2012 Subaru Impreza and XV Preview

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By Tim Beissmann | October 23rd, 2011

CarAdvice is at the launch of the all-new Subaru Impreza and Subaru XV in Tokyo, Japan.

We’ve been invited to Fuji Heavy Industries’ SKC test facility to put both cars through their paces a few months before they go on sale in Australia.

The all-new Subaru XV will arrive in local showrooms in January 2012, a few weeks ahead of the mainstream 2012 Subaru Impreza range, which is due later in the first quarter.

Both vehicles promise to take big steps forward in refinement, technology, and efficiency.

Powering the new Impreza and XV is the brand’s all-new horizontally opposed 2.0-litre four-cylinder FB Boxer engine with 110kW of power (at 6200rpm) and 196Nm of torque (at 4200rpm).

Australian customers will have the choice of either a six-speed manual transmission (replacing the outgoing model’s five-speed unit) or a continuously variable transmission (CVT), which should be a significant improvement over the old four-speed auto.

Subaru Australia hasn’t released official fuel consumption data yet, but based on European testing you can expect combined cycle figures of approximately 6.5-7.5 litres/100km, with the CVT to be the more frugal option.

Prices and specifications are unconfirmed at this stage, but expect the new models to compare closely with the outgoing vehicles. The Impreza range is currently priced from $23,990 to $30,490, with the Impreza XV sitting towards the higher end at $27,490-$29,490.

As reported last month, the Impreza-based WRX and WRX STI models are scheduled to launch approximately 18 months after the standard model, pointing at a date around the second half of 2013.

Subaru’s styling is always a topic of hot debate, and it has been no different this year as Subaru has unveiled both models to the public. Love it or loath it, however, both new cars have a more modern and aggressive appearance than before, and a cleaner and more cohesive exterior design.

The interiors also enjoy a major makeover, with significant upgrades to material quality, cabin technology, and the overall layout.

The vehicles’ longer wheelbase means there’s now an extra 50mm of legroom for rear-seat passengers, and Subaru has also focused on improving forward visibility by completely redesigning the new A-pillars.

Stay tuned for our full first-drive reviews of both vehicles following today’s drive program.

Snoop

What happened to the tough durable looking Subaru’s? This has an overwhelming Korean flavour to the styling.
Like CA says some people love it some loath it.
I don’t hate it but I just hope the STI has a far more agressive look and stance when it’s released.
As far as the car goes as a whole, I wouldn’t question Subaru’s all-round quality.

o

Thats the problem I don’t love it or loathe it, Its just plain boring.
BIGJV

Subaru has really dulled down a vehicle that around 10yrs ago was one of the meanest, most aggressive, most hectic vehicles on the market.
Now it seems that their target market is old ladies, painting their cars in a baby blue…. What went wrong??

Philthy

I’d argue that the GX Impreza’s were always conservative.. a WRX version of this with wings, scoops and guards would look great imho.

http://caradvice OSU811

Agreed Philthy, the original base GX Impreza was a boring average looking car, it only looked good in WRX form with its wings, wheels and scoops! But the next WRX wont be based of the Impreza anymore but have its own smaller lighter chassis!

Ray of Bris

You know, the advertisement at the top of this article said in bold red letters: “Check out the Brand New Kia Rio!” … and for a second I believed the pictures of the new Impreza were exactly that.

Tim

And what’s bad about that? The Rio is one of the best looking small cars on the market!

DWS1

The whole Kia’s certainly are nice looking now. Not sure they are that great to drive and how long they will last compared to Japanese cars.

steve

my kia sorento 2006 hasnt missed a beat.

FrugalOne

They still look odd, and WAY overpriced

andronicus

I cant believe your comment was voted down so much. They do look odd and compared for the kit you would get in a Mazda3, Focus (hell even a corolla these days) I think you are on the money saying these are overpriced.

I do like the front…i think….but that rear end is so damn dull and uninspired.

FrugalOne

True, but you cannot really add a 6″ milo tin chrome exhust end, lower it, add doofdoofdooof music speakers[loud] wear a addidas track suit, and a back to front baseball cap, bling sunglasses and jewellery in a Focus/3/Lancer/I30 etc can you?

Alex

It’s a wonder that Subaru has the highest retained ownership of any make other than BMW and Merc (over 70% by Subaru again I hear).

Maybe the cars are great to own and drive, or is that not relevant any more these days…

FrugalOne

Stupidru only exist because BigT[tm.F-0] saved them with funds during the GFC

The fact is that stupidru owners are totally brainwashed and wood ducks, the way honda owners use to be

The cars are NO BETTER than anything else from Japan and similar priced

Just another brand/car, nothing here, move on…

Dragan

This new business move WILL hurt subaru!!!!
MRL

Would it really kill Subaru to hire a decent industrial designer?
Tavious

That orange hatch is obviously going for the Ford XR5 hot hatch look!!
Mr Gaspo

Those wheel arches spoil an otherwise reasonable look. Styling is still NQR and quite frankly I would only be interested if I could get a diesel auto. I also hope the sheet metal is thicker… My ’06 Liberty has Hoplessly fragile body work.

Alex

It’s a pitty they no longer use aluminium bonnets, they where so light!

AK

Can anyone advise their opinion about CVT transmission, I read a lot of horror stories on durability, but it seems that more and more maker introduced new car with CVT.

FrugalOne

yeah, manufacturers are soooooooo dumb, fitting a superior CVT tranny because it has issues…..

It will becoing the most reliable tranny in the VW Group after the junk DSG

Mad Max

Frugal 1, so you really ARE as stupid as you appear in print then. I did not think that was possible but your post confirms it without any doubt.
Philthy

If you are talking about the VW group CVT’s used by Audi I think you need to do some reading. They have a bad habit of catastrophic failure.

Matt H

Most car companies are moving away from traditional autos due to improvement in efficency.

From my understanding modern CVTs aren’t too bad. They can be a bit slow off the line and jerky at low speed and can feel like the clutch is slipping, but most drivers can get used to it. The CVT has been used by Subaru for a few years in some other models and most bugs are ironed out. Mitsubishi have been using it for years.

DSG (VW)/dual clutch technology/powershift (ford) is the best in terms of driveability and responsiveness with smooth and quick gear changes (though still rough at low speeds). Reliability though is a bit sketchy (Brand dependent??).
I guess with more moving parts theres a greater chance of something going wrong.

I recently drove a CVT (Audi), DSG (VW), and 6spd Auto (Cruze), back to back and the DSG was the best. CVT rolled a bit and will take some getting used to, and the 6spd auto was clunky as. Though bit step up on the previous 4 spd, particuarlly when at speed and climbing hills/overtaking.

Mad Max

Matt, my son has an 09 Lancer with CVT and yes your right, they can sound like a slipping clutch and are a bit slow off the line. I drive a new diesel Passat and my wife a new Golf both with DSG. Her previous Golf was 130’000kms old when traded. The DSG is way better than the CVT from a drivability point of view but its also a bit quieter as CVT’s can have a slight whine noise (common to most brands). The VW DSG’s have improved so much in the past 4 years. Our new cars don’t have the hestitation or slight “jerkiness” that the older Golf had and the service costs are way lower. The only caution with VW DSG transmission anybody contemplating buying a car should know about is that of the trans oil. Its made by Castrol and its exclusive to VW/Skoda/Audi. You cannot buy the specific grade anywhere else and if you have the trans serviced buy a non VW service shop, I suggest you buy the oil from VW and supply it and insist its used. The DSG trans is very sensitive to oils and if you have problems and VW analyse the oil and its NOT the correct grade, your warranty can be voided. From my point of view its the only negative as all 3 of our DSG VW’s have been faultless.

Alex

I own a MY11 Outback CVT and I was hesitant at first about the drive-ability of such an tranny. But after just 3000km I am in love with it, as the down sides are few if any.

Main points worth mentioning:

1. Subaru CVT behaves more like a slick 6-speed than a whirring CVT. Except when full throttle acceleration is used, more on that later.

2. At car park speeds it feels not unlike a manual would with first engaged and clutch engaged. Slightly jerky (very slight) as the tranny is in 1st gear ratio and the torque converter is locked at all times. I like this.

3. Once moving at normal road speeds (60-90) the gear changes are stepped at certain points: For example from take of there is a surge of accelaration then a sudden drop in rpm of 500rpm (slight upshift in ratio) then the tacho actually climbs from 2000rpm to to 3500rpm or higher once up to desired speed (say 70kmh) and the tacho slowly winds down as the CVT upshifts smoothly though ratios to top gear.

4.At 100kmh the car is on 1600rpm, with a nudge of the throttle the you can feel the car accelarate slightly against top gear, once you prod the throttle harder the ration always shifts back to a present point (at this speed its 2200rpm) and from there you can accelerate, if you push harder it drops even further down the ratios, but it does it like a step, in an instance jump, not a whirring slide.

5. Fuel economy is outstanding, 6.6L/100km on highway, 8.5L/100km around town.

6. It is so quiet. Magic.

Phil

All this energy going into discussing ways of avoiding changing gears manually……why can’t you just change the gears yourself?

Tom

The exterior is alright but plain. I don’t like the crescents around the wheels though, they make them look very small. The interior looks well done – nice clean, cohesive design, and looks in many ways reminiscent of a Golf. If the plastics are anything like a Golf’s, this interior will be light years ahead of anything Subaru has done before.
Naughtyius Maximus

Genuine question….why certain number of pics on this thread and way different number of pics on i40 review thread????

A.

Could that be because this is a Preview with offical Subaru picture while the i40 is a review with photos taken by Caradvice. I’m sure when Caradvice review this car their maybe just as many pictures.

Also the i40 wagon looks great from all angles, even I would enjoy taking pictures of it.

Naughtyius Maximus

24 pics of Subaru on here and i40 has think 149 pics

FrugalOne

Yeap, Hyundai are 6.2 times better
Phil

Subaru doesn’t have a Media Adviser who also works for CA.

Hyundai does – John Cadegan, Hyundai Media Adviser AND CA Journalist….now thats independent journalism!

Atomic

What happened to subaru? Sure this car isnt ugly, but its very bland and overpriced. I remember the days when subaru offer true value for money, with well build cars that had great driving dynamics. i really hope subaru get back there mojo soon!

Mad Max

Maybe because Subaru still build most of their cars in Japan and not Korea or Thailand. If the Yen keeps heading the way it is, Subaru might have to move to a lower cost country with free trade agreements to stay competitive.

m2m

Just saw some on the back of a car-carrier. Looked really great in sedan and hatch!
http://zuboora.com mohamad is right when he

Korean cars looking better
And japanese cars are getting uglier..
Hyundai making rwd turbo coupes
More proof the world is turning to you know what
Matt H

To be honest this look is growing on me. The current liberty is ick, but this is a very toned down americanised small car. Its not as classy as a Golf/Jetta, or as mutally pleasing as the new focus, but its not as polarising as say the mazda 3 and it looks better then the cruze. Hopefully it’ll look good in the flesh. Though it does have some corolla-esk about it.
The new engine sounds good, still quite slow though (9.8s 0-100km/h) (1-2 seconds slower then most competitors) and it lacks direct injection which is almost common place in most new models, but its a positive step forward (last model was 8.8L/100 combined and 10seconds + to 100kmh).

However Korea seems to be the new Japan and Japan the new Europe, though some manufacturers are losing their way (Honda etc). The new i30 will probably leap frog this in a few months time.
atul

build Quality ,safety,performance,reliable,value for money if you want all this go for it……….
Vince

Fell into the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.
Samr

Subaru should really sack all it’s body designers.

The ones doing the mechanicals are OK but just seem to be doing the same thing over and over. Boxer engine and 4WD. There are other configurations you know!

Matt H

Its all Subaru has though. Its there ‘thing.’ Its what makes them ‘unique’ and different to the rest of the market. It’s like VW and their small engines + turbo.

davie

Those wierd door mini window make me worry.

I hope subaru havent fallen in the amateurs trap of “cab forward design” i.e. move the base of the windscreen forward and then create a massive ridiculously deep dashboard to fill the unusable space underneath the elongated windsreen
gibbut@hotmail.com

it looks sooooooo much better than the outgoing model, its still not beautiful, but its a lot closer to pretty than the current oversized lanos!
Altezza

Well, all I can say is that Subaru is making the improvement. The new Impreza is definitely looks better than predecessor, especially the interior that it no longer has the cheap feeling, as higher grade materials used.
DWS1

That curve in the body work above the rear wheel just looks like a mistake. The front, especially around the lights looks like lots of other cars and the back looks so generic it is sad.
theillestlife

why so ugly? D:

well, i cant say i wasnt expecting this from subaru. they have really got to go back to their legendary days with the GC8 imprezas and god like 22B!

cmon subaru, even KIA are looking better these days!

theillestlife

so many dislikes? so you people believe this looks better than the glory days of the 22B? the rascal sedan that took the car scene by storm?

Showtime

The GC8 classic shape was definitely a great looking car in the WRX/STi spec (maybe even RX to an extent), but look at the GX and sportswagon versions and they are very bland.

theillestlife

maybe so, but i do believe this new model is also “bland” before it is even in production!

the GC8 is a car older than a decade. imagine this thing in a decade.

Showtime

That’s why the GC8 is called a ‘classic’

My personal opinion is most Subaru’s never look good at first sight, it’s only after a year or so that they start to warm to you.

steve

Ugly
Jason Stefanac

Fugly

Monk

Fery fugly!

I keep hoping for Subaru to make something awesome again but they just keep getting worse.

Can’t they make something for USA and something else for the rest of the world who have good taste?

anthony

These are still the ugliest cars in the segment

FrugalOne

And most wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy overpriced

Vwr32

Yuck before, yuck now

camaro

yuck you too

chugs

I’m reserved about this. I purchased a MY08 and at the time everyone said it was ugly etc. Now that series is flying off the shelves. I know several people who have bought them and I see em on the road all over the place.

I can’t say that I like it but I remember the preview shots for the MY07 (with the current styling) and didn’t like it. But after seeing it in person I definitely began to appreciate the angles and lines.

If I don’t say so myself I reckon MY08 is a pretty sexy car.
Azzaaa

CVT.. Ewwww. Double Clutch 6SP/7SP Auto would be the way to go.
Bob

I just would like to know who buys a WRX or STi and has insurance. These cars are a joke for insurance purposes, so they become a joke of a car to buy. Simple really.
The Old Soldier

We have owned Subarus since 1990. I would NOT even consider any other brand. There are fours of us and we each have one. Three liberties and one WRX. If you have never owned one, you don’t know what you are missing.