Fewer road cars have the raw pedigree of Subaru’s Impreza model. It was the car Colin McRae started out in, becoming both the first British person to win the World Rally Championship and one of the most successful and iconic names in the sport’s history.
At the same time, Australian consumers could buy their own Impreza, which was – and remains today – as comfortable roaming around metropolitan streets as it is testing its limits on the desert roads.
Now, Subaru has given us a teaser for the 2017 Impreza, after shots of the car were published to the world by the brand’s Periscope live video stream (perhaps unintentionally) at the 2016 New York Motor Show.
Soon after, a few details of the Subaru Impreza four-wheel drive sedan and hatchback models were officially published, giving novated lease customers another thing to think about in their search for a new car.
What can you expect from the new generation?
In typical, hype-building fashion, not too much is known about the new breed of Impreza, though it will use the Subaru Global Platform in its design. The platform is an idea more widely used by car manufacturers in which a range of vehicles are designed from a similar blueprint.
By having this basis, manufacturers say it can cut costs – which they can hopefully pass on to their customers – while improving car safety. According to Car Advice, the platform is also engineered to improve the car’s straight line stability and comfort while reducing noise and in-car vibrations.
The 2017 Impreza is said to have 50 per cent less body roll thanks to an improved suspension, and engine power could jump from 110 kW to 114, while torque could be nearer 200 Nm.
Times they are a-changin’
The Japanese brand has been moving in a direction that makes Subaru vehicles sleeker and more aerodynamic than what Mr McRae used to drive in the WRX, and it looks like that aesthetic will continue with this latest iteration.
2017’s Impreza will also feature an infotainment system, so it’s not all loud grunting engines and whining turbochargers. In fact, the Impreza might be quieter than its historic, rally-winning cousins, as the hatchback’s 2.0-litre engine, as well as the superlative WRX STi’s 2.5-litre motor, are designed with fuel-economy in mind, too.
With fuel economy ranging from 6.8 litres per 100 kilometres in the 2016 hatchback, and 10.4 litres in the high-performance STi, petrol is unlikely to break the bank – especially not with the ongoing savings made through novated leasing.
Want another reason to seriously consider a Subaru? Roy Morgan found in July 2015 that the brand has a massive 96 per cent customer satisfaction rating, putting it second only to Lexus in Australia.
The new Subaru Impreza will launch in December 2016. Though if you can’t wait, you can snip up a 2016, or later model, for 10 per cent less via a novated lease. Get in touch with Alliance Leasing today to find out how.
