Illustrating the new “Dynamic & Solid” design language, this Subaru concept car embodies the spirit of the next Impreza family of compact cars, which should come out within a year.
Subaru has a long history of showing awesome concepts and coming short when it's crunch time, so we're not going to get hyped up over this Impreza 5-door. Let's not forget what happened with the WRX preview and, of course, the BRZ sportscar a few years before that.
The Impreza is the most important model in Fuji Heavy Industries's Mid-Term Management Vision “Prominence 2020,” announced in May 2014. It's also the first car to ride on an all-new platform that will be shared between nearly all their cars.
The concept is supposed to show “the design direction not only of the new Impreza but of Subaru's future models as a whole.” That's not hard to believe, as the 2016 Forester facelift, also shown in Tokyo, has the same taillight design.
There's something about the concept that reminds us of the Mercedes A-Class. It could be the silver paint or the minute trunk opening. Of course, we're more concerned with how this design language will influence the 4-door Impreza sedan.
Compared to the current generation, the Impreza concept has a longer wheelbase and shorter overhangs. The wheels are pushed right to the edge of the body, meaning it should ride a little nicer. In design study form, the C-segment hatchback is 4,400mm (173.2 inches) long, 1,880mm (74.0 inches) wide and 1,440mm (56.7 inches) tall, with a wheelbase of 2,670mm (105.1 inches).
More ultra-high-strength steel will be used in the construction of the vehicles, and Subaru has also hinted that perceived build quality will be much higher. In America, the Impreza will debut late next year with a new 2-liter boxer engine. However, Japan will continue the downsizing trend by offering a 1.6-liter in naturally aspirated and turbocharged forms. The highest output model will feature the direct injection turbo “DIT” setup and produce 170 hp, together with 250Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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