2008 Subaru WRX STI: It's Supposed To Be Ugly

What is it they say about beauty and the eye of the beholder?

To me it's no better than the previous model form can follow function. The inevitable comparisson is the Evo, which somehow manages to encompass both.

I wouldn't say it's ugly. I actually find it appealing. It's not sexy, or drop dead gorgeous, but it works.

I don't like the iced tail lamps, but I think the hatchback body looks a lot better than the sedan, and the STi specific grill is nicer as well.

Ugliness. It's what makes a Subaru, a Subaru. =Þ

Ugly, but functional and fast FTW. :o)

"...form can follow function. The inevitable comparisson is the Evo, which somehow manages to encompass both."

yeah, because a trunk the size of a shoebox is "functional"...

^ ROFL!

I've seen some STi's with a front lip, side skirts, bigger wheels/tires, and tinted windows/red tail lights that look very cool. More aggressive and mean looking. Muscular. More European.

It's certainly not the prettiest car in the world, but it's no Aztec. :)

STI looks ok from the back end, but its hideous from the front. I park every day beside a black Impreza, which is even worse. Hatches don't have to be ugly!

I've never found the current generation Impreza ugly. The front overhang is a bit extreme (as is the Mazda3's) but overall it's a nice looking ride. Much better than the cartoonish previous gen model.

Its not that bad for its looks, but it just looks over all Soft. It needs a more agressive look like the Evo. i mean apart from the "Fender flares" which arent that flared the average passer by wouldn't even know the differance from a WRX to an STI.

Even the people that "sort of like it" or think it's "not all that bad" have to talk themselves into it.

This car does not invoke a visceral sense of lust by any means - the way the 370Z or Challenger does.

Looks horrible from the back, and looks horrible in standard Impreza trim. I hate it.

The front overhang is a bit extreme (as is the Mazda3's) but overall it's a nice looking ride.

The front overhang is a result of the boxer engine design and symmetrical all-wheel drive layout.

http://www.subaru.com/engineering/traction-for-life.html

oh.....that image has been stretched...or taken at a very weird angle

http://themotorreport.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/2008-wrx-sti-themotorreport.jpg

daftpunk3 - You're being obtuse

The picture above is distorted which is evidently representative of all of inside lines skewed blog remarks.

What is up with the reviewers for edmunds...I didn't want to believe the conspiracy from some of the comments, but the stretched out pick above shows real hate and distaste against the STI. I like reading true and real reviews for any vehicle especially the long term reports, but this entry and others makes me wonder about the objectiveness of some of the testers results!

That picture is awful and makes the STI look like a wide-track Pontiac Grand Prix.

The car is good looking no matter what, but it looks especially good with red taillights, a mesh grille w/o the Subaru flying wing badge thing, and the rear bumper overlay that show off those quad pipes. Also, it looks better with the new alloys for 2010.

Check out this site:
http://www.cars101.com/subaru/impreza/wrxsti2008photos3.html

by rear bumper overlay i meant exhaust finishers

"What is up with the reviewers for edmunds...I didn't want to believe the conspiracy from some of the comments, but the stretched out pick above shows real hate and distaste against the STI. I like reading true and real reviews for any vehicle especially the long term reports, but this entry and others makes me wonder about the objectiveness of some of the testers results!"

You should do what I do. Don't pay much attention and ignore what you can. Most of what these reviewers/clowns write is garbage anyway.

One reason for their hate may be that they live in a particularly STi infested area and have their doors blown off when they drive to work in the mornings in their snobby BMWs, ugly Smart for two and such. Since they can't do anything about that, they resort to the next best thing, picking on the STi they have in their pocession and getting some sort of sickly pleasure out of it. Like the pleasure weak cowards get when they kill an ant and wish it was the guy who knocked them on their rear ends. Or pinching their baby brother because their mommy said they were mean and asked them why they couldn't be as good as their baby brother.