New Subaru Impreza To Impress At Europe Debut?

By Peter Fitch, July 7, 2017

Subaru has confirmed that their new Impreza will make its European debut in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show before it’s launched in the UK. It’s likely to form a core model in the range, adding a few more to the whopping 2.5 million Imprezas that have been sold since 1992 – 250,000 of them in Europe, including the WRX STi. But are the critics impressed with the specs so far? While many of the new car’s details are being kept under wraps ahead of its debut at the Frankfurt motor show this autumn, Subaru says the next car will be “safe and secure with a fun driving experience”. Now in its fifth generation, there haven’t been many changes made to the overall look of the rugged family hatchback – in fact, the same car was launched in Japan back in 2012 but hasn’t pitched up here until now as the UK importer has been battling unfavourable exchange rates. Although it still works as a standard four-wheel hatchback for getting the family around this summer, the new Subaru Impreza leaves a lot to be desired in other areas. As with the outgoing Impreza, there will only be one engine available: a 1.6-litre petrol producing around 112bhp. In the current Impreza, that’s enough to get the car from 0-62mph in 12.4sec, while returning a claimed 44.1mpg. However, it’s possible that more engine options will be available after the Impreza goes on sale, which might increase the car’s appeal.

The engine is paired with permanent Symmetrical All-Wheel drive, which might make motorway drives more pleasurable. The car also boasts a 5mm lower centre of gravity, which Subaru says increases handling, steering and responsiveness. The new Impreza has a longer wheelbase than its predecessor by 25mm, which is designed to boost the cabin space. It also features wide door access for easy entry and exits – even with a full capacity of five passengers, there is still enough room for everyone to bring luggage. Not much has been released about the interiors, but we can probably expect the usual Subaru car parts are included in the design. We do know that the cabin has been given a major overhaul; the fascia layout is less cluttered, and features a pair of screens in the middle of the dashboard, the largest of which is dedicated to navigation and infotainment. Since the UK-spec car is almost identical to the one already available for sale in the US, we know that it’ll have a new 8.0in infotainment touchscreen, and some specs say that the car will feature Siri Eyes Free/Voice Recognition so you can speak commands directly to your iPhone or the car. The new Impreza will also come with automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control as standard as part of Subaru’s Eyesight safety system, which includes autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist and adaptive cruise control. Based on the US model, we can also assume that sat-nav and a reversing camera will be offered.