spwolf

it looks better for sure... but does it look good? not really.

hopefully interior is much improved from old gen!

SLegacy99

I like my Subaru, thank you very much.

BoDarville

agreed. very disappointed.

<<< owner of previous generation legacy

IS-SV

I have 2 family members with Subies, they also like them. (even if they look like ***, the cars that is.), thank you very much.

dunnojack

Subaru Impreza Production (B O R I N G)

it doesn't cost them any extra money to make the car look like the concept. But they decided to make it look like the old models

mmarshall

The new 2012 Impreza will be one of the main attractions at the New York Auto Show coming up (starting Apr. 22). I just posted a thread in CAR CHAT on the show.

mmarshall

You're not alone. Subies, despite their sometimes quirky looks, have a very high repeat-owner rate, almost as much as Hondas.

Along with some car-based AWD vehicles from Toyota and Honda, I consider Subies to be among the best low/moderate-priced daily-drivers, expecially in bad-weather areas.

mmarshall

Many people don't buy Subarus for their looks, but for what's under the skin, particularly the well-designed AWD systems.

dunnojack

fixed.

certainly no one bought this........




really though, judging from the internet reaction toward the impreza concept, it would have been a better idea to keep production true to concept.

mmarshall

Tribeca sales, though not strong, did improve some when they went to a more-conventional grille, but it never has been as popular as the Outback.



It does have a 3rd-row seat, something that no other U.S.-market Subaru does, but most Subaru buyers apparantly don't need one, and the new, roomier 2010/2011 Outback is more competitive with the Tribeca's interior room, at a lower price.

spwolf

this is probably very extensive refresh that does address shortcomings of old impreza... like what VW did with Golf V and Golf VI, so they probably couldnt do a lot more... they just overpromised with the concept.

mmarshall

I guess this is subjective, but the old (2008-2011) Impreza's interior really wasn't that bad. True, the seat fabric looked and felt cheap, especially in the non-turbo versions, and the substitution of red/blue idiot-lights for a proper engine temperature gauge was preposterous, but the dash, I thought, was attractively-styled. It was mostly hard-plastic (as were the door-panels), but the tri-color plastic was attractive-looking and durable, without a light, flimsy-cheap feeling. And, with the otherwise hard-plastic in the door panels, were VERY-well-padded elbow-rests.

IS-SV

Tribecca sales were pathetic and are still pathetic by any mass production automaker standards with or without the vulgar grill, averaging close to 200-300 units per month, in short why bother (something like the weak sales of RL Acura for sad comparison purposes).

Back to the topic at hand, Impreza concept: In recent years many of the major automakers have released production versions of cars that are quite close to concept models. It's not that uncommon these days. Of course stuff like trick lights, huge wheels, missing door handles and bumpers and other nitpicky stuff never makes it to production, but that's not the point.

IS-SV

In one sentence, I think that recaps nicely the niche that Suburu excels in. And like latest competing Hondas and Toyotas, high safety ratings too.

Subpar when it comes to style, luxury, features, performance, refinement, technology.

mmarshall

Agreed...but more pathetic without it. Those low sales on the Tribeca, though, do have one silver lining.............strong depreciation by Subaru standards, so good used ones, when you can fine them, can be a real bargain. Reliability has been average, according to Consumer Reports, not as good as other Subies....but that is still decent, and enough 2009-and-older Tribecas have been sold for CR to have that reliability data, though there is not enough data yet for the 2010 or 2011.

I sometimes recommend used Tribecas for those hunting good used mid-size SUV deals, because of the value in the depreciation. But I probably wouldn't own one myself....I don't care for the interior, and the dull, appliance-like driving-manners don't compare with Imprezas or Legacy/Outbacks.

They sometimes do on Imprezas. I'm sure you remember the production Impreza RS and GT models of the 1990s with the gaudy yellow-gold and bright-blue alloy wheels. They looked like circus-wagons rolling down the road.