It seems that subaru is falling behind in the WRC series. I've read that subaru will build a hatch or two door to keep up with the smaller (and much lighter) cars. We've all seen the supposed sketches of the 08' hatch and that strange lookin thing. All that aside, lets say subaru brings back the 2 door impreza ( i just dont see a hatch entering the U.S market for a few years) what would the market be like for them? What i mean is do you guys think that besides the serious racers, would the family man continue to buy subaru or maybe go mazda or even Mitsubishi....being very young myself, i would be very excited to see a 2door STI and very scared to race it. I wanna see what you guys think about this potential change in the market.

 

Kind of an aside, but the Subaru Impreza WRC is not heavier then the rest of the field. It is built to the same minimum weight stats that every serious World Rally Car is. I know its not the main point of your post, but its just a common misconception that just bothers me. Smaller WRCs are just more nimble, where as the bigger WRCs (Impreza, Lancer) are more stable at high straight speeds. As track widths are being allowed to widen, the benefit of the larger cars becomes marginalized.

That said, I think the hatchback is a good idea for them as a business. Its kind of progressive and it will be met with a bit of resistance, but the mass market is moving towards more utilitarian wants/needs in their vehicles. Crossover SUV/Wagons/vans and other small hatchbacks/wagons are starting to make a comeback, as long as the styling doesn't suck. And there are a lot of car makers out there making 'pure' sports cars, so Subaru doesn't really need to. Heck, the Impreza isn't a 'pure' sports car anyway, having four doors and five seatbelts. I think the serious racers will still embrace the car if it still is a viable platform (aka, doesn't turn into a heavy sack of *****) and I also think the family guy who wants a sports car will still strongly consider it as well - because they will still be fast as hell and will have better and more usable interior space.

 

Subaru has only been in the rally game since 1989 so it's not a terrible thing if they don't have consistent manufacturer championships. I'm just glad they didn't whimp out of the game like Toyota or Mitsubishi. So you can give the Keepin' It Real Award to Subaru. I don't think they <i>need</i> to change the Impreza line up out of necessity, but it would be nice to see what next they have up their sleeve.

The Imprezas aren't really that big anyway. And like a lot of other people, I bought a WRX because it had 4 doors and it is very versitile for many different tasks. Most other companies already have hot hatches and more purpose built sports cars. Subaru's niche has always been the alternative utility vehicles. I don't think they're up to join the hatch or sport coup market so late in the game.

My $0.02

 

Umm, Toyota was banned, and Mitsubishi withdrew while they tried not to go bankrupt. So credit Suabru with not cheating (or at least not gettting caught) and not running itself into the ground.

Actually, I guess that's "keeping it real" after all.

 

As a family man, I would not buy a 2 door Impreza.

If I wanted a pure sports car I would have bought a pure sports car.

 

But what about a 5 door hatch STi? That is what has been spied and widely rumored.

 

I would definitely rock a STi wagon.

 

Are there spy photos that aren't the white Mazda 3 taken in California a few months ago? Linky linky!

 

Those photos are actually fairly legit, considering the plates are registered to SOA

 

 

Yup. The plates on that white hatch everyone thinks is a mazda three, has a rear diff, multi-link rear (which the new imprezas are rumored to have) and the same license plate that has been used in the past Subaru test mules (most noticably, a Legacy GT with a ginormous hoodscoop).

But, one thing to consider is, though, is that those pics are just a test mule, and are of course not indicitive of the final design, but the design direction.

 

That's awesome news. A true Subaru hatchback would be pimp. But, it's the license plate that gives it legitimacy, since it would certainly be possible for Mazda to stuff an MS6 drivetrain under the 3.

 

I did say they weighed more but i meant to say that they're not as nimble. I appreciate all these opinions and i think you guys are right for the most part. If subaru never makes a 2 door impreza agian i will have to do an old 2.5rs swap at some point, just because i've always wanted to do that. I'd love to rock an STI wagon or especially a hatch. I think its in subaru's best interest though that they stay with the sedan for a while and maybe only offer a wrx hatch and see where that leads.