The 2012 Impreza will be the first to emerge on the sales floor after its split with WRX. 07/21/2011
Subaru is finally recognizing what many drivers have seen for years - that the Impreza and the WRX are separate cars and should be treated and marketed as such. The cars have been produced as two members of the same family since 1992, but the planned 2014 WRX will be vastly different than the new Impreza.
"Until now, the Impreza and WRX used many common parts, which translated into entry-level Imprezas that were over-engineered," an insider told Motor Trend. "Apart from a few nuts and bolts, every part on the WRX will be unique - even the engine and body. Obviously the WRX's platform will be inherited from the new Impreza, but it will be radically modified and significantly shortened."
The 2012 Subaru Impreza, which debuted at the 2011 New York Auto Show, will bring a 30 percent fuel efficiency improvement to the table - getting about 36 miles per gallon on the highway - as well as a more powerful design, The New York Times reports. The new car will have a 2-liter Boxer engine that generates a modest 148 horsepower.
Rumors are flying about the next WRX, which could possibly hit showrooms for the 2014 model season. Motor Trend's source hinted that the the new car might get a new name to help it break free of its Impreza trappings. The sports car is also expected to be based on the STI, and have a 1.6-liter turbocharged Boxer that can produces as much as 270 horsepower. The design is yet to be determined but a few potentials that have been leaked show that the automaker is striving to deliver the unexpected.