One person's ugly is another person's art. Despite the beating the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX has taken in the forums, the company went right ahead with its plans in New York -- cocktails and hors d'oeuvres served with a side of cars in Exit Art, one of Midtown Manhattan's alternative art spaces. The controversial blue WRX hatchback was there of course (along with the '08 Tribeca), but we gave our time to the non-turbo red sedan, a 2008 Subaru Impreza 2.5i which hasn't received much attention to date.
Initially, we were struck by how conservative the regular-strength Impreza sedan looked. Its unscooped hood is almost featureless, and its tail is stubby. Still, there's evidence of a BMW 3 Series-inspired character line down the side, and it's all the more pronounced in this BMW-flavor shade of red. Then again, we also see VW Jetta cues, which is not good.
More impressive was the interior. This is a much cleaner, much more contemporary design -- and it feels more up-to-date in 2007 than the old car seemed in 2002. Materials quality is high, too. The cloth upholstery reminded us of the attractive suede-ish stuff Nissan uses in the Maxima and Pathfinder.
And when we sat in the backseat, the accommodations weren't bad. The bench is mounted high enough to support a long-limbed adult and the legroom, while hardly abundant, is adequate for anyone who measures in at the 6-foot mark.
The standard Impreza engine, of course, is a carryover -- a normally aspirated, 2.5-liter, horizontally opposed four-cylinder, so you can expect something in the neighborhood of the '07 model's 173 hp. This isn't the greatest news for would-be Impreza buyers who can't make the stretch to the WRX, as this engine doesn't team up especially well with the returning four-speed automatic.
Sharp handling would certainly help the non-turbo Subaru Impreza's case, but with front-drive competitors like the Mazda 3 s and Honda Civic Si occupying similar price territory (and looking a bit racier to boot), it may not get the attention it deserves. — Erin Riches, Senior Content Editor
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