Subaru's "Teaser Page" for the 2012 Impreza is up

[minuccims]

From all of the complaints on the 5th gen, this is what I have learned so far ...

 

It's ok to have less performance with folding mirrors.

 

Folding mirrors with blinkers and fender bling makes the car really really fast.

 

Forget about the looks - it is going to be slow. Subaru has pretty much abandoned the performance market, which is not surprising since it is so small.

[rao]

That sounds about right

[Gire]

+1 to Rao and it being slow.

 

a 2.0 CVT that gets up to 36mpg and still has AWD? I bet it'll be a torqueless 150hp engine, tops. Performace be damned. I guess the CVT will help it scoot up to speed but it certainly won't be entertaining.

 

Which again (other than the AWD selling feature) underwhelms it in today's compact car market. The Jetta, Mazda3, Focus, etc all have 160-170hp and decent torque.

[EvoFire]

First saw it at Autoblog and I couldn't get over how much it reminds me of the 09-10 Corolla. Its also true that it looks like a shruken 5th gen Legacy, but that just goes to show how bland the new Legacy is.

 

I'm withholding further judgment until see a front shot, rear shot, and a 3/4 shot. Perhaps they redeemed themselves on the little details like trunk, grille, headlights.... New Audis are pretty boring if not for their front fascia and rear lights. Well I guess their wheels help too.

[Gire]

New Audis are bland I agree, but they make up for it with nice German interiors and fun driving dynamics.

 

This Impreza will not have a beautiful interior or be exciting to drive.

 

 

And they'll make the next gen WRX and STi out of this thing...?

 

Chuck a huge wing on it and some 17's. That'll sex it up.

[Buzzman]

This is purely speculative but maybe Subaru will make the wrx and sti on an entirely different platform instead of simply upgrading the exterior and performance aspects of the impreza. I doubt it, however.

[f1anatic]

New Audis are pretty boring if not for their front fascia and rear lights. Well I guess their wheels help too.

 

Huh ? Are you serious ? New AUDI's are classically gorgeous and are more technology packed than all Subaru models put together. Have you driven any of the new AUDIs ? Tell you what, the 2010 S4 that I had the chance of driving is more car than what the 2020 Legacy will ever be.

 

But let us keep it simple, even for those with perception issues. For starters, AUDI fenders and wheel arches are properly sized. And wow...double-wow...they even come in wagon trim :-) Yep...Strange concept to grasp by those who've only recently discovered the mid-size sedan offering by Subaru and swear that it is the $hit.

[Gire]

When have they ever done that before?

 

 

Dare to dream, but it won't happen. They aren't big enough to warrant developing a whole new car for that niche market.

[Gire]

Huh ? Are you serious ? New AUDI's are classically gorgeous and are more technology packed than all Subaru models put together. Have you driven any of the new AUDIs ? Tell you what, the 2010 S4 that I had the chance of driving is more car than what the 2020 Legacy will ever be.

 

But let us keep it simple, even for those with perception issues. For starters, AUDI fenders and wheel arches are properly sized. And wow...double-wow...they even come in wagon trim :-) Yep...Strange concept to grasp by those who've only recently discovered the mid-size sedan offering by Subaru and swear that it is the $hit.

 

 

Comparing a a Legacy (or LGT) to an S4 is silly. One car is almost twice the price of the other. Why not throw an M3 in to the mix?

[f1anatic]

When have they ever done that before?

They aren't big enough to warrant developing a whole new car for that niche market.

 

Here's what is more likely to happen: the STI will no longer be offered in US. It will stay a JDM-only option while any sportier Impreza WRX that we get will be a badly detuned/badly assembled/plasticky JDM WRX. The market will go back to the early 2000s. We already know that the Mitsu EVO models will no longer be built and Subaru will follow suit.

 

And judging from the spy pictures, this looks more like a facelift than a major redesign though the door panels do look different. The closest examples that comes to mind was the Jeep Grand Cherokee 1999-2004 vs 2005-2010 or the 3rd gen and 4th gen Legacy. You basically knew off the bet the cars are related. That's a shame cause the concept Impreza looked like a major progress in the design department.

[f1anatic]

Comparing a a Legacy (or LGT) to an S4 is silly. One car is almost twice the price of the other. Why not throw an M3 in to the mix?

 

You are missing the point by a wider gap than allowed for a Canadian Moderator. How about you too look at the fenders, the wheel arches and the wheel to fender gap in any A4. The costs of designing a beautiful car from scratch cannot be that much higher. Then as a perverse pleasure go look at a wagon.

 

And please...come tell me about comparing the Legacy and the AUDI in 2020, about 8 years from now, cause that is what I am comparing.

[The B4]

that doesn't even make sense comparing those two cars. An audi s4 starts at double the price of a Legacy GT. Let's keep it apples to apples

[WraithAkaMrak]

+1 to Rao and it being slow.

 

a 2.0 CVT that gets up to 36mpg and still has AWD? I bet it'll be a torqueless 150hp engine, tops. Performace be damned. I guess the CVT will help it scoot up to speed but it certainly won't be entertaining.

 

Which again (other than the AWD selling feature) underwhelms it in today's compact car market. The Jetta, Mazda3, Focus, etc all have 160-170hp and decent torque.

 

If the reported 146 hp / 145 torque is accurate...

 

Model: displ, hp/torque, city/hwy mpg

Impreza 2.0i: 2.0L, 146/145, ?/36

Mazda3 i: 2.0L, 148/135, 25/33

Mazda3 s: 2.5L, 167/168, 20/28

Focus: 2.0L, 160/146, 28/38

Jetta S: 2.0L, 115/125, 24/34

Jetta SE: 2.5L, 170/177, 23/33

 

The Focus has more horsepower, but torque is the same.

The 2.0L Jetta has less power, less mpg.

The 2.5L Jetta has more power, less mpg.

The Mazda3 i has similar horsepower, less torque, less mpg.

The Mazda3 s has more power, less mpg. (Practically the same mpg as current Impreza, w/o AWD.)

 

Reports are that the Impreza will be available in 2.0L and 2.5L. While I'm assuming that just means 2.5L turbo for the WRX, is there a possibility we'll see a mid-level Impreza with 2.5L NA? It'd still get a mpg boost with the CVT.

[konrad]

I like it.

Cruze already looks like a turd.

 

If they do hit 36 mpg hwy, that'll put it just 2 mpg shy of the new Focus, and on par with the Cruze.

 

         displ.    hp/torque    trans            city/hwy mpg
Impreza 2012: 2.0L    146/145        CVT             ?/36
Civic 2012:   1.8L    140/?        5 spd auto        ?/39
Focus 2012:   2.0L    160/146        6 spd dual-cluth auto    28/38
Elantra 2011: 1.8L    148/131        6 spd auto        29/40
Cruze 2011:   1.4L T    138/148        6 spd auto        24/36

And visual comparison:

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5223/5595681294_43f13ddab2_o.jpg

 

The Legacy held this honor for MY2010, and 2nd place in MY2011 (beaten only by the Countryman All4 manual).

 

Edmunds Inside Line:

[The B4]

+1 to Rao and it being slow.

 

a 2.0 CVT that gets up to 36mpg and still has AWD? I bet it'll be a torqueless 150hp engine, tops. Performace be damned. I guess the CVT will help it scoot up to speed but it certainly won't be entertaining.

 

Which again (other than the AWD selling feature) underwhelms it in today's compact car market. The Jetta, Mazda3, Focus, etc all have 160-170hp and decent torque.

 

You gotta pay to play the MPG game.

 

http://i51.tinypic.com/24fxzlh.jpg

[relhok]

Bought my wife the 40mpg Hyundai Elantra. It's a sweet car. The shiftronic 6-speed auto is nicer than our LGT 5EAT. The Elantra has a midsize interior that feels roomier too.

[ShrinerMonkey]

I still think that Subaru is sabotaging itself by insisting on boxer engines and AWD. They are always behind the curve in fuel economy, transmissions, and enigne technology. Frankly, the benefits of the boxer and AWD are dubious at best, and AWD is just a 'me too' as every other manufactures offers it.

 

I also wouldn't be surprised if the STI was killed off in the US so that Subaru can get their fleet fuel economy up.

[EvoFire]

Huh ? Are you serious ? New AUDI's are classically gorgeous and are more technology packed than all Subaru models put together. Have you driven any of the new AUDIs ? Tell you what, the 2010 S4 that I had the chance of driving is more car than what the 2020 Legacy will ever be.

 

But let us keep it simple, even for those with perception issues. For starters, AUDI fenders and wheel arches are properly sized. And wow...double-wow...they even come in wagon trim :-) Yep...Strange concept to grasp by those who've only recently discovered the mid-size sedan offering by Subaru and swear that it is the $hit.

 

I never said anything about technology, I'm just talking about the design. The current Audis are some of the most slab sided cars on the market. We are talking about flat sides and not much features in design. The only redeeming feature is the front and rear fascias. Oh and the nice rim designs.

 

I never said anything about the way they drive, and I never said anything about interior. Keeping it simple is right, I wasn't saying Subaru was at the same level, but rather using it as an example.

[dmanaenk]

and AWD is just a 'me too' as every other manufactures offers it.

You're on dope right now, right?

[DeltaSniper]

Lmao.... +1 ^^^

[The B4]

I still think that Subaru is sabotaging itself by insisting on boxer engines and AWD. They are always behind the curve in fuel economy, transmissions, and enigne technology. Frankly, the benefits of the boxer and AWD are dubious at best, and AWD is just a 'me too' as every other manufactures offers it.

 

I also wouldn't be surprised if the STI was killed off in the US so that Subaru can get their fleet fuel economy up.

 

When the Legacy came out, it was on par or better than most of the FWD midsizers. The new Impreza will be in the same ballpark as most of the FWD's. I think that AWD gives Subaru a voice in an arena where they'd be drowned out by the brands everyone is more familiar with.

[TooBigToFit]

When the Legacy came out, it was on par or better than most of the FWD midsizers. The new Impreza will be in the same ballpark as most of the FWD's. I think that AWD gives Subaru a voice in an arena where they'd be drowned out by the brands everyone is more familiar with.

 

Yeah, what he said. Subaru pretty much made AWD synonymous with its name. A majority of its ads show off all wheel drive. It's the one thing that sets Subaru apart, the one thing that (to most of the non-car-people, kinda like me) makes a Subaru a Subaru (perhaps one of the reasons why many aren't pleased with the FT-86 being RWD).

 

I mean take away the AWD and Boxer from the Impreza, and give it a few more MPG. All I see in that is a pricey Civic wannabe.

[Viber]

Will the features and interior resemble something from the 2011? Compact models come incredibly loaded these days.

 

Dual clutch WRX/performance model?

 

Max out with everything at $28,000 or less

 

The size looks right.

[ShrinerMonkey]

This is obviously not the best forum to discuss it but the fact that Subaru's AWD system is better than most other manufactures systems is completely lost in the consumers perception. They assume all AWD systems are the same, and most consumers will never notice a difference anyways. So Subaru's AWD game is just a 'me too' in the marketplace at this point.

 

You can repeat the AWD marketing lingo till your blue in the face, but AWD isn't gonna make Subaru stand out anymore, they need something else if they want to compete with Toyondissan.

[ShrinerMonkey]

When the Legacy came out, it was on par or better than most of the FWD midsizers. The new Impreza will be in the same ballpark as most of the FWD's. I think that AWD gives Subaru a voice in an arena where they'd be drowned out by the brands everyone is more familiar with.

On par, really? The Accord and Camry both offered 5 speed autos, the base Legacy could only be had with a 4 speed until 2010 when they switched to CVT. Now the Camry can be had with a 6-speed. Subaru was also late to the game getting stability control as an option except on top line models until 2008. The Legacy also had much less interior room than the competition which turned off a lot of family buyers. Fuel economy also always lagged the competition because of the AWD penalty. I'm no Toyota or Honda fan, but they had what most buyers wanted and when you look on paper, the Legacy lagged. The only advantage they had was AWD as most consumers could care less about driving dynamics.

 

It's gonna be a hard sell to convince people in the south of the benefits of AWD and to take the mileage and price penalty.