Subaru Impreza News

BMW 335iSubaru Impreza RSMitsubishi Lancer VRFord Mondeo ZetecThe rollout of the Carsguide Car of the Year finalists continues this week with another four of the best cars launched in Australia this year.Ford's Mondeo, which has taken Europe by storm, goes head-to-head with the all-new Mitsubishi Lancer, BMW's 3 Series sedan fired by the cracking twin-turbo six and the Subaru Impreza, which is the only car other than the Citroen C6 in Australia with five-star passenger and four-star pedestrian safety.For all the latest on the carsguide Car Of The Year each week go to www.carsguide.com.au/car-of-the-year 

You could start with the Mazda3, Australia's most popular fully imported car.Indeed, the sedan or hatch that have thrust Mazda to Number four on the sales ladder have at times been our most successful privately-owned cars, period. If that sounds a bit tall for a (not so very) smallish car, consider that the brand doesn't sell a single unit to commercial fleets or rental companies, the sort of knockdown dealing that keeps Holden and Ford above Mazda but destroys resale values.Toyota can claim its perennial Corolla, the most recent generation of which was released earlier this year, does more business than the Mazda, but many base-model strippers wind up with 'for rent' signs on their windshields.Even in a market where used-car values have never been less reliable, the Mazda3's desirability, exclusivity and driveability seem to be keeping it slightly above the skids.For the past few months, though, the Mazda's mantle hasn't seemed so secure. The reasons are two reinvented cars; the new-generation Subaru Impreza and Mitsubishi Lancer.Both offer exceptional value and top-rate safety packages even in their base models, though the $21,000 entry-level Lancer is subject to a slight and quite fair option hike to get the class-leading package of seven airbags.You need to get into the top Mazda3 iterations, the more expensive Maxx Sport and topline SP23, to get comparable packages and even then DSC remains a $1000 option.Ford has had to cut the guts out of its lower-spec Focus price, reducing it to $19,990. The Mazda3 is in some essential respects the same car, but Mazdas have traditionally held their own over comparable Blue Ovals.A new SP23 is priced from almost $30,000, up towards the class-leading Volkswagen Golf FSI dollars. A used SP23, which comes with the full kit and some warranty extant, is an attractive package, not least because it, too, is starting to feel the pre-loved car price wobbles.This weekend, several Sydney dealers will offer MY05 SP23s with 12 months' manufacturer warranty remaining and upwards of 35,000km on the clock from $25,50.That's still steep, but don't be put off, especially as Subaru and Mitsubishi will sell you a highly competitive all-new car for much the same money. Feel free to mention this.While lesser 3s use the 2.0-litre petrol four, the range leader shares the bigger Mazda6's 2.3-litre four-potter, though detuned slightly to 115kW. It is still the drivers' choice in this segment, an aspect enhanced last year when it received an extra ratio each for the previously five-speed manual and four-speed auto.The manual would be our transmission choice, though at least the auto's tip shift mode, unlike most, holds a gear until you decide differently. The pre-facelift models make do with the old transmission and noticeably more raucous level of NVH.There's nothing else to complain of though with 17-inch alloys, six-speaker stereo with six-stacker, ABS with EBD, fully adjustable steering wheel, six airbags, body kit and leather trim.If the Mazda3 is facing fresh challenges, it is as markedly superior to its longer-term rivals used as it was new. You have to go up to the $36,000 XR5 to find a Focus that moves quicker than the 2.0-litre norm. Even then, side airbags aren't to be had.Honda offers a petrol-electric hybrid version of its Thai-built Civic sedan, though at a considerable premium over the underdone and drab conventional four-pot models. The Corolla is new, but it has also gained weight over the last model, while persisting with the old engine.Economy suffers and Toyota's neglect in not offering stability control even as an option makes it look further off the pace. Sure, the Corolla will probably remain Australia's best-selling car in this class but overall, the Mazda3 looks the best bet. It's just that now used-car buyers are holding some cards. 

The high-performance STi is expected to have a 2.5-litre four-cylinder mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, Si-Drive, quad exhausts, bigger wheels with pumped out mudguards

Subaru has issued a teaser shot of its eagerly anticipated new Impreza WRX STi which makes its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show on October 24.

If it comes to fruition, the Suzuki SX4 Sport, as the road car might be called, would be a direct competitor for the new Subaru WRX, which has been a dominant force in the performance small car segment for years.But the new Rex (WRX) has lost its hard performance edge and is unlikely to appeal to its traditional audience. A Suzuki hot rod could be too tantalising for keen drivers looking for a Rex replacement.It would be made in Japan, have rally cred, look the business and carry the Suzuki name which has a lot of respect.And what would be really good for Suzuki is that Nobuhiro (Monster) Tajima, one of the most dominant drivers at the frightening Pikes Peak hill climb in the US, would have direct input into the road car.It would be a finely fettled device to be sure and would quite possibly rattle the cage of good, many so-called performance models.The WRC car, is due to embark soon on its initial foray into the title challenge, which has impressive specifications.It runs a 2.0-litre, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine delivering 235kW/590Nm output. That's equivalent to a good V8 in a small car weighing 1230kg. It has a five speed sequential manual transmission and a carbon clutch. Drive is to all wheels via an electronic centre differential.The suspension is by struts using high quality adjustable dampers and the brakes are 370mm discs on the front with eight piston calipers, 355mm at the rear with four piston calipers.It's a wild looking car with a huge multi-deck rear wing protruding from the rear screen and a low centre of gravity. The wheels are 18-inch diameter and carry Michelin tyres at present.Tajima has used expertise gleaned from Pikes Peak on the WRC car so it should be able to cut it right from the outset. Tajima has built up and stored a huge knowledge base over the years and refers to it for the correct set up when racing.Obviously, any road-going version of the car wouldn't be specified to this level but it is conceivable that the SX4 Sport would be good for 150-160kW, without too much trouble and would have running gear to match, which means big brakes, firm suspension and sporty dynamics.Suzuki execs go a little bit coy when potential specification of an SX4 Sport is mentioned. They throw back the line of being more concerned about carbon dioxide emissions than sports performance. But pressure is building from many quarters within the Suzuki world, to leverage the company's involvement in motor sport and the World Rally Championship by building a road car.Otherwise, what is the point of competing?An SX4 would need to sell in the $40,000 range to be competitive and be specified to a reasonable level of luxury and safety, all of which is available from the Suzuki parts bin.Tajima would be able to tell Suzuki how to calibrate pretty well the entire car for road use while retaining a sporty flavour.The current SX4 all-wheel drive is a handy car, but lacks a hero model in the range to attract performance car buyers to Suzuki. That's where the SX4 Sport comes into the picture.It's all hypothetical right now but entirely do-able by Suzuki. Here's hoping. 

A late call on a new Impreza sedan could have cost Subaru Australia another showroom record this year.The new Impreza hatch has just landed, with more models on the way, but short supplies from Japan will limit the number of cars Subaru can deliver to the end of the year.The sedan will boost Impreza sales by about 200 cars a month, from a hatch estimate of 1000 cars a month. But it will not join the local line-up until the third quarter next year.It is lagging behind the hatch because the car was originally developed for the US and it took time for Australia to make a business case.Before then, Subaru will also have a facelifted Tribeca people mover, a new Forester and the high-performance Impreza STi. An Impreza diesel is also on the way.So the head of Subaru Australia, Nick Senior, believes he will not have enough cars to claw back lost ground this year.Sales are up but the 3 per cent improvement trails in an industry that has grown by more than 9 per cent to the end of August.“We'll struggle to do another record this year, to be honest. We cannot get enough cars,” Senior says. “There is simply not enough time. We're expecting some solid months to the end of the year, but we won't claw it all back.”He believes the safer new Impreza will be a hit but admits the plan has changed following the late development of the four-door sedan.“The intention with the new Impreza was to have one variation globally and that was the hatch,” he says. “Relatively late, the US decided that to maximise the potential of the car in their market they would like a sedan.“When the decision was made to build a sedan for the US we were asked if we had an interest, so we researched the potential. We thought we could add some incremental sales, but the timing meant we would have to wait 12 months.“There will only be the North American market and Australia having both hatch and sedan. But in the past we've had a foot in both camps, with half a wagon and half a hatch.”He believes Australian buyers could take up to 350 sedans a month but, with some hatch substitution, is aiming for total Impreza sales of about 1200 cars. That would make it the company's No.1, ahead of the chunky Forester.But that could change with the arrival of the new Forester early next year. 

The wide-eyed French wonder has a hybrid HDi drivetrain from which Citroen claims fuel consumption of just 3.4L/100km.As well as saving fuel, the concept aims to cutback on resources used in its construction. The cabin is made up of just over 200 parts, which Citroen says is about half the usual number. Peugeot's sleek 308RCZ concept gives a big nod towards a future body style for the 308 family.The ultra-light 2+2 coupe uses aluminium, polycarbonate windows and carbon-fibre body parts and is powered by a 160kW 1.6-litre twin-scroll turbo jointly developed by PSA Peugeot Citroen and BMW.Mitsubishi will unveil its Concept-cX compact SUV at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Concept-cX uses interior trim materials made from bamboo and other plant-based resins.The concept is powered by a new high-output, high-efficiency 1.8-litre diesel engine, featuring a variable geometry turbocharger for optimum boost control and a diesel oxidation catalyst with diesel particulate filter, and Mitsubishi's new twin-clutch sport-shift transmission which will be a key element in the Lancer Evo X.GM will show environmentally-conscious concepts at Frankfurt, including the HydroGen4 fuel-cell car, the Volt all-electric car and further adaptions of its EcoFlex technology.The HydroGen4 produces an electrical output of up to 93kW backed by a 73kW electric motor.GM claims it can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 12 seconds and has a top speed of about 160km/h. It will also show off its E-Flex strategy, which combines various fuel-efficient propulsion systems in the same vehicle shape and design to suit local demands, in an Opel Corsa small car.Of the production cars being launched at the show, the Mini Clubman wagon is likely to rate highly. The five-door model has double rear doors and a suicide door on the driver's side. The suicide door, which is rear-hinged, is designed to allow passengers easier access to the back.Renault will also show a mini wagon with its Clio Sport Tourer, due to go on sale in Europe early next year.Halfway between concept and reality is the 2008 World Rally Car concept from Subaru.It is both a pointer to what the next WRC will be like and an insight into how the new WRX STI, which will go on sale in Australia early next year, will look. 

The move, which is likely to cause a strong reaction among some new car manufacturers and importers, was announced this week by Australasian New Car Assessment Program chairman Lachlan McIntosh.

Subaru revealed its new Impreza range at picturesque Byron Bay. The rolling green hills of the country’s most easterly point was an apt setting for the new look Impreza, where traditional buzzwords like ‘muscle’, ‘aggression’ and ‘performance’ made way for more refined variants like ‘elegance’, ‘cosmopolitan’, ‘sophistication’ and ‘safety’. The range will be unveiled to the public at the 2007Australian International Motor Show in Sydney in October. Subaru is offering four Imprezas: R, RX, RS, plus the turbocharged WRX manual. The roomiest ever Impreza is launched as a five-door hatch, with a four door sedan expected to arrive in Australia around October 2008. Subaru is trying to steer away from WRX as the ‘hero’ model and has instead focused more on the mainstream Impreza versions, in a bid to attract a more diverse consumer base. In his launch speech, Subaru managing Director Nick Senior said: “..While the emotion and headlines for this new Impreza may well centre around the WRX version, it is the normally-aspirated models that provide us with our greatest opportunity. “To be able to sell a $24,490 vehicle with five star safety, four star pedestrian safety, all-wheel drive, anti-lock braking system, Vehicle Dynamics Control, 2-litre double overhead cam engine, air conditioning, six airbags, cruise control and the rest of the equipment …is exciting for the brand.” said Senior. Subaru is highlighting the new range’s safety credentials — the new, lighter and stronger Impreza has as a five-star ANCAP rating for occupant safety, giving it one of the strongest safety stories in its class. “Undeniably we have the high ground in the small car sector when it comes to total safety,” Senior claimed. Senior said key structural points on all Imprezas are now reinforced by high tension steel, which has increased rigidity and ride comfort. Subaru claims improvements have been achieved with Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH) in all Imprezas. The new-generation Impreza comes in normally-aspirated and turbo charged variants. The new double overhead camshaft provides improvements in power (more than 20%) and torque (more than 7%) over the SOHC engine used in the superseded 2.0i and RV. Compared with previous models, the turbo-charged engine delivers smoother torque from lower revs. As usual, All Wheel Drive is a standard feature. Improved ride comfort and more interior and cargo space are the result of a longer wheelbase and new double-wishbone suspension. Aesthetically, the sophisticated new style is an obvious change from earlier models. The new shape has sparked debate among WRX purists, who claim the rounder, softer Impreza is too bland. The MY08 Impreza hatchback is slightly taller and shorter, emphasised by a distinctive shoulder line that carries through to the front end for a more integrated feel. Clear headlight lenses and rear LED lights with metallic highlights distinguish the premium look. The change is consistent, not only outside but also throughout the interior of the vehicle. The sweeping twin-cockpit design offers greater head and shoulder room, and the use of plastics and other materials throughout the cabin is offset by aluminium-style highlights, across the range. Subaru Impreza starts at $24,440 for the R model, through to $39,990 for the WRX.  

The ratings, given by the Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), measure the safety of various aspects of a car based on crash tests.The car received a rating of five out of five stars for occupant safety and four out of four stars for pedestrian impact safety.Besides being the first tested in Australia, the Impreza is also the second car worldwide to achieve the double top-star rating.The Impreza now joins stablemates, Liberty, Outback, Tribeca and the All-Wheel Drive Forester with ANCAP’s highest possible occupant safety star rating.Subaru Managing Director Nick Senior said: “Safety is a major consideration during the vehicle purchase.“This should be a major influencer for not only private buyers, but government and statutory authorities.”During the ANCAP process, Subaru volunteered the Impreza for optional pole testing, where it achieved a rating of two out of two. A pole test is where the car travels sideways at 29 km/h, striking a round pole lined up with the driver’s head. This measures the effectiveness of head protecting side airbags and can result in extra points being scored.• Offset test: 14.93 (out of 16)• Side impact test: 15.73 (out of 16)• Pole test: 2 (out of 2)• Seat belt warnings: 2 (out of 3)Total = 34.66 (out of a possible 37)Pedestrian test: 27.76 (out of 36)Across the whole Subaru range, not just for the Impreza, all safety features described below are divided into active and passive categories.Active safety systems include constant All-Wheel Drive, anti-lock brakes, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution which improves rear braking and Vehicle Dynamics Control(VDC).VDC monitors vehicle stability and makes appropriate adjustments to the car’s suspension and handling. In extreme cases like swerving or entering a spin, VDC controls each wheel individually via braking, engine output, and the All-Wheel Drive system.Passive safety features includedual front and side SRS airbags, front seatbelt pretentioners, Automatic Emergency Locking Retractors(A/ELR), steering wheel impact minimisation, reinforced door beams and strengthened side frames, and safety pedals.The ANCAP five-star success began for Subaru in 2003 with the Forester XS Luxury pack and they have since achieved the prestigious rating across the range every year up to 2007 with the new Impreza.“Safety has been a long-term commitment for Subaru and we’re delighted to gain five stars for every car in the range. Said Senior.“It is now undeniable that we are producing some of the safest vehicles in the world.”