2017 Subaru Impreza leans heavily on concept car for styling
Somewhere, Tom Doll is saying 'I told you so.'
Because it was last year at the Los Angeles Auto Show that Doll, president of Subaru of America, introduced the Impreza Sedan Concept, a car he called "a precursor for what you can expect from the next generation Subaru Impreza sedan."
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Fast-forward five months and that car is here, along with its five-door sibling, and it looks like Doll was on the money with his assessment.
Replacing the fourth-generation Impreza in Subaru's lineup, the 2017 Impreza features a new take on the brand's signature hexagonal grille and hawk-eye headlights directly inspired by the concept car unveiled in L.A.
The new car, in both sedan and hatchback forms, is wider and longer than the outgoing version while riding on a longer wheelbase thanks to a new global platform.
Body rigidity is up 70 per cent, according to the automaker, while body roll is down 50 per cent through a revised suspension that includes a double-wishbone independent setup out back with a stabilizer bar mounted directly on the body.
Subaru said the new platform will underpin all new Subaru models moving forward.
A revised version of Subaru's naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre four-cylinder boxer engine resides under the hood, making 152 horsepower—up slightly compared to the current version's 148 horsepower.
Expect torque numbers somewhere in the range of the current engine's 145 lb.-ft.
The engine comes paired to a continuously-variable transmission that features a seven-speed manual mode with paddle shifters, according to Subaru.
The Impreza's trim lineup is also new for the 2017, with four models to choose from, including a new Sport-tech package that replaces the Limited in the outgoing version.
Available in both sedan and five-door variants, the Impreza Sport-tech features "exclusive" suspension tuning and active torque vectoring, as well as steering-responsive LED headlights.
