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| Subaru Impreza |
Subaru chose to continue their longstanding use of the boxer engine in the Subaru Impreza. According to Subaru, their configuration of the engine inline with the transmission minimizes body roll due to the lower center of gravity compared with offset engines in most other vehicles. This is similar to the design of the Citroen 2CV, providing light weight and compact, economic design for basic cars. The boxer design provides good vibration mitigation due to the principles of a balanced engine because the movement of each piston is largely countered by a piston in the opposing cylinder bank, eliminating the need for a counter-rotating weighted crankshaft (harmonic balancer), but with some vibration from offsets. Torque steer is also reduced with this type of powertrain layout since the front drive shafts are of equal length and weight.
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| Subaru Impreza |
Introduced in November 1993, the Subaru Impreza was offered in either front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD) versions and as a four-door sedan/saloon or five-door station wagon/estate. According to a Motor Trend article written March 1992 on page 26, the name of Subaru's new compact was, initially, to be called the Loyale, displaying an official photograph of the 4-door sedan. In late 1995, a two-door coupe was introduced. The Subaru Impreza, like many Subaru-built cars, was equipped with a flat engine, a distinguishing Subaru characteristic. Initial engine choices included 1.6 L, 1.8 L and 2.0 L naturally aspirated engines as well as the turbocharged and intercooled 2.0 L engine. The basic turbocharged motor, the EJ20, produced from 179 kW (243 PS; 240 bhp) to 210 kW (286 PS; 282 bhp) in Japanese market WRX trim depending on model and year. Outside Japan, the turbocharged model was initially rated at 155 kW (211 PS; 208 bhp) and marketed as the 2.0 Turbo, 2.0 GT, 2.0 GT Turbo, 2.0 WRX, or Turbo 2000 AWD in the United Kingdom.
Second generation (GD/GG)
Subaru introduced the "New Age" Subaru Impreza to the world market in 2001. The second generation Impreza was intended to be larger, safer, stiffer, more refined, and more responsive. The WRX Sedan had a 20 mm (0.8 in) wider track than its predecessor to aid handling, while the wagon remained the same. The coupe model was no longer available. The headlamp styling of the New Age Subaru Impreza was polarizing, but the improvements to the car brought greater mainstream acceptance.
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| Subaru Impreza |
On 2 April 2007, Subaru officially unveiled the next generation Subaru Impreza WRX at the 2007 New York Auto Show. In contrast to its usual rival, the Mitsubishi Lancer, the Subaru Impreza WRX is increasingly being positioned as a 'practical' performance car - the suspension for instance is more accommodating of everyday roads. Similar to the marketing of the Lancer, Subaru plans to offer a lower volume of slightly upscale, well-equipped, sportier Subaru Impreza models, unlike other contemporaries such as the Honda Civic, Mazda3, and Toyota Corolla that offer no-frills base trims. The new Impreza is offered as both a 4-door sedan and 5-door hatchback.
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| Subaru Impreza |
The fourth generation Subaru Impreza was unveiled on 20 April 2011 at the New York Auto Show, as its predecessor was, with a launch scheduled for autumn of the same year. It will be primarily an evolutionary design, remaining nearly the same size but being lighter and more fuel efficient and featuring a host of technical improvements as well as better packaging (Leading to greater interior space), higher quality materials in the interior, and new styling sharing a family resemblance with the fifth generation Subaru Legacy. The new design achieves its improved fuel economy of 36mpg highway (with CVT transmission) primarily by utilizing a new all aluminum 2 liter engine with making 148 hp, down from the previous generation's 170hp generated using a 2.5 liter engine. Despite the reduced power, Subaru claims that the new Subaru Impreza is 0.3 second quicker from 0-60 than the previous generation when equipped with the CVT transmission, due to reduced weight. Subaru anticipates that the improved fuel economy will attract new customers while enthusiasts will be drawn to the performance oriented WRX and WRX STI models. The last-generation high-performance WRX variants will continue production until new versions will be released in 2013. It has been announced that the new Subaru Impreza will be built in Japan and not Indiana. The 2012 American Subaru Impreza might be affected by the assembly plant shutdowns in Japan because of the March 2011 Earthquake and power shortages.
Subaru Impreza photos
