2009 Subaru Impreza WRX Sedan
October 2, 2008 by Alborz Fallah
Following the launch of the Impreza R, RX and RS sedans, Subaru will launch the WRX variant of the popular model at the Sydney motor show next week.
With the current turbocharged WRX hatch gathering attention of a different kind, with some Subaru fans still not satisfied, the sedan could be a step in the right direciton.
Impreza WRX sedan will feature a wide variety of mechanical changes. It will, of course, maintain our standard of five-star crashworthiness ratings for occupant safety and standard electronic stability control.” Nick Senior, Managing Director, Subaru Australia, said.
Previous reports have indicated the MY09 versions of the WRX sedan and hatch will have over 190kW of power and an upgraded suspension to properly take on the Lancer Ralliart, which will also be launched the motor show next week.
“New generation Impreza has proved a sales winner since its introduction last year, with sales up 12.5 per cent.This final addition to the range will expand its appeal still further.” Mr Senior said
Pricing and specification details are still unconfirmed but all will be revealed in Sydney on Thursday 9 October.
The new MY09 WRX sedan and hatch will go on sale around December.
If Subaru has upped the power to 190kW as widely expected, would it change your opinion of the car?
The CarAdvice team will be at the Sydney Motor Show to bring you all the details and photos as it happens.
Print it: 
190 kW? That’s a fair whack! But you can put lipstick on a pig and it’s still a pig. This thing needs much much more than lipstick … it needs a face transplant!
I still can not bring myself to like the look for it,
To me the front looks like the Kia Spectra, the back looks like a Kia Rio sedan and the body kit must be a left over from the back shed at Taylon. Not visually inspiring at all. But if it gets the190Kw I bet once you are in the car, looks will be the last thing on your mind.
Pig ? This one will always be called ‘Ugly Betty’ lol
If iwas going to replace my O2 “bug-eyed” impreza I would be heading straight to my local Mitsubishi dealer to pick up a Lancer EVO with SST.
Because looking at the latest impreza sedan; and every other impreza sedan since 02 the bugeyed impreza is the best looking
Front still looks like Camry with a bonnet scoop.
No interest for me.
Looks pretty good from the back, but fugly from the front – good to see the Ralliart Lancer will finally be announced though…
The rear still looks like a Rio…but I like the front end, and the side profile looks pretty good. But still wouldn’t buy it, would just save up for an STi…
I reckon if Subaru employed someone decent to design their new cars, they could take a ‘98 model and give it a nice face lift – that would probably look quite modern and fresh, after all these wacky angle designs we have on our roads.
i think its a huge improvement on the hatch… but still doesn’t make it beautiful.
i’d still buy the hatch. In the metal the WRX hatch doesn’t look too bad, particularly in silver and with some dark silver wheels (like in the first pic, only bigger and a better design).
I’d still buy the ralliart however, but then, i’d probably just buy a second hand EVO 9
The sedan is actually uglier than the hatch, all the muscular lines are gone, it does look like a Kia.
I’m slightly impartial to the 2010 WRX Hatch in black (with the more powerful powertrain) they have almost got it right, just get rid of those ugly ass clear tail lights,.
We just ordered our MY09 WRX Hatch, with the new for 2009 Premium pack (factory fitted leather and sunroof). Hoping its 190kw, but if its not…nothing an exhaust and reflash can’t fix :)
Its growing on me for sure, and the wife loves it which is all that matters as it is her car….I’ve got my own WRX :)
Agree with Juiced, a face transplant would help. Jeez, it so ugly. Good to see the 190 kw, it should get to the wheels well.
From all exterior shots, his WRX “looks” very underwhelming indeed, even before seeing what’s happened inside.
They’d have needed to replace the crappy, non supportive seats they’ve dug up on ebay and do a makeover on the dash layout and plastics.
They’ve not won me back.
Have a look at the face on the driver on photo 2. Very serious.
Q: What is he / she saying?
a. I hate this car
b. These seats are shite
c. Give me back my MY05
d. Not bad for a Kia
e. Tell em there dreamin
f. WTF, a friggin smiley face grille
A: all of the above.
I’d just like to know how many of you armchair car experts have actually experienced the new Impreza, more than just looking at the photos on the internet?
Oh dear is that more grey hair I see? Hell.
The legend has moved on from dinner parties with friends to finding bingo interesting at the local, looking at Winnebago brochures and deciding which hair hat looks best.
The 5th generation will be lining up for home help with the 6th gen basically agreeing to go into an old folks home at this rate.
Please subaru, Wake up before your once golden child gets lost in the dust of ford’s RS, the odd R26 megane and VW’s GTI. STAT.
….EVO already dyes it’s hair and chats up 18 year olds.
Hi Joe
The new Impreza certainly is an experience, and not a good one either. Well I drove it, considered it, dropped it. Boring and uncomfortable.
WVB….you stoll the words right outa my mouth ;)
Lancer Ralliart… ummmm here I come
OMG. Really what is it Subaru Design? Everything else is (more or less) spot on but there car design is so dis-jointed. Nothing flows into anything and is just well ‘poor’. Imagine the designs they rejected if this is the ‘best’.
There interiors are the worst in the price range…
if the my o9 sedan has 18 inch charcoal rims and 190kw, with updated suspension, give me one now in pearl white with charcoal rims would look and go sweet!!!
It has to be about 198kw and 355nm and offer a 6 speed manual for me to be interested… .otherwise I will have to switch to the Ralliart Lancer.
Will the Ralliart have a manual gear box option ?
Settle down boys and girls, its not pretty but not ugly, its a good size, and with around 190kw, should go quite well. I think alot of people will change their mind once they view it in the flesh. Comments I seem to be hearing from from friends is that the wrx will probably be low 40’s on road, for a few grand more, they are getting an ss commodore, not sure they are different, but I know which one looks better.
This car is not that ugly. Your all crazy.
^Jimbo, I never said it was ugly. afterall grey can be a sign of experience. jokes aside……..
In fact looks aside, technically it ain’t no Korean that’s for sure. 190 odd KWs is fantastic.
I just don’t think it’s going to be able to quite match the new (and sensibly updated aka GTIs of this world) kids anymore. fingers crossed though.
I agree with the majority…….Mitsubishi Lancer wins “AGAIN!”
WVB Fair comment. I would have a new GTI over this one any day even considering the difference in KWs.
Cannot understand that one company can get the Liberty SOOOO right in style and features. Forrester is borderline good style bad style. Tribecca series 1 rivaled SSangyong. Imprezza has either been acteptable style, poor ride / drive quality (original 90’s & pre wrx) to good / great drive poor style (bug eye). the current hatch is okay. This new sedan’s rear look like an after thought in the metal.
At least that is my opinion.
I hope they improve the looks.
Still think the best was the pig nose.
The only people who are happy with Ugly betty is the bug eye owners.
They have been hassled for ages and now they get to pass the baton on…..
The WRX needs more power.
They use to be the car to set the standards but not for years now.
Rex, I must be blind then…I own a bug eye and an ugly betty!
so how is this different from the liberty? looks pretty much the same to me?
I thought Soobie had hit a low with the bug-eyed WRXs. I’ve grown to quite like the STi hatches, I’d pay for one. This sedan though, ugly.
It’s not muscular enough. Where’s the flared wheel arches? Intakes? Brake ventilation? What’s with the back end, looks like the designer was driving it to the boss and got rear-ended on the way.
The WRX design peaked at the MY00.
Save some money and get an Evo 6 TME or an evo 9.
If Subaru has upped the power to 190kW as widely expected, would it change your opinion of the car?
Will not…this car looks way too soft…flared guards missing…even with those the car would look S**T
Subaru have proved to me they have given up on cars. Their Tribeca still look shit. And so does this. It’s like they’re inspired by Kia’s design language because it would fit perfectly in their range. I don’t care is this will cost $10′000 and Go, Stop and Corner better than a Pagani I would still not buy due to it’s poor efforts in design.
Mr Nick Senior says…
“New generation Impreza has proved a sales winner since its introduction last year, with sales up 12.5 per cent.This final addition to the range will expand its appeal still further.”
With respect Mr Senior, it seems you’re full of it.
Joe – I have infact driven the new Impreza Sedan [the equivalent of my 02 2.5 Litre RS] and it has lost so much of the feel and the attitude which the Impreza is/was known for.. Not to mention the looks power and features – compared to my RS.. although I am gradually getting used to the way the hatch looks its not enough to make me want to buy one.
I think it looks great. If you want a goofy looking car, go for the old Imprezas. I’ll get one of these as soon as my current lease is finished.
Wheelnut: Fair enough, but you haven’t driven the new WRX, so you can’t comment. I’ve driven pretty much every model WRX from 1994 up until now, including STi’s, and every type of modified example you can think of.
The MY08 WRX handles better than the 07 and previous, although a lot softer…doesn’t mean that it doesn’t handle. It grips better even on the narrower tyres, and has better turn in, as well as less understeer. This is what a stiffer body and suspension refinement creates over the previous model.
It is just as quick as the previous model (its no heavier and has same power), just more refined i.e. less turbo lag….doesn’t feel as “punchy”, because of the lack of turbo lag, it feels more like a big naturally aspirated engine. Just as quick though.
It has a more modern, airy feeling interior than the previous model. The plastics are harder, but the quality is there i.e. panel gaps are great, no squeaks, rattles or flimsy bits anywhere. It’s also more comfortable and will eliminate the “numb bum” of the previous models firm seats. Although the seats don’t hold you quite as much, they are by no means flat. It’s a good trade off.
The car is quieter too and has a lot more safety features than the previous model, so its extremely safe. It also doesn’t cost any more than the previous model and the MY09’s “Limited” option (leather and sunroof) for 2 grand more is fantastic.
We ordered our MY09 WRX Limited hatch as a practical, safe and reliable car to replace the mrs Mazda 3 SP23, and it just happens to do 0-100 in the low 5s.. Can’t complain with that! It’ll also haul my quad bike on a trailer, and carry the inevitable children in the years to come.
I also think it doesn’t look too bad. It’s non offensive and no worse or better than any other hatch in the price range. It achieves our purpose and then some. It also complements my heavily modified 450HP MY02 WRX, which we drive on the weekends.
THIS is why the WRX has sold more this year than last year. It meets the purpose and appeals to the greater masses with its more tame, refined nature, and none of the loss in performance or handling from its previous model. You could say that those who never bought a WRX because it had that “boy racer” appeal (especially so with the 2000 and earlier GC8 WRX), have now been able to justify buying one. Thats a win if you ask me.
I agree with Mr Senior that the impreza range sales have increased but thats only because women are buying the entry level imprezas to use as shopping carts.
But i am yet to see many wrx hatches on the road. i see way way more GTI’s, actually – even more XR5s.
Why do all good car companies feel the need to conform every decade or so? Toyota with their MR2, Supra GT4, Nissan killed their silvia, etc etc
Great write up Joe. The thing was, when the wrx came out in 94 it had no competition for the buck. Now there is alot more choices. But the new wrx sedan will cost about the same as the wrx in 94, however 40 ish k today is not the same as 40 ish k in 94, plus the new model would run rings around any model before it, so it has advanced (I am talking stock). Subaru has never made pretty looking cars, lets face it, but their overall package is hard to beat. I think alot of peoples perception will change when they see it in the metal, especially in black.
yeah its not particularly aggressive looking, but you have to be kidding to say all WRXs have been “pretty”.
None of them were pretty, they were aggressive looking which appealed to hoons.
Now, they want to steal away Euro buyers, hence the styling.
Do I agree with it?
No… they could of done better thats for sure.
I like the hatch still, and the STi is still my preference.
But seeing people here say Subaru know nothing about cars based on the looks of their new WRX…. ignorance.
Im not saying I agree with the styling department, but they are still engineered very well.
Give me the STi anyday however with the B Spec Liberty GT a close second as far as my Subaru choices. Mitsubishi EVO X are nice, but Sti still more practical and with staggered wheel arrangement, 18×9, 18×10 setup (Anthracite/charcoal) Forged Enkeis/Work/BBS etc. Looks like tough as…. *drools
I agree, it looks very ordinary. I think perhaps it could be Toyota’s influence coming through in the design….
Sam, I agree, and toyota is number 1 at moving dull looking cars.
I fear for what the next gen liberty will look like. That should be due soon
I’ve done loads of research and have been reading about this model since it came out in the states 2 months ago. I have an invoice already for one from a dealership and as soon as somebody buys my Clio Sport 182 I’ll pony up.
There are already comparisons up on the web for the MY09 WRX against the Lancer Ralliart and the Lancer doesnt seem to do all that well. Apparently ‘de-tuned evo’ might be more marketing spin than fact. What the article above doesnt mention is the changes to the suspension, apparently 43% stiffer in the MY09 than the MY08.
If this is the same car as in the states it keeps the 5 speed manual. Interested to hear what is in the premium pack!!
I’ve cancelled my order for a Golf V GTI (not when Golf VI is almost on the way) and I’ll be getting a WRX. I cant work out whether to get the hatch or the sedan. Hatch is probably more practical. Driving experience is more important to me than looks, you can probably tell that from the fact I currently drive a Clio Sport 182!!.
To put everyones mind at ease, I just returned from the motor show and the figures are 195kw/343nm. The price is still 39,990 or 42,490 with leather and sunroof. Suspension has been stiffened but no sure to what extent. the claimed 0-100 figure is around 5.4 secs.
Looking good to me.
Oh and 2ndeffort, don’t put the 182 in any type of fugly category, i previously owned a Ph1 172 Cup. What a car!!!
give it 200kw who cares its still ugly sit inside the car and admire the cheap plastics seats etc for 45grand youve got to be joking the design old boring would never buy one 4 speed auto we are in 2008
Subaru Australia executives must be on drugs? Why import the MY09 WRX without 18″x 8″ wheels on 235/R40/18 rubber, a 6 speed box,quality Recaro seats and 7000rpm redline as standard. It also
needs a MRT cat back exhaust system and Go Fast Bit (GFB)BOV.
Real Aussi men who love performance machines want a true Rex not a half baked KIA/Camry/Madza look a like.
We want something along the lines of the new MY09 Ford Focus RS 3 door hatch – 6 speed twin clutch seq box, fantastic Recaro seats, a start button, 19″ wheels, full style kit, and 290hp (216kW) & 390Nm etc.
It’s time Subaru Australia delivered a proper performance WRX for $48,450.00 NOT $64,990.0(STi)
The Subaru Impreza is a performance car, yes it isnt as pretty as most but the fact you have 190kw + under your right foot, all wheel drive and a 5 star safety rating for essentially $40,000 is pretty damn good. There is nothing that comes close to it. The hatch is better looking but the sedan will provide a alternative. If you don’t like the look don’t buy one, but if you want bang for your bucks and a car that will last the distance, buy a WRX.
I have owned my MY00 WRX for 6 years now and each year I wait for the new, better looking and improved version, when that day arrives I will update. It looks like I will wait for another few years. I have seen and driven the later models and spoken with people who own them. I don’t see a great difference in those cars except they are not as good looking as my 2000.
I’ll keep waiting or switch to Lancer..
I am just 14 yr old and I am a fan of subaru cars especially the STI. I would like to buy one when I am in college. But now that I saw the new WRX impreza I still like the sporty look of the hatchback STI.