New Impreza

[Duke]

I'm sure we've all seen it by now and read most of the specs. What do you think of it? It's obvious the shape change has everything to do with the WRC, but it's not gotten prettier over the years. Djeez.

It does, however, make for an interesting sleeper car if fiddled with. AWD hatchback with massive power and little give-away tags to it's oomph? Yes, please!

Overall, I think i'd rather have an Evo X, though. Even if that thing's going to be heavy as fuck. I'm quite sure this new STI isn't gonna be the lightweight (1250) it once was, either.

 

[DeeezNuuuts83]

Obviously the hatchback shape of the new Impreza will appeal to people who need more utility than a typical sedan offers. The problem is the fact that it looks so mainstream, to the point where it won't stand out. Plus the design was executed in an odd way, almost as if Subaru made their interpretation of a Corolla hatchback. The '02 Impreza wasn't the greatest looking car, but it definitely stood out since it was a unique design, plus it was quirky in a good way.

I wouldn't really call it a sleeper, especially with its competition today. When the WRX was first released in the U.S., not too many people knew what it was, and 227 hp and 217 lb.-ft was enough to jump ahead of most cars in its price range at the time... Mustang GTs, Acura RSXs, etc. Nowadays, it has a bigger engine that isn't rated much better (though it is torquier), and will get slaughtered by today's Mustang GT and all of its numerous variations along with newer competitors like the Mazdaspeed3, Dodge Caliber SRT4 and the upcoming Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart (rumored to have 260 hp and the entire AWD system from the outgoing U.S.-spec Evo IX).

I definitely think that the Evo X is MUCH better looking than the new STI, but due to the new Evo being so much heavier as a result of its added stiffness and safety, it has been shown to be slower than both the Evo IX and the STI since the modest power increase isn't enough to give it an edge. The '08 STI's straightline acceleration numbers are at least as good as the old STI's, but its handling is a lot better (Edmunds.com recorded a slalom speed of 72.0 mph) as well. The Evo X has achieved really good skidpad numbers (0.99 g stock, which is no joke), but it's not enough. Best Motoring, a Japanese television show about cars, tested the Evo IX, Evo X (one 5-speed manual and one 6-speed dual-clutch), '07 STI and Skyline (or Infiniti G37 in the U.S.), and the Evo IX finished first, followed by the STI then the two Evo Xs. Plus, they recently tested the new Evo X and STI head-to-head on the Tsukuba circuit (race track in Japan), and the STI was quicker. It's really disappointing, especially when you realize that the U.S. versions will be even slower due to even more weight.

 

[Duke]

^^ Interesting! It seems my guesses on the weight of the new X being more detrimental than people thought were accurate.

The sleeper car thing was meant as after-fiddling and tuning.

And i'd still rather have an Evo X and tune the shit out of it. New STI may perform great, but its so fucking ugly. I realize hatchback gives less overhang and is a better rally car, but still.

 

[Pittsey]

I loved my Impreza... But I would never buy another Jap motor...


a) I'm too old...
b) They are too light on options
C) They are Chavvy...

 

[DeeezNuuuts83]

And i'd still rather have an Evo X and tune the shit out of it. New STI may perform great, but its so fucking ugly. I realize hatchback gives less overhang and is a better rally car, but still.

That's one thing that a lot of the current Evo guys point out. While it's slower than the older Evo IX and the upcoming STI, straightline acceleration can be enhanced by engine mods, which are easy to do. Great handling is harder to upgrade to, since you can't change a car's overall characteristics. Simply put, you can probably spend around $1000 or so and make an Evo X much faster in a straight line, but it would take a lot more money and tuning to make an STI beat the Evo X's 0.99 g stock.

Realistically speaking, I think Mitsubishi is restricting the Evo X on purpose, as they'd never give their best shot on the first hit. In terms of the U.S.-spec Evos, the first one to come here (the '03 VIII) was "only" 271 hp and 273 lb.-ft, which everyone thought would get blown out of the water by the STi, but it was a pretty close competition with the STi being a hair quicker, though the Evo was always a sharper handler. But in the next three model years, the Evo got two bumps in power (to 276 hp and 286 lb.-ft in '05 then 286 hp and 289 lb.-ft in '06) and got even quicker while handling even sharper (thanks to the front LSD and ACD). Perhaps Mitsubishi is going to see how the Evo X will do, then they'll begin to unleash more power in the factory motors depending on the competition, though perhaps they held back too much. But keep in mind that in certain car magazines, there were rumors of the Evo X having 320 hp, so I'd imagine the realistic capabilities of the new 4B11 motor while staying within emissions regulations and getting decent mpg should be around that. (Obviously the UK's FQ series is a different story.)

 

[dillaxx]

plain and simple, i think they're both gay... i dont like either of them.... the developers really fucked up this time...

 

[Duke]

Good point, Deez. Maybe Mitsu is just "riding the wave" so to speak. Although there's something to dislike about them not giving us (the public) the full monty on this car, y'know. I mean, what's the point of this first version if there's a better one coming in maybe a year? It kinda smells like money clobbering, but ok.

On the tune-an-Evo-thing, I realize that tuning becomes more expensive along the road. But for the real die-hards who know their tuning, they're not that interested in cheap muffler upgrades and ECU reflashes. I'm positive the "real ones" will commit to a certain car and go very far with it. Then again, of course, you can make any car fast with enough money. But I never regarded "budget tuning" as "real" tuning. It's a nice extra if you can add X hp for Y dollar and it's cheap, but bang for buck and HP ratings is imo not the poing of tuning a car.

 

[DeeezNuuuts83]

On the tune-an-Evo-thing, I realize that tuning becomes more expensive along the road. But for the real die-hards who know their tuning, they're not that interested in cheap muffler upgrades and ECU reflashes.

Well, you're only half right. ECUs will almost always need to be re-tuned after adding mods to extract the maximum power possible while making sure everything is running properly.

But I never regarded "budget tuning" as "real" tuning. It's a nice extra if you can add X hp for Y dollar and it's cheap, but bang for buck and HP ratings is imo not the poing of tuning a car.

I wouldn't call it "budget tuning." People would be happy to be able to get X hp for Y dollar instead of 2Y dollar.

 

[Duke]

Well, you're only half right. ECUs will almost always need to be re-tuned after adding mods to extract the maximum power possible while making sure everything is running properly.

You got my point. Overal tune (including ECU) vs. just ECU.

I wouldn't call it "budget tuning." People would be happy to be able to get X hp for Y dollar instead of 2Y dollar.

That's why I called it an extra. Bang for buck is always nice, but tuning isn't about getting the most hp on paper with the least amount of coins spent. I mean, these days you got people saying "But this is a better car cos you can get it to 400 for only 2500 and with that car you need 3200". And thats BS.

 

[DeeezNuuuts83]

That's why I called it an extra. Bang for buck is always nice, but tuning isn't about getting the most hp on paper with the least amount of coins spent. I mean, these days you got people saying "But this is a better car cos you can get it to 400 for only 2500 and with that car you need 3200". And thats BS.

Right, but it makes that car a better car for tuning. You can pretty much make any car have any horsepower you want, but I'd rather have a car that can get there with less work and money if tuning were my cup of tea.

 

[Duke]

Right, but it makes that car a better car for tuning. You can pretty much make any car have any horsepower you want, but I'd rather have a car that can get there with less work and money if tuning were my cup of tea.

I don't know. I guess it depends on the car and what you want to do with it. Some cars are cheap to increase hp, some cars can get significant handling upgrades for relative low money.