For now, all we get is a single view of the 2012 Impreza sedan’s side and the promise from Subaru that the new design will provide “a roomier interior and improved levels of comfort and refinement” with the company adding that it will deliver up to 36mph on the highway (equal to 6.5 lt/100km).
There was a special guest at Manchester Subaru in New Hampshire last week, and it wasn’t some B-list celebrity slumming it for a free car. No sir, it was a one of a kind 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STi convertible. You read that correctly, and we have the gallery to back it up. And all I can say is wow. Remember when the boys over at Top Gear UK converted an old Renault Espace into a convertible? This is like that, but better. It’s somewhere between the ASC Helios (nee Chrysler 300C) and the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet in the, “so crazy it’s just might be cool” category.
Read more »
Even though there's a familiar resemblance with the latest Subaru Legacy, the concept features more aggressive and taut lines and a lower, almost coupe-like roofline. As Phil pointed out in our previous post, let's just hope that the next Impreza will keep if not all, most of the key styling elements seen on this concept model. For now, hit the break to watch a pair of promotional videos as well as a clip from the LA Show presentation of the Impreza Design Concept.
As we already told you, the Impreza concept is powered by a 2.0-liter boxer engine and uses a Lineartronic transmission to drive the wheels through a Symmetrical All Wheel Drive system.
Outside, the face is all "new Subaru", while the the rear is home to some seriously fresh lines (like those rising from the diffuser) that continue the geometric theme from up front. The four-door compact coupe also gets cameras mounted on the A-pillar instead of mirrors, but for now those are still being relegated to the world of concepts.
According to the official announcement, Subaru's offerings on the Las Vegas Convention Center floor will be highlighted by the "fastest STI ever"; a pre-production test model that lapped the Ring in 7:55:00 in the hands of four-time World Rally Champion, Tommi Mäkinen this past summer (see video here).
The idea behind the Subaru Impreza Berlinetta was to create a high-performance two-seater sports car using the Impreza STI as base, but with a twist; the sedan's platform would be turned around, meaning that the turbocharged boxer engine on the Berlinetta would reside at the rear-end of the car.
For those keeping track, rally legend and Porsche test driver, Walter Röhrl, lapped the 'Ring with the 500HP Panamera Turbo in an unofficial time of 7 minutes and 56 seconds, while Cadillac's 556HP CTS-V clocked a 7:59.32 lap in 2008.
But there's a catch; the 2011 STI that lapped the 'Ring was in Subaru's own words, a prototype model. According to the company, the test car combined a series of production performance upgrades from the JDM-only R205 and C-Spec STIs including a larger turbocharger with some additional mods such as under body aero parts and aluminum fenders.
Starting with the Impreza STI's 2.5-liter boxer unit, Cosworth's engineers installed new high-performance pistons, connecting rods, head gasket and bearings. The tune-up also includes a remapped ECU, modified turbocharger and wastegate, and a custom exhaust system.
Based on the Impreza WRX STI A-Line which was launched in early 2009 and combines Subaru's 300-horsepower 2.5-litre turbocharged Boxer engine with a five-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifts, the Type S adds Recaro seats treated in Alcantara and leather.
In addition, the seats, the leather steering wheel and the door panels are accented by contrasting red stitching while the package is rounded off with new lightweight alloy wheels in a gunmetal gray finish and gold-colored brake calipers.
Available for order now in Japan, the Type S is priced from 3,255,000 YEN which comes to around US$34,800 or €24,400 at today's exchange rates.
The good: Subaru has revealed a successor to its Impreza S203 and S204 special performance models with the new S205 that benefits from chassis, engine and styling upgrades. The bad: at least for now, it's only available in Japan.
Billed as the top performance model of the WRX STI lineup, Subaru says that the R205 -where "R" stands for "Road Sport"- makes full use of specially designed features and performance parts of the "WRX STI spec C" model.
In the handling department, the R205 adopts STI tuned dampers, coil springs, flexible type strut tower bar, flexible type lower arm stiffener of front suspension, and 18-inch alloys wrapped in Bridgestone's specially designed RE070 tires size 245/40 R18.
Stopping power is provided by a Brembo brake system with 6-pot calipers up front and 4-pot calipers at the back.
Subaru also tweaked the Impreza WRX STI's engine by adopting an exclusively designed turbocharger with ball bearings for the turbine axle bearing, specially tuned ECU, and a new sport muffler with lowered back pressure exhaust. The result is an increased output of 325-horsepower and 431Nm or 317.9 lb-ft of peak torque.
As for the R205's looks, aside from the different alloy wheels, Subaru added newly designed front under spoiler, rear apron and black roof wing, as well as specially colored front grille and side STI garnish.
Subaru Impreza R205
Major equipment:
Mechanism:
Interior:
Exterior:
Others:
Major specifications:
Engine type; Horizontally-Opposed 4-cylinder DOHC 16-valve turbocharged engine
Displacement; 1,994 cc
Transmission; 6 speed manual transmission
Maximum output; 235kW (320PS)/6,400 rpm
Maximum torque; 431Nm (44.0kg.m)/4,000 rpm -Overall length X width X height; 4,415 X 1,795 X 1,465 mm
