romanom

My opinion, the WRX went from acceptable to just plain nauseating





Two body styles will again be offered, including a sedan and a five-door. The five-door looks more like a traditional hatchback this time around, so fans of the old wagon will likely be disappointed. The wheelbase and the overall length have stretched, and the roof now appears to be higher. Our sources say almost all the extra space will go toward making the interior roomier, which is fantastic news; driving the old car was like squeezing into a sardine tin. They also tell us that besides more space, the WRX cabin gains better materials and aesthetics, too, with matte finishes replacing hard, glossy plastics.

We’re somewhat aghast at the latest WRX’s exterior styling (photos can be found here), but we’re hopeful that the all-new version will handle as well as the 2001 original, a two-time 10Best winner. That’s because we have it on good authority that the new WRX will weigh 50 fewer pounds than the outgoing model, in spite of the increase in size. Power will come from a mildly updated version of the familiar 2.5-liter turbo flat-four, which gets a new turbocharger and intake. Output still tops out at 224 horsepower and 226 pound-feet of torque. Subaru has also switched to a more compact control-arm rear suspension in place of the previous struts. As before, the turbo four hooks up to a five-speed manual or an optional four-speed automatic, and the base price is expected to stay the same—about $25,000—when the WRX hits streets this September.

The basis for the WRX, the regular Impreza, is all-new, too, and will also be offered as a sedan and a hatchback. Insiders say that its naturally aspirated flat-four now puts out marginally less horsepower but that torque has nudged incrementally higher. The transmission choices will be identical to those for the WRX, and the suspension will be similarly revised.

Roddimus Prime

That has to be the worst aprils fools joke ever. At least I hope it's a joke.

KrayzieFox

The grille reminds me of a Chrysler .. almost like a PT Cruiser or something. Yuck!!! The rear end looks alright I guess, but that still can't be right.

dentinger

since when did chrysler and ford buy out subaru??

the front end looks like its from chrysler, and the rear end looks like its off a ford edge

cornercarve98

oh hurl. yuck, that has to be the most atrocious thing Subaru has done since the tribeca (the interior is pretty slick, the outside no). where the heck do i start?

it looks like the headlights were from a kia, the overall body look resemebles their spectra 5, the side body crease looks similar to the bmw 3/1 series (not bad, just copying).

does anybody see Protege5 headlights in the side profile picture? the grill is hideous, it doesn't even match the image of the impreza range of cars...and chrome? no no no, what higher-up forced his/her hand into making that happen? poor subaru fans, their company is disappointing them...

romanom

Now let us compare with the Mitsu Lancer which will the base for the next EVO and Ralliart:

cornercarve98

I love the new look of the Lancer and upcoming Evolution. They got an "economy" car to look mean. Nice! The Evo's gonna look sick.

meGrimlock

official pics of the new 08 wrx are out, before they were mostly conjecture and photoshops which didnt lend any credibility to motor trend's crappy photoshoot:

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/02/n...reza-wrx-sedan

http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....rticle_id=5096

dentinger

it doesnt lool that bad without the chrome grill, but the bug eyed subies are still my fav

cornercarve98

thanks for the links...whew...the sedan looks good. the hatch still looks unfortunate. the bug-eyes were a good generation, i do like the current Impreza look--just as long as the rims were large enough (like 18s) to proportion the car out right.

mazda_pro5_2nr

I still say they are trying to make it looks like a MS3 :P

Anarchistchiken

Yeah the real pictures make a big difference. They still look goofy, almost cartoonish, but not completely horrible.

Rio Grande

I was thinking of buying a WRX for my next car, but once I found out about the redesign , well no thanks. I like the current style, aggressive looking.