I am guessing the basic goodness of the '12 Impreza will carry over in many ways to the coming WRX/STI models, though for the first time Subaru is holding over the performance models while they will sell a new Impreza beside them. I am sure this has to do with money and development time and other such things I don't fully understand, though it will be interesting to see how many old chassis performance models they can move when there is a sign of things to come sitting across the showroom. The rabid Subaru performance community is awash with potential customers asking "should I wait until next year?"
In my mind the big deals with the 2012 Impreza are fuel economy and refinement. The headline maker is the 36mpg highway number with the all new 2.0 "FB20" motor and CVT transmission. We have no idea if this will have an effect on the WRX, could it be a return to a 2 liter WRX? Is fuel economy on the minds of target WRX buyers? I certainly did not give much thought to it when I purchased, but over time I realized that this car is a bit more thirsty than I thought.
As for refinement, it is good to see a return to "soft touch" materials on the dash and doors. So many people say they never touch the dash so they only care that it looks nice. I disagree here, I have been a bit let down by the almost entirely plastic doors and dash in my WRX. Having a plastic dash panel just reminds you that you have been a bit "cheaped out." It also reduces sound absorbtion and increases potential rattles as I have learned. It wasn't enough for me to not buy the car, but it did make me think about whether I would buy another Subaru. I am sure they did what they had to do, and reducing cost was big for the 2008 Impreza, but this move was a little much in my view. Especially right before a slew of new compacts were hitting the market with upgraded interiors. But Subaru is righting what once was wrong, they are getting with the program and following the trend of more premium small cars, without pricing themselves out of the market.
On the whole, as a Subaru junkie I realize outside of the engine and transmission this car is not exactly "all new" it is a refinement of the existing chassis from what I can gather. This is historically how Subaru works as the original Impreza traced all the way back to the original Legacy. The later Imprezas and Legacies were refinements of those designs. The 2005 Legacy and the later 2008 Impreza were significantly new designs.
With this 2012 Impreza, the suspension, layout, the external size generally stay the same, the big changes being styling for better aerodynamics and reduced weight. In that vein, kudos to Subaru for continually addressing weight. The Impreza has remained a light car for an AWD compact over the years. As an enthusiast, I know the benefits of weight reduction are significant for economy, performance and handling. Subaru does too, as they are claiming this Impreza offers more performance with a smaller motor and better fuel economy, as well as increased range with a smaller fuel tank, than the existing Impreza.
I like the looks of this 2012 Impreza and I am excited to see what the coming WRX and STI models will bring. Subaru has never been known for their styling, though I think the basic look of the sedan has a nice wedgey profile and aggressive looking headlights. I am not so sure about the creased look with the hatchback model. I bought the better looking hatch option with my WRX, but I think the styling pendulum is swinging back toward the sedan being the better looking version, as it had been with the 02-07 Generation of WRX.
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