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2008 Subaru Impreza 2.5i 5-door Road Test

English cleric, writer and eccentric Charles Caleb Colton coined the phrase,

Underneath this ordinary looking wrapper is all the stuff Subaru is famous for. Why so plain? (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and though he first spoke these words in the 19th century it still holds true today. What am I getting at, quoting a problem gambler who would go on to take his own life after succumbing to a terminal illness? Subaru designers must really like the Mazda3, as the restyled Impreza 5-door looks very much like a Mazda3 5-door, to the degree that they practically copied it - LED tail lights, the shape of the hatch as well as most of the overall proportions. Granted the Mazda3 is among the best selling cars in America along with the Honda Civic, and by all accounts it's a huge sales success, not to mention the fact that Mazda was once a niche player, just like Subaru. But can cloning a Mazda3 and adding their oddball horizontally opposed four and fantastic all-wheel drive system really be the answer?

In the last few years Subaru has faced a bit of an identity crisis, wanting to move upmarket and stray away from their image of being an automaker for hippie farmers, those of the far left, and Paul Hogan. In some ways that's too bad, since everyone I know who owns a Subaru loves it and would purchase another. Branding themselves as the car company with standard symmetrical all-wheel drive standard across the lineup has been very

It's not as interesting as the previous Impreza. But then again, the Corolla isn't interesting to look at, and it sells very well. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

successful for them, but a failed quest for a new corporate face, one that was distinctive and immediately recognizable as a Subaru, such as Audi's trapezoidal grille, resulted in the B9 Tribeca being compared to Ford's Edsel. Although the B9 Tribeca ,an example of what didn't quite work out, something that did was the upscale styling of the Legacy GT, a car superior to the previous generations in every way.

The Tribeca dropped its B9 nomenclature and simultaneously received a safe, yet bland redesign earlier this year, and now it's the Impreza's turn, a car that had previously adopted the old B9 Tribeca-style nose starting with the 2006 model year. Personally, I actually liked the nose on the '06-'07 Impreza, especially the aggressive STI version. There is no question that it polarized opinions, though. In a way, this was a good thing, as it gave the Impreza a distinctive look, but this time around Subaru has done a 180, and gone too far the other way. The 2008 Impreza looks like it was designed by a committee, generic and anonymous in an attempt to appeal to more mainstream consumers. But is being anonymous better than being ugly, a complaint hurled at the older car?

Two and a half liter engine is hearty. 170 hp and 170 lb-ft of torque is more than what most competitors offer. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

The base-level Impreza looks very basic. Its black plastic door handles, steel wheels with plastic covers scream economy car, and although the clear lens LED taillights and chrome tailgate appliqué attempt to combat this, it's a moot point for me as I prefer the looks of the sedan. This Spark Silver test example was as base as base can be, priced at $17,495 (the sedan is a few hundred cheaper). Sure it does come with standard air-conditioning, a single disc CD/MP3 player, cruise, tilt steering and power windows/locks, but what car doesn't these days at this price point? The remedy for this lack of content is the Premium Package model, which is $1,500 more expensive than the base car, but adds such essentials as 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels, rear disc brakes, dynamic stability control and traction control, body-color side mirrors and door handles, leather wrapped steering wheel/shift knob and an upgraded audio system with an auxiliary jack and steering-wheel-mounted controls.

Powering the 2.5i is Subaru's naturally aspirated horizontally opposed 2.5-liter “boxer” four-cylinder. It's rated at 170 horsepower and 170

Fear not muddy, gravel roads as all-wheel drive is standard on all Imprezas. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

pound-feet of torque, more than the class average, and comes with a great exhaust note that might lead you to believe that the car is faster than it actually is. The engine is pretty quiet at most times, until you really put your foot into it, and then it creates a unique warble that only a flat-four can make. The standard 5-speed manual that it's paired with is okay, nothing more, nothing less. It's the least of the evils that are Subaru manual transmissions; notchy with a tall shifter. As far as its nature goes, clutch takeup is pretty easy; you don't need to pop the clutch as with some of their older cars. A nice touch are the struts to hold open the hood instead of the usual prop rod economy cars are often fitted with.

Cruising at 75 mph, the de facto speed limit on most highways in my area, sees the engine revving at 3,200 rpm, which is high, but not buzzy or noisy. In fact it's the opposite, the balanced nature of the horizontally opposed engine is very smooth and quiet, but the downside of the short 5th gear is poor fuel economy. The two and a

Lots of space. Seats fold flat, and multi-link rear suspension means the bay is quite large. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

half-liter engine simply drinks fuel. Sure, the power goes down to all four wheels, but this is supposed to be a compact, economy car. It certainly is finished and priced as such. Economy cars aren't supposed to be thirsty ... and if so, not as thirsty as this, as I averaged a dismal 25 miles per gallon, just slightly better than the last Legacy GT I drove, granted the Impreza's naturally aspirated engine requires only 87 octane fuel and the Legacy has an extra cog in the gearbox.

In spite of rear drum brakes, pedal feel is good and stopping performance is adequate. As rear drums are offered only on the base car I can't figure out how Subaru finds it less expensive to install these than it would be to fit in rear discs, especially when there are brackets with threaded holes where the brake calipers would and should be fitted, unless they robbed the corporate parts bin from a model we don't get on North American soil. The previous generation had rear discs on all models, and a number of other compact cars costing less money don't even bother with drums.

The front end of the car continues to be suspended by tried and true MacPherson struts that are similar to the previous generation's with some minor geometry changes to improve steering feel and straight line

Looks good, and is assembled well, but it doesn't feel anything other than very basic. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

stability. In the rear is where most of the changes have occurred in regards to suspension as the MacPherson struts have been ditched in favor of a sophisticated multi-link system that offers improved grip and anti-squat tendencies, as well as other improvements such as increased cargo capacity.

Although the suspension is on the soft side it delivers a fantastic ride, and it does quite well for body lean. This makes it great for day-to-day driving; just don't push it hard, at all. Try to get the Impreza's rear end to rotate is just about impossible as the NHL-spec rubber Bridgestone RE92 tires scream in agony and the front tires wash away in understeer. This could be due in part the fact that no 2.5i Impreza has a rear sway bar, just holes in the lower control arms where a bar should be. Hopefully Subaru sees fit to return the Impreza 2.5 RS to the lineup for those that want WRX handling without WRX fuel or insurance costs.

By far the most disappointing aspect of the Impreza

Silver trim is nice though, as are the chromed door handles. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

for me was the interior. While the overall shape of the dashboard is quite a lot like the visually appealing Tribeca in its shape and the way the door panels wrap around to the dash, the problem lies when you actually have to touch something, which you do quite often in any car. You are immediately let down by tons of hard, shiny cheap plastic bits, and it's not limited to just a few spots, it's everywhere. From the completely fabric-less door panels to the sun visors, which feel as though they should have Playskool molded into them. The leather wrapped steering wheel and shift knob would help a bit as the driver would touch them on a daily basis. The warm silver trim isn't too bad and is one of the nicer surfaces inside.

The gauges were easy to read and bright red in color. The blue glow around the little tray in front of the shifter also reminded me of the red/blue theme of the Mazda3. The stereo wasn't anything spectacular, didn't sound too great and the buttons on the head unit are fussy and very small. Some aren't even buttons at all, such as where the load button would be on the 6-disc changer of the Premium model or WRX. The fact that you're in the base

We hope Subaru will bring back a sporty RS model. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

model is made all that more obvious by the number of blank switches. Interior space is excellent though, especially in the rear where a longer wheelbase over the previous model results in much needed legroom and the 5-door offers a fantastic 44.4 cubic feet of cargo space with the seats folded. Don't place anything valuable into the rear hatch though, as there is no cover to keep things out of sight.

Honda's Civic LX or Mazda's 3 5-door are priced very similarly to the 2008 Impreza 2.5i, and have more standard content at the trade-off of all-wheel drive. You do have to wonder what it would be like if more manufacturers offered all-wheel drive on their cars. Imagine if VW offered the Rabbit with 4Motion as it does in Europe, Subaru simply wouldn't stand a chance when it came to interior quality. On the contrary, as far as Subaru's track record goes, the Impreza should be reliable, durable and probably last the remainder of your motoring tenure, should you properly maintain it. So even though the Impreza has gone off in search of different buyers, possibly alienating Subaru enthusiasts in the process, it remains to be seen whether or not the masses will come to buy the new generic, more mature Impreza. If you just have to have Subaru's renowned symmetrical AWD system, as this is the way to get it for the least amount of dollars, then the 2008 Impreza just might be for you. Just be prepared for some compromises.

Specifications (Subaru Impreza 2.5i):

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