First Official Look at the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
Looking pumped up, powerful, and blacker than the Earl of Hell’s waistcoat; Subaru has released a single teaser image of its upcoming Impreza WRX STI.
The new über-scooby is set to debut on the first media day of the rapidly approaching Tokyo Motor Show. From this lone, dark image it’s hard to make out details of the new STI, though it is evident that the car is far more aggressively styled than the standard Impreza and WRX. What remains unclear is whether the blistered and bewinged STI will be tough enough to shed the criticism that has dogged the Impreza’s latest redesign.
Is this STI enough to give the upcoming EVO X a fight? Have your say in ‘comments’.
(Click on the thumbnail below for a high resolution version of Subaru's Impreza WRX STI image.)
Comments
juanc
of course it will defeat evo X!! tha wrx sti is allways the winner cuase subaru only has to focus in him.
juanc
of course it will defeat evo X!! tha wrx sti is allways the winner cuase subaru only has to focus in it...
Mike
Evo gets my vote. No question.
Steven J Ewing
I can't wait for this comparison test.
shain miles
No chance will the scooby compete - my order is already down for an Evo X. The new scooby looks terrible, tell the designer that nobody likes the new bmw's so why imitate them with this bland monstrosity ? I am very disappointed with the scoob, I was expecting much better from them.
I can understand the desire to sell increase volume sales, does that mean it has to come at the expense of an attractive vehicle ? Apart from the designer, take out the entire management structure who signed off on the car & shoot them too!
Don
Careful, Shain...historically, the Scooby has been a better daily driver and better built than the Evo.
Jim Ellsworth
The new WRX STI looks like a wagon from the shadowy picture you were able to get. I am a Subaru fan so this looks promising to me. Unfortunately, I am a shorter fella and previous WRX's don't fit well: I need the power foot pedals Dodge/Chrysler is thoughtful enough to provide as an option. We own two Outback LTDs and they are serving us well. Right on Subaru!
B.F. Franks
Flaring or not, I wish they would have done a better job on this thing.
from Frankfurt
I beileve the STI will be looking almost this one.
/concept-cars/frankfurt-subarus-wrc-concept-looks-fast/
(except the big rear wing...)
ed
why is it hiding in the dark?
Sean
My vote goes for the Evolution.
chicko
When i saw it i thought "New age Delta".. but it is kinda dark LOL
Ducati Minor
"The new scooby looks terrible, tell the designer that nobody likes the new bmw’s so why imitate them with this bland monstrosity ?"
I like the present BMW coupes, and so do a lot of other people since they're selling better than any previous BMW model. I don't think the new Impreza looks bad at all, but it just seems Kia-like.
I'd take the 2008 Lancer over the Impreza based on looks (and my slight bit more familiarity with the Mitsu); but the Impreza STi (I still prefer that spelling) has been a more reliable and tolerable car for daily driving than the rough-edged Evo--like comparing the MazdaSpeed3 with the Neon SRT-4. Still the '08 Lancer is my favorite small sedan under $20K. I just like the car so much.
in4sec
the new impreza is hot!! Its the best looking car on the market.. Its pure sex on wheels. All u people who don't like it are on drugs.. Look at that thing, damn... That kills any hatch on the market.. Best lookin subaru ever! Its even better lookin then a lamboghini :)
Jonathan Fung [Gotakon]
Ed,
It's hiding in the dark to make it look nicer, like people in their Myspace pictures. But admittedly, hiding it in the dark seems to work well here. It looks quite nice.
Justin
The Evo X is going to lose this round, especially considering that it will be sharing it's platform with the road ripping Dodge Caliber... yawn.
Diego
Nice scoop.
Chris
Where will this trend go? In the next model will there be no hood/bonnet? Will you just reach in the gaping hole in the hood to change the oil? Will this thing suck in birds like a jet airplane in a holding pattern? What about pedestrian standards -- instead of rolling over the windshield, you'll just get stuck in the scoop? Could they make it padded inside? Just trying to think of the jaywalkers when some idiot floors this thing around the corner to show his girlfriend the excellence of the all-wheel-drive grip. Will she stay with him after having the scoop eat a grandmother, and perhaps her pet? I mean, that would stay with you for a while.
dieselhead
Who cares how it looks vs. the Evo; neither will shame a DB9. The big problem for Subaru is that the last round of the STi was decidedly less entertaining to drive than the Evo. If they've fixed that, I'd be interested since I think a hatch makes a lot of sense. If they haven't fixed the body roll and love of understeer, then the Evo will continue to rule.
Ducati Minor
An Evo FQ-400 shamed a Murcielago on Top Gear. According to numbers, the Lambo is quite faster than the Aston.
dieselhead
Neither the Evo nor the STi will shame a DB9 in appearance. Or a Murcielago. In appearance.
Jackrabiit
If I can afford a DB9, then chances are I would probably be able to afford a n Evo or an STi as a second car...in which case I might opt for the STi since it's a hatch...handy when I have to do a gig on my upright bass or a trip down to the hardware store..
mark
Honestly, the hood scoop looks to be better recessed into the hood than even the 2007 model. I have an '06 and the wife hates that big scoop. Subaru must have cleaned up the airflow over the front bumper some more (from the 2007 model). The front splitter (if you can call something that high off the ground a "splitter") looks more pronounced, the hood looks lower in the front and effectively wider, and the cooling "hole" looks smaller. So this is a very different front end which should have better airflow and likely to have better front downforce.
On the track with the current models, the downforce of the rear wing over powers the down force generated by the front at around 115-120mph. This makes the car a little un-nerving until the front catches up to balance the car as you keep accelerating (but you need to remove the limiter on the top speed to find that out). Hopefully this bit of character has been sorted out a little bit.
The wide bonnet reminds me more of the 300zx Nissans in the IMSA gtu (?) series. John Morton used to drive one of them, but i can't remember the team. The flat plane of the hood extends right out to the wheel wells on the centerline of the front wheels.
Maybe i'm just on dope - who knows.
Also, do those look like driving lights just above the splitter?
The darkness of the image really makes it hard to pick out too many details. Actually, the angle of view and the (lack of) color levels hide the details very effectively. I tried to adjust the image with photoshop and all the detail in the darkness has been completely scrubbed clean.
Very clever!
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