impreza s-gt : The 2007 Subaru Impreza S-GT (WRX), Test Drive

Many things have been said, written and discussed ever since the first shots of the 2007 Subaru Impreza were revealed. Real? Fake? Then officially confirmed, the style of the new Impreza did a good job of advertising the car and having people talk about it despite high criticism and rough comments from some fans. Our point of view at Nihoncar.com goes pretty much the same way, first, when it comes to the design and second, when we mention Subaru's new policy to go for comfort and safety over performance. Signs of a new era?

In the past, our collaboration with Subaru brought us some of the most exciting cars to drive, a couple months ago we had the « discrete » Impreza WRX STI A-Line, a sporty Impreza with the look of a classic sedan, understand that the huge rear wing had been removed, we had been pleased by its style but not really by the performances...then we had the great opportunity to test drive the car with the longest name in history (not certified by the Guinness Book): the Subaru Impreza WRX STi Spec C Type RA-R. An impressive machine, made for the competition, limited to 300 units and providing amazing sensations! Will this new « non STi » version stand the comparison?

Style
It is with a couple sweet memories from the RA-R in mind that I got my hands on this new Impreza, an S-GT that we all know as WRX in most automotive markets. Let me start with the beginning and the esthetics, the differences with the previous version are so numerous that this Subaru appears as a totally new car, built as a new concept, the car is now a family hatchback with the city as favourite playground!
The front end of the car is the one which carries most resemblances with the 2006 model, the lines were softened, well designed and contribute to make the whole thing pretty elegant, the front grille was modified...all those elements show how much Subaru wanted to work on its image and the image of the Impreza with this new generation. The bonnet, as usual, features a scoop to help cooling the turbocharged engine and main intercooler(more on this later), it is interesting to see that, this time, the so-called scoop is lower than before and gives an increased visibility to the driver.
As most people know, the MAIN differences are visible from the side and rear views, the Impreza, at least the version that we had, is an hatchback, even though it is not easy to know the exact reasons behind such a dramatic change for a car that had ALWAYS been a sedan (as far as I can remember and in the mind of many), the result does take some time to get used to...When taking a closer look, it almost feels like the design of the car was given to 2 different teams, one for the front and the other for the rear...at the end of the day the result is pretty...original, to say that least!

Stepping inside
Quite a lot of changes here as well, the interior reminded me a bit of the Tribeca's...which I hadn't really liked...especially due to the overall quality feel of the materials (plastics). The design is clean and nice, featuring soft colors and absolutely no S-GT logo or any other signs of sportivity whatsoever. The thing is that the Subaru Impreza S-GT is a family car! Once you make up your mind and realize that, it becomes easier to appreciate the interior for what it is, the comfort is good and the combined low seats and high top make up for a car that can welcome people over 6 feet tall without any problem. The whole thing gave me a pretty good impression until I actually decided to start the engine, the Start/Stop button looks like it has been added at the last second and some cables remained visible! Was it because I was sitting in a car destined to the press? For such a recent car this detail was a bit shocking...

Engine start
A sign that all the traditions have not been forgotten, the motor equipping the new Impreza is a Turbocharged 2 litres providing 250 horsepower and 333 Newton metres of torque. On this S-GT version, this motor failed to impress me, the reasons may be the environmental concerns and drastic regulations in Japan, as a result the engine features lowered gas emissions and fuel consumption, the accelerations felt smooth and civilized.
Civilized, this may be THE word to describe this engine, of course if your right foot is heavy you'll easily cross the speed limits and risk spending the next couple months taking the subway or taxis, but the sound of the boxer engine didn't bring the same smile on my face...Civilized I told you!

On the Road
One of the greatest additions to this 2007 version of the Impreza is the double wishbone rear suspensions, used on an improved version of an already excellent chassis, the body roll has been reduced. As soon as your kids are at school and your wife at work you can finally put the pedal to the metal, in those conditions, the famous Subaru All Wheel Drive system will give you extra confidence through a precise and enjoyable handling. If you add to this the VDC for Vehicle Dynamics Control, you could mistake most roads for rally stages...in that case I hope you know your limits!
Another good surprise behind the steering wheel was the 5 speed manual gearbox, fast and precise, I liked it better than the one that equipped the Sti A-Line, the steering of the S-GT seemed to lack a bit of precision, the brakes a bit of endurance and the suspensions a bit of stiffness...oh but wait a minute, this is no Sti...I guess I'll have to wait a couple months for a real sporty Subaru!

Conclusion:
So...what to think about this new Impreza S-GT, the equivalent of a WRX in Europe and the USA? Some will certainly have a hard time dealing with the new style of this Rally Monster but once behind the wheel, this Subaru remains a Subaru and I have to admit that I enjoyed driving it more than I did looking at it...and isn't that the most important?!? A couple modifications and parts from the Subaru Tecnica International catalog could pretty easily turn this nice family hatchback into a hotlap threat for all those who are looking for sensations...on a private race track of course!
For the others, all the skepticals concerned by the arrival of a diesel engine and other « not so sporty looking things », I'd tell them that Subaru is still alive and in a couple months, I'll do my best to grab as much informations as possible on the TRUE WRX Sti which will be presented in October 2007 at the Tokyo Auto Salon! Before a possible test drive, fingers crossed!

Posted on 16/07/07 By G-A.G