood than the glass on today’s model. Similarly, the beltline is considerably lower, and the windows are enlarged for improved visibility. Near-vertical body sides with squared-off bumper caps help reduce drag, à la Toyota Prius. Especially from the rear three-quarter angle, the 2012 Impreza is more than a little busy, but we’ll take busy over outright ugly any day.
While the 2012 Impreza looks bigger than the 2011 model, the only dimension that actually grew was its wheelbase, which increases from 103.2 inches to 104.1. Both hatchback and sedan models retain their 68.5-inch width and their overall lengths. Still, cargo space for the five-door manages to increase by 3.4 cubic feet with the rear seats up and by 5.3 with them folded. Best of all, the Impreza actually lost about 160 pounds, weight savings we hope will also apply to the forthcoming WRX and STI.
Subaru will offer the car in base, Premium, and Limited trim levels, but all Imprezas offer the same level of safety equipment, which now includes a knee airbag for the driver and the stability control that is government-mandated on all vehicles for 2013. What the Impreza seems to lack, however, is stirring interior design. Even in cushy Limited form, the interior wow factor is about nil.
Smaller Motor, Less Power, Way More mpg
The 2012 Impreza gets an all-new engine, but it takes a big step backwards in output. Last year’s 170-hp, 170-lb-ft 2.5-liter flat-four is replaced by a new 2.0-liter boxer making 148 hp and 145 lb-ft. Subaru says the new car is quicker than the outgoing car despite the power drop, but we'll know for sure once we get a chance to test the 2012 model. Either way, the redesigned Impreza boasts a huge, 30-percent jump in fuel economy. When equipped with its newly available paddle-“shifted” CVT, the 2012 Impreza is estimated to cover 27 miles in the city and 36 miles on the highway on a gallon of gas. The stick-shift model’s fuel economy improves, too, to 25 mpg in the city, 34 on the highway compared to the previous 20/27. It might have been even better, though, if Subaru had upgraded the Impreza’s five-speed manual transmission to a more competitive six-speed. The Impreza is still suspended by struts up front and a multilink setup out back, but the 2012 model gets a stiffened front cradle and rear subframe.
Less powerful but lighter, better-looking, and way more fuel-efficient, the Impreza does seem to be well-positioned for today’s market—and it could help make the future WRX and STI stronger and more tune-able, too.
One of the more important debuts at this year’s New York auto show is the 2012 Subaru Impreza, shown in both sedan and five-door body styles. But the 2012 Impreza is more than just another transportation appliance; if you read Car and Driver with any regularity, you know that the Impreza is nothing but a WRX or an STI waiting to spread its turbocharged wings.
Does this Car Make Me Look Fast?
Subaru previewed the 2012 Impreza last fall at the Los Angeles auto show with the sinister-looking Impreza concept. Alas, the production version is predictably tamer, though it does have a more-protuberant chin, more-defined “hawk-eye” headlamps, and bulging fenders. Interesting details include a sharply raked windshield that starts nearly eight inches further forward on the hood than the glass on today’s model. Similarly, the beltline is considerably lower, and the windows are enlarged for improved visibility. Near-vertical body sides with squared-off bumper caps help reduce drag, à la Toyota Prius. Especially from the rear three-quarter angle, the 2012 Impreza is more than a little busy, but we’ll take busy over outright ugly any day.
While the 2012 Impreza looks bigger than the 2011 model, the only dimension that actually grew was its wheelbase, which increases from 103.2 inches to 104.1. Both hatchback and sedan models retain their 68.5-inch width and their overall lengths. Still, cargo space for the five-door manages to increase by 3.4 cubic feet with the rear seats up and by 5.3 with them folded. Best of all, the Impreza actually lost about 160 pounds, weight savings we hope will also apply to the forthcoming WRX and STI.
Subaru will offer the car in base, Premium, and Limited trim levels, but all Imprezas offer the same level of safety equipment, which now includes a knee airbag for the driver and the stability control that is government-mandated on all vehicles for 2013. What the Impreza seems to lack, however, is stirring interior design. Even in cushy Limited form, the interior wow factor is about nil.
Smaller Motor, Less Power, Way More mpg
The 2012 Impreza gets an all-new engine, but it takes a big step backwards in output. Last year’s 170-hp, 170-lb-ft 2.5-liter flat-four is replaced by a new 2.0-liter boxer making 148 hp and 145 lb-ft. Subaru says the new car is quicker than the outgoing car despite the power drop, but we'll know for sure once we get a chance to test the 2012 model. Either way, the redesigned Impreza boasts a huge, 30-percent jump in fuel economy. When equipped with its newly available paddle-“shifted” CVT, the 2012 Impreza is estimated to cover 27 miles in the city and 36 miles on the highway on a gallon of gas. The stick-shift model’s fuel economy improves, too, to 25 mpg in the city, 34 on the highway compared to the previous 20/27. It might have been even better, though, if Subaru had upgraded the Impreza’s five-speed manual transmission to a more competitive six-speed. The Impreza is still suspended by struts up front and a multilink setup out back, but the 2012 model gets a stiffened front cradle and rear subframe.
Less powerful but lighter, better-looking, and way more fuel-efficient, the Impreza does seem to be well-positioned for today’s market—and it could help make the future WRX and STI stronger and more tune-able, too.
