2008 Impreza STI (UK Spec)

[garcon]

Official details released of the UK version of the 2008 Subaru Impreza STI

(needs adobe pdf reader or similar)

Yes, I should be grown up and sensible about this. I'm forty in February - that's far too old to be buying a lairy hot hatch...

So why am I itching to call my Scooby dealer and stick a deposit on one?!

[Knowlesy]

God knows, cos it's bloody horrible looking!

[touringlegend]

Shame, I always thought you had taste, garc. Obviously not!

[Truckosaurus]

Other than the rear lights, which look like they belong on a 10-yr old Corsa owned by a teenager, I think it looks good.

[redshoes]

Front end looks like a barried Astra, back end looks like a barried Focus.

[mountainstar]

It looks better in person. I quite like it, especially the 4 door for the USA.

[MikeH]

No idea what Subaru are thinking of with that thing. It's just hideous.

[pgrogan]

i am a massive subaru buff... have always loved them. on the road, track or stages. when this model came out i thought it was hidious and agreed with the comments above. however after reading that pdf and looking at the picture of the STI model there is something deep inside that loves that car... i agree however with the comment about the lights belonging on a corsa, but apart from that i think in WR Blue with the gold wheels its going to be yet another success story!

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by MikeH

No idea what Subaru are thinking of with that thing. It's just hideous.

Why bother spending money making it look good, when all the fanboys and wannabes will go "ohhh it's a scooby" and buy it regardless.

[Knowlesy]

I hope it turns around Subaru's luck on the World Rally stage, I have to say.

It just looks meh, but surely it will be a handy car. Which, I suppose, is the point.

[touringlegend]

Maybe we ought to remember that a large part of Subaru's aim is to appeal to the Focus / Astra / Golf owners of this world with the "normal" Impreza.

[garcon]

Originally Posted by redshoes

Why bother spending money making it look good, when all the fanboys and wannabes will go "ohhh it's a scooby" and buy it regardless.

No-one ever bought a Subaru for its looks. So to dismiss the new one for that reason alone is to completely miss the point.

[redshoes]

They could easily have built something with the same performance that didn't look such a blatant chav-wagon. But as you say, that's not really what the target audience want.

[garcon]

Apart from those, er, delightful rear lights (bit of a general Jap thing there looking at a few other new models), I think the new one looks alot less "chavvy" than the old one.

Besides, hot hatches (and the STI is now the hottest) aren't supposed to be subtle... are they?

As with most new Subarus, I think the looks will improve with a couple of face-lifts. In two years time people will wonder what all the fuss is about, and I suspect Subaru dealers will be more than happy that the hatch has blitzed the old Impreza in sales... all be it probably not to the extent they're hoping for right now.

[brickkicker]

Does anyone else think it looks like a cross between a BMW and a proton?

Example
Subaru WRX


Proton

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by brickkicker

Does anyone else think it looks like a cross between a BMW and a proton?

Example
Subaru WRX


Proton

I worked with the pre production cars and they do have some styling elements that make it look similar to BMW, especially the 4 door model WRX.

[DAVID PATERSON]

I pulled up behind a new Impreza at tge lights this afternoon, at first i thought it was a Hyundai impersonating a BMW.

[Amaroo Park]

Subaru's are the new Volvo really. The new Impreza is a great ripe off of the new Hyundai

[XRS]

As an existing Subaru owner, I have yet to be convinced about buying the new model. If you go here

http://www.litimports.co.uk/

you can specify different/non-chav rear lights. I spoke to Iain Litchfield last year about a Type-25 version of the new car and he couldn't decide how powerful to make it - the (then) current car was up to around 450/450 (with FMIC) and he could go higher with the new one, but he couldn't see why anyone would want any more

[mountainstar]

I've already done a lot of work with the new Impreza and like it quite a lot. I've also got some seat time in the new lancer and the impreza is better.

[Barry Pomfret]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

I've also got some seat time in the new lancer and the impreza is better.

In what way is the Subaru better? From most of the reviews I've read it has even worse understeer than the old models.

[strider]

evo magazine seems to think the new STi is pretty good and they put it head-to-head with a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera. Admittedly the wet roads of North Wales played to the Scooby's strengths, but it still held its own.

They said the steering lacked feedback, but that once you'd broken through the confidence barrier the front end was actually fine. The car is not as hardcore as some might like, but I don't mind that. It is a road car after all.

I hate to say it, but my much-loved RB5 is beginning to look just slightly dated and this STi could appeal, strange looks or not, but definitely not in 1980s white, which is what the road test car was.

[garcon]

Keep the RB5. It's the best of the classics and you'd always regret selling it. If/when the time comes, buy a cheap runabout aswell.

I've heard some very good reports of the new STI. I'm still to be absolutely convinced by its looks, but in dark grey metallic with the right 18" alloys it's a nice enough proposition. The one to wait for is the uprated Prodrive version, due later this year.

Meanwhile, I wish Subaru would do the right thing and give us a proper performance Legacy. It deserves at least 100bhp more than the 240 in my Spec B.

[strider]

Originally Posted by garcon

Keep the RB5. It's the best of the classics and you'd always regret selling it. If/when the time comes, buy a cheap runabout aswell.

You're right, of course, and it's what I decided to do a while back when I bought a Ford Puma for everyday use. A much under-rated car, by the way.

I've heard some very good reports of the new STI. I'm still to be absolutely convinced by its looks, but in dark grey metallic with the right 18" alloys it's a nice enough proposition. The one to wait for is the uprated Prodrive version, due later this year.

Do you mean this one? That was the colour I liked. The thing about the Prodrive version is how much more power than 296bhp do you need in an Impreza hatchback?

Meanwhile, I wish Subaru would do the right thing and give us a proper performance Legacy. It deserves at least 100bhp more than the 240 in my Spec B.

There's a coincidence there. In the same issue of evo someone wrote in to say exactly that.

[dj choc ice]

Originally Posted by strider

evo magazine seems to think the new STi is pretty good and they put it head-to-head with a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera. Admittedly the wet roads of North Wales played to the Scooby's strengths, but it still held its own.

They said the steering lacked feedback, but that once you'd broken through the confidence barrier the front end was actually fine. The car is not as hardcore as some might like, but I don't mind that. It is a road car after all.

I hate to say it, but my much-loved RB5 is beginning to look just slightly dated and this STi could appeal, strange looks or not, but definitely not in 1980s white, which is what the road test car was.

the road or atleast one of the roads they went on which is "the brenig" is very bumpy and is a mix of slow and medium speed corners and is very bumpy with only a few decent length straight parts, even if it was dry the subaru would probably still have trumped the lambo, its only the roads leading out of betws-y-coed were the lambo would leave the subaru, a series of long straights and fast flowing corners, god i love were i live, fabulous driving roads and i have a brilliant time in my little peugeot 106, imagine what those roads would be like in a scooby let alone a lambo!

the RB5 does look a bit dated but be honest, it looks miles better than any of the newer shape impreza's and performance wise is every bit as quick and it makes a better sound. the new STI is rather nice, weird looks but its a good car and well, in everyday situations you really cant beat a STI impreza or a lancer evo.

if your getting rid off the RB5, and it was my money, i would go for the best japanese car of all time, a impreza 22B, not just the best looking impreza but the best looking car to come out of japan apart from the honda NSX-R and nissan 350Z, oh and there is the small matter that it is maniacly quick as well.

are prodrive going to be doing their own version of the new impreza?, the last prodrive impreza, i believe the RB320 was a cracking car, evo actually said it was the best of the modern impreza's i think.