2008 Subaru Impreza WRX Images
27 Mar, 2007
51 Comments 
Its here, we won’t make you read through anything, so just enjoy:
Yes its a wagon and as of yet there is still no reports if Australia will be getting only the wagon variant.
From what we have gathered, UK customers are also only getting the wagon version, so there is a good chance that Australia will also not be a host to a Sedan version (if one even exists) furthermore, there is still no report as to whether or not the STi will be a wagon only.
The 2.5L engine block remains relatively untouched, apart from a new shape intercooler.
The new Interior is a vast improvement on the current model.
The rear of the car, unfortunately, reminds us of the current Mazda3.
All images are copyright of Motor Trend Magazine in the states. Original Post in NASIOC forums
Update : we really weren’t kidding when we said it looks like a Mazda3?
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March 27th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
The front doesn’t look Subby at all, it looks like the previous generation Camry… AAAH!
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March 27th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Ugly and cheap
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March 27th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Not quite what I was expecting but I reckon its got potential to be a bit of a looker. The Mazda 3 MPS looks great IMO. I find that unless a car is a natural stunner they always take a bit of time to grow on you.
I reckon there is a smidge of BMW 1 series down the side as well, in the line above the door handles.
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March 27th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
What went wrong, it looks nothing like the scoop we saw a few months back. The back looks weird and the front looks wrong. The side profile looks ok, but what a disappointment.
To me its a Beemer 1 series gone wrong.
:(
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March 27th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
WOAH what went wrong their. Personally Ive always hated the wagon versions compared to the sedan, so it only being Wagon is crap, but then it just looks like crap at the front as well.
And people at Subaru actually get paid money to dish up this kinda ugly car?
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March 27th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
Who designed this…?
They should be fired on the spot. Recall and redesign the whole thing please.
Modernize the MY99/MY00 shape!!
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March 27th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
Nasty! It looks like a VW Golf and Audi A3 mashed together with the backend having been created by the designers 5 year old kid.
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March 27th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
This thing is old and ugly. The thing I hate about it is that with the new Lancer they have made it looked mean, given some great features (ie RF soundsystem 650w, bluetooth, 7 airbags standard,ect.) and the interior and exterior look modern and are not bland and are definetly going to age quickly. You look at this piece of rubbish and the sidebody looks dated, the grille is worse than the propellor one, the rear looks alright but it is not as good as the rear of a mazda 3 which is a car that came out in 2002 or 2003. Then there is the engine bay, with the airfins on the evo you like to see that big ralliart name plate or just the red engine bay while this thing is just bland all over. No flaired wheel arches? The main problem is that in the pictures here it almost looks like a second hand dealer car and not a show car. I am not saying this car cannot be fixed, it has potential but Subaru are going the wrong way and need to try and get past the large AWD turning circle and floor it.
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March 27th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
FUGLY
End of story
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March 27th, 2007 at 10:38 pm
OttoAu you are new to this site so I won’t go at you as bad as I do to most people but your posts do not need to give people the impression that your fucking socially retarded and just overall a bogan minded cocktard. There are a lot more things to put into mind than the fact this car looks a little ugly, it does have potential for starters, while there is some very bland looks, this is hopefully still a prototype which means there is still come time to change the design. The main problems I have is the front grille, and body kit, and the annoying chrome bar joining the taillights which may be stripped off because it does not deserve to be there. This is not very much work and I can compromise the rest of my problems if they fix this up, if my bro gives me photoshop I will fix the grille and rear lights and show you guys how I would make this car look. Now let’s all calm down and just look at the positives and stop bashing this car even though I think an Evo kills it just look at the one main positives. An AWD 300bhp turbocharged DOHC 5 door hatch. Correct me if I am wrong but is that not the ultimate hothatch? Well a wagon actually but it looks like it may be a shorter wheelbase which means more practicality than a hothatch. Oh wait, when I said Ultimate hothatch I was unsure if the VW Golf GTi still had an AWD version available.
BTW, just remember I was only warming up OttoAu.
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March 27th, 2007 at 10:55 pm
^
Sorry mate but that is an ugly car which ruins it. All they had to with it was give it average looks and the damn fine engine along with AWD would sell itself but they have failed miserably and created monster (if they stick with that design). The Evo eats this thing for breakfast now not just in performance but looks… by a long shot (that front is nasty!)
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March 27th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
I agree with what you say, because I am the most biased towards anything Mitsubishi but I am just saying give this prototype a break and complain if you do not like the production model.
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March 27th, 2007 at 11:17 pm
Agrees with Paul.. Evo eats it in all aspects considered. I’ve never been a big fan of the whole boxer awd engine. Always came across as a coarse engine to me and not something I would particularly be keen on driving daily. How many times have I had to show friends and colleagues, be it a TopGear episode or some video from Youtube that this whole Wrx thing isn’t ‘as’ good as they market it and make it look like. Performance especially.. “I have a WRX, I MUSt be Fast YeH?!” .. pfft.
I’m glad to see they designed it as they did, hopefully sales aren’t much and I don’t have to see them on the roads as many as I do right now.
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March 27th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
“Agrees with Paul.. Evo eats it in all aspects considered. I’ve never been a big fan of the whole boxer awd engine. Always came across as a coarse engine to me and not something I would particularly be keen on driving daily. How many times have I had to show friends and colleagues, be it a TopGear episode or some video from Youtube that this whole Wrx thing isn’t ‘as’ good as they market it and make it look like. Performance especially.. “I have a WRX, I MUSt be Fast YeH?!” .. pfft.”
Completely agree with you mate. Funny enough I have people tell me that the Evo is a copy of the Rex which is a complete joke. I just love it when I show people cars at school and there like, “yeah well even my parents camry is better im gonna put a big sick subaru exhaust that rumbles heaps on it”, it shows they do not know shit. This is the reaction when I was showing a picture of a starion with a red interior, it isn’t an evo but something draws me to it because it just feels like one of those first gen turbo cars that are rare and aren’t hoon cars like commy’s or the turbo cordia’s. I am not even on my P plates so I you can’t have a go at me for this car with it’s slightly faded red interior, I loved it as soon as I knew about the 4G63 sirius turbo engine and after I saw Jeremy Clarkson with one but I know way more about it than I am saying. By the way, I have a 10k budget for my next car in 12-18 months which is a fair way away but any suggestions in that price bracket would be appreciated even though it should not be in this thread just do it. Evo X all the way, I want to see way more than the ugly rexes on the road so that we can swarm around in groups instead of them trying to race vo’s at lights all the time. fucking long post eh?
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March 28th, 2007 at 4:14 am
There are a lot of long post here but I am actually wondering just how many of you really have had a chance to drive a WRX through all of the seasons. I have had a 2002 WRX since 2003 and have had plenty of times to test the car in rain, snow, dirt and every bodys favorite the dry black top. How about the people that knock this car tell me just what car through the seasons (not just one hot summer day) is more capable then this?? The 2002WRX and 2005STI are my picks. I just wanted to say that since the 2006 design this has been going the wrong way. Somebody is taking one of the best cars out there and marketing it to the wrong crowd. Leave the Mazadas or the Acuras or even the Hondas for that crowd. Leave this car to the true car enthusiasts. Someone that wants more than transportation for home to work someone that wants transportation from the North to the South Pole in style. “IN STLYE” is the the key word here and from the pictures this clearly is not in style with a Rally Bred World Class Champion. Change the apperence to match the History of the champion not the every-day-ness of the Mazada. Otherwise take out the turbo and rear drive train and call it a Mazada.
It would be serious insult to take a champions heritage and hand it over to the general public in my opinion. However it is not up to me to make that call but someone somewhere needs to think about what they are doing with someone else’s Proven Track Record.
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March 28th, 2007 at 9:01 am
“This is the reaction when I was showing a picture of a starion with a red interior, it isn’t an evo but something draws me to it because it just feels like one of those first gen turbo cars that are “rare” and aren’t hoon cars like commy’s or the turbo cordia’s.”
and that my friend = respect ^^^^
With the amount of riced up cars we see in these days (Nismo stickers, Ralliart stickers, fake evo kits) it’s good to see that there are still some who want to be noticed in this mainstream flow of ricers and have something genuinely rare ;) goodstuff!
and Craig, I’m sure that what you say is correct about its handling, but not everyone who drives one of them.. puts it through what you’re saying. Also I’m sure you’ve seen the TopGear episode (Season5, Ep 8) where Hammond and a bobsleigh team race against May and a Mitsubishi Evo rally car, along near-identical courses.. 0.3~0.4 seconds was the difference, but hey like I said about Wrxs, which Evo driver is actually going to race against a bobsleigh here :P Also did I say, go drive an Evo? :)
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March 28th, 2007 at 11:14 am
Yeap, been having a look at heaps of blogs and websites about this new WRK
& Indeed:
Even MORE Fugly than i mentioned before, just crap
But then again, most if not all Subarus are as Fugly as sin, its in the DNA, so its not unexpected…
They need a Italian designer TopUrgent
O/A
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March 28th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
This thing is horrible. It looks like an ordinary economy car. Subaru’s inability to fix the problem with the ECU on their 2007 sti models combined with this ugly thing as their new Impreza design, makes me look at the evo more and more. I just can’t see how can they make sti look good based on this wrx design. I’m getting very disappointed with Subaru.
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March 28th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
OttoAu said:
”
They need a Italian designer TopUrgent”
O/A
I am not going to try and piss you off like before because I agree with you this time. But seeing how you didn’t know which is perfectly normal the retard at Fuji Heavy Industries had already used an Italian Designer to do the facelift on the outgoing model. The problem was it was an ALfa Romeo designer. I think they need to do something similar to Mitsubishi’s approach with the Colt Cabirolet’s rear end, they went to a design studio which had designed many lambo’s and ferrari’s and got them to do the rear end which looks far better than the standard one and had some influence on the new 2008 lancer. SO what you mean is they need a new Ferrari and Lambo designing Italian designer. Seriously, Mitsubishi learnt their lesson after getting Oliver Bouly to fuck up the Magna which was actually going somewhere back in 2001 when they hired that idiot.
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March 29th, 2007 at 9:09 am
They’ve moved to a hatch to compete in the volume market against the likes of VW Golf, Mazda 3, etc, etc. As we all know, unfortunately the performance models inevitably inherit the looks of the base models. IMO the Impreza has always been a bit ho-hum on looks. It’s the performance and “bang for your buck” that has appealed to buyers of this car. I bought an 05 Liberty 2.5 and even though the performance is mediocre it is the best car I’ve ever owned (quality & handling). I can only imagine how good a turbo version in a smaller body would be. As long as Subaru stick to the same formula they will sell cars. I’ll certainly go and test drive one of these when my lease is up in 09.
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March 29th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
OMG that simply CAN’T be the next gen WRX!!!!!! They have to be kidding right? Those leaked shots aren’t the new WRX they are the next generation Muso right? Seriously if Subaru wanted to kill the whole WRX phenomenon then this is the car to do it. I can not believe that ANYONE would have sat in a design meeting at Subaru and actually decided that this monstrosity was a good looking car. Mitsubishi, VW, and Toyota et-all must be laughing themselves silly at the moment. Nice one Subaru. Way to kill a legend.
Posted by: Nick | March 29, 2007 05:52 PM
Stole this from another site. That’s right I’m a traitor who went to another site! But it still the best way to sum it up.
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April 3rd, 2007 at 3:09 am
my name is corey mcmillin and i work for subaru. ive been a subaru driver for many years and curently own a 92 svx and 05 sti (in my opinion 2 of subarus best looking cars) as far as the production model goes, the picture above is almost accurate. you will notice a few slight changes at our april auto show. dont get excited tho i did say a “few changes” nothing much and i completely agree about how ugly this new model is. i was considering upgrading my 05 sti with an 08 which keep in mind the 08 sti’s WILL NOT LOOK LIKE AN IMPREZA that being said from corporate fuji. the 08 sti will be based off the impreza but will have a diff. front end back end and flared fenders. no pics of it have been released (until december) so keep watching
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April 3rd, 2007 at 10:18 pm
There are more pictures about new Impreza and facelifted Tribeca: carscoop.blogspot.com
As an owner of Subaru (2007 Outback) I have to scream: SUBARU`s DESIGNERS HAVE TO BE FIRED!
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April 4th, 2007 at 8:08 am
I can only say i am very dissapointed - as a tweeked Subaru 2003 STI prodrive driver !!
Why must Japanese companies be so reserved in their short sighted out look on design- they have a pretty good awd system and engine.
And the new STI model is rumored to have active diffs
and good low torque.
Why in all that is holy have they created an such ugly little bastard - I am so dissapointed I had a nightmare that I will be driving a new Mitsubishi EVO After the local Hospital has removed my Subaru heart with me kicking and screaming all the way– Deeply distressing .
I hope Prodrive can do an inflatable body to cover up this crap !! and produce what we all want- Good looking - 400 BHP
six speed paddle shift , active diffs with the ecu/ and sensors to back up the transmissinon ,rose jointed suspension( no Flubber bushing), lowered springs anjustable damping and 25mm anti roll bars
etc , etc.
Sorry I was dreaming- perhaps they should chase the customers dreams - just a little and not peer over into another Japanese manufacturers tin can design shop- why produce UGLY, when NICE is not so difficult
Tim Brough
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April 4th, 2007 at 5:49 pm
hello fellow annoyed and oviously dissapointed wrx enthusists…the car your looking at will be dissapointing but with a big ass set of alloys and tinted windows i think it has real potetial…wait and see
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April 5th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Tim Brough said:
“I hope Prodrive can do an inflatable body to cover up this crap !! and produce what we all want- Good looking - 400 BHP
six speed paddle shift , ….”
Paddle shift? are you serious? proper drivers use a proper manual…not this boy racer f1 stuff
and also…WHY SUBARU? WHY? they have turned the impreza into a chicks car! :(
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April 5th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
“Paddle shift? are you serious? proper drivers use a proper manual…not this boy racer f1 stuff”
Spot on Nico, Stick & Peddals mate. Theres always a Man in Manual :)
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April 6th, 2007 at 9:41 am
and Craig, I’m sure that what you say is correct about its handling, but not everyone who drives one of them.. puts it through what you’re saying. Also I’m sure you’ve seen the TopGear episode (Season5, Ep 8) where Hammond and a bobsleigh team race against May and a Mitsubishi Evo rally car, along near-identical courses.. 0.3~0.4 seconds was the difference, but hey like I said about Wrxs, which Evo driver is actually going to race against a bobsleigh here :P Also did I say, go drive an Evo?
If the people that own WRX’s don’t drive them in various conditions then they are driving the wrong car. Those are the people that needs a Mazada or the like. If this odd trend in copying other car models continue then I guess I will end up driving a EVO, I do like those also by the way Codename. My gripe is simple, let VW Golfs be Golfs, but don’t take my WRX and turn it into one. I mean whats next?? I know, it will be the Subaru STI Minivan! Come on and get a clue Subaru…
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April 6th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
I like most of the Subaru line but the new 08 wrx there coming out with is BUTT UGLY!!!!
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April 20th, 2007 at 7:14 pm
whats wrong with you knockers????? give it a go, no one has seen the actual finished version yet. I have been driving impreza for past 6 years and frankly ready for a new generation. This look so far to me is sleak, stylish and got some sharp features that do look like mazda 3 and bmw 1 etc. Whats wrong with that! these cars look awsome.
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April 27th, 2007 at 10:02 pm
2006 model is the toughest wrx of all ,they could not do any more with it. The other thing i noticed is the 06 headlights look like the 06 camry, i heard that subaru is partly owned by toyota is this true? this would explain why the 08 wrx is totally lame , following toyotas lead. boring hit it with an axe!!! 06 wrx looks better everyday.
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May 15th, 2007 at 6:31 pm
I cant beleive how ugly this wrx looks! My my00 classic kills this thing all over the place in looks! and its 7 years old! Not only better looking but…..lighter, vf34, 19psi, 3 inch, aps intake, king springs……etc….. kills the 2008 in all respects!
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May 21st, 2007 at 12:13 am
Este diseno solo destrozara la imagen de los subi; mas alla de lo q guarda el cofre se encuentra el estilo de la caja y esta nueva imagen definitivamente solo me recuerda a un Mazda; que han echo;donde esta el toque subaru; donde estan las lineas de Rally. Soy fan de la marca desde hace mucho tiempo y soy propietario de un Impreza WRX Wagon 2003 y lo que e visto con mis ojos es una depravacion que fusilen a los disenadores de este modelo; Definitivamente este auto no va a sobresalir de los demas en la calle.
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May 21st, 2007 at 12:17 am
^ i feel the same way :(
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June 9th, 2007 at 3:17 am
what the hell did subaru did to their cars. they make the car look like a normal piece of shit. the front doesnt look like a scooby and and back looks like a mazada. who the fuck made this crap.
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July 14th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
gee i am going to buy an impreza rv wagon, then jez tells me there is a new one on the way so i go take a butchers. god it is vile. will buy the current model asap
ruined a hot looking motor
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July 20th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
Ha ha. What a joke. I never liked the Impreza but now I’m laughing at them. It looks like the designers a Mazda jumped ship and defected to Subaru. I can’t wait for the Liberty that looks like a Mazda 6.
EAT HONDA
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August 4th, 2007 at 12:15 am
As a member of the Melbourne WRX club I had this (dis)pleasure to see and touch this cross between Dawoo Lanos and Mazda3/Corolla. It is a shocker! All the way.
If you reckon thatlooking at this is painful, wait and see the crap under the bonnet. Not much room for “improvement” there and you instantly fell in love with plastic! manifold. Yep, I am not kidding!
I got the MY06. Thank God! This is already the last one of the REAL Rexs’ classics and will keep it, but my next car is Evo X, no if or buts’.
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August 13th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
Have the frameless windows gone?Looking at the photos makes me think they are no more.Have a look at the B pillar.
The photos look like some conservative cardigan wearer from Mazda has designed this.
Pitching it at a different age goup?Yeah well I am that age group & I don’t want an old man’s car trying to be a performance machine.Falcons & Holdens can have that all to themselves.
Is this the way the next Liberty/Legacy is going as well? Even Peugeot has become more adventurous.
Subaru should know they’re customers don’t want their cars to be the same as everyone elses.
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September 17th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
Soccer MOM’s Car!
Yeah I said mOm.
………………………..Just go into receiveship already Subaru. With that design, thats exactly what you are asking for.
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September 25th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
>kenny said
>April 4 2007 @ 5:49 pm
>
>but with a big ass set of alloys and tinted windows i think it has real potetial…wait and see
I have got a black one on order with tint, what Mags/exhaust do you guys recommend?
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September 25th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Nice buy… I test drove the Impreza the other day and its quite a decent ride. And in the metal it looks heaps good, from pictures I preferred the front (in black) but in real life I like the rear. As for rims, although I assume its to late youve made your order, I would personally just go for the optional $2000 17s. IOf your going aftermarket then maybe 18s, ones that look similar to the Liberty GTs… I rate them on the black Liberties.
I may consider the WRX in a year or two, Im impressed by it (also for me it offers a tow bar which I need for the boat, the XR5T and Mazda 3 MPS DONT)
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December 1st, 2007 at 8:12 pm
What are Subaru designers thinking!? They must hate the company and came up with this ugly car.!
Let’s hope sales plummet and they go back to the design room. Mazda 3 MPS as a comparison looks very impressive.
Subaru has lost me…
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December 2nd, 2007 at 2:53 pm
I owned a 2001 “bug eyed” WRX. Everybody hated it, & Subaru changed it in 2 years. I had to sell mine, I wished now that I had kept it. It sat in the car dealership for 6 days. I asked why it sold so quickly, “Because they’re becoming a rare model” was the reply. Let’s just hope that with the new look of the 2008 model, sales will drop, as it did in 2001, and Subaru will change to a new look. There was nothing wrong with 2003, 04, 05 06 design. If it not broke, why fix it.
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December 2nd, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Earlier designs were just as plain… the new Impreza range in the U.S and Canada at least has had RECORD sales. Looks better in the flesh.
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January 21st, 2008 at 10:42 am
it amazes me that people are quick to judge a photo i,ve been driving the 08wrx for 4 weeks now best car i,ve had.all these armchair boy racer critics that can,t afford one can go f**k themselves
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March 29th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
i took the 08 wrx for a spin today, with my preconceived notion after reading forums and looking at pics that it wasn’t a great looker and subaru had lost the plot. In the flesh I felt that it looked far from that and is what was needed to evolve it into a modern livable wrx. My only complaint is that features like the front grill or rear tail could be a tad more aggressive. It was no more ‘uglier’ than the previous gens. The car handles better than MYo7 and so forgiving, the performance is still there. For the price I was left overall impressed and just may look at forking out for one.. the looks too will do just as the older gens and grows with its fanbase over time..
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April 18th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Yes Tim I agree. Not sure where you are but the Australian version of the front grill looks like an evolution of the MY06/07 impreza/WRX/STI (owner of 2006 2.0R). I highly recommend this car as I own one at the moment and I used to also own a 02 WRX and test driven a 05 STI, 07 WRX and of course the 08 what was my personaly favorite. And for everyone else (the nay sayers out there), yes the body don’t look as aggressive as the old rexies but in person they do (trust me) look aggressive enough to be classified as a WRX. Doesn’t matter what lookers say, or previous gen WRX owners think… You’ll never know how good the 08 is unless you test drive it. And trust me, you will warm up to the car, just pick the right color, like WR blue or black :)
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April 19th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
I bought one when they first arrived in late November07. Been driving falcons all my life and decided to cross the dark side. Saw it in wheels magazine and thought it looked less masculine than previous rex’s but was curious. The grill is black mesh on the wrx and not like the US verison above. When i walked in the showroom to book a test drive I saw the RS version (non tubro) and decided it looked like a girls car but turned my head and saw the massively big bird eating bonnet scoop on the WRX version and fell in love. the scoop is buldgy like the XR8 bonnet buldge. Took it for a drive and this thing cuts through corners like butter, gets to 100 in around 6 seconds i think. I got it in black, there is a slight metallic blueish tint in it it is awesome in the flesh, wait till we see a few more on the road and trust me you will like.. Two things that shit me with it is the seat belt warning alarm if you forget to buckle up & the gear box, needs a 6th gear.. Been driving around the city and girls absolutlety love it. real head turner in the flesh, at night it looks stunning with the xenon lights and rear LED’s and the shimmer off the bonnet buldge. Agree it needs a bit more agressiveness around the front spoiler and wheel arches but people are buying them, havent seen one kitted up or exhusted yet. But who cares anyways. Im blowing off 06/07 rex’s and V8’s at the lights, who cares so much about the looks?
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April 27th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
I agree with Dan. These cars are MUCH better looking in real life. The photo shoots just don’t do it justice. I own a 08 WR Blue WRX and used to own a 02 WRX and a 06 2.0R (which I seriously regret getting). With no doubt the 08 pulls hard earlier and performance wise it is faster than previous generation rexies since it’s also lighter. Oh not to mention cops won’t hassle you anymore. Unless you got a loud exhaust and a blow off valve…
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September 2nd, 2008 at 6:49 pm
iv owned every wrx and sti there has been and currently driving an 07st and there is noway in hell will i ever purchase the new heap of crap they have cum up with not even for a quarter of the price its sellin for.YUK
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