Subaru Impreza

Subaru Impreza hatchback

Our spy photographers caught this sinister-looking Subaru Impreza undergoing testing, and it proves what we knew all along...

Auto Express Car Reviews

Super scoop
Hatch layout will polarise opinion, but new Impreza’s front end will feature the signature air vent on bonnet.

By Ross Pinnock

22nd September 2006

Auto Express first revealed plans for the switch to a hatchback layout last year (Issue 853), leaving enthusiasts up in arms. Yet a close look at the back of the all-new four-wheel-drive model confirms the practical bodystyle.

This is proof positive that the brand has its sights set on the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf with its next Impreza. However, fans of the Japanese marque will be pleased to see that some of the current car's styling, such as the gaping bonnet vent, has been retained.

A number of familiar features will appear under the skin, too, and traditionalists will welcome the line-up of horizontally opposed boxer engines. The entry-level unit is set to be a 170bhp 2.0-litre capable of returning 30mpg, while the turbocharged WRX and STi versions are expected to deliver as much as 300bhp. The new model is pencilled in to debut at the Tokyo Motor Show in October before arriving in showrooms in 2008. It will later gain a hybrid drivetrain, currently under development with Toyota, maker of the Prius.

Insiders say the new Impreza, which will also be available with three doors for the first time, will feature upmarket interior materials as the sporty brand seeks to improve cabin quality.