Subaru has introduced the all-new Impreza 5-door at the New York International Auto Show, held in a country which has seen eight consecutive years of sales growth for the company. Also making its debut at the event is the Impreza sedan.
The all-new 2017 Impreza debuts the Subaru Global Platform architecture that’s designed to deliver significantly higher levels of driving pleasure, agility, crash protection and ride comfort and will underpin a variety of upcoming Subaru vehicles, including hybrids. As before, every Impreza is equipped as standard with Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, a boon to driving agility and traction and a key advantage over front-wheel drive competitors.
The 2017 Subaru Impreza will be offered in four trim lines: 2.0i base, Premium, Sport and Limited.
Dramatic New Look on a New Structure That’s Future-Ready
Subaru’s new design language puts the brand’s signature hexagonal grille and hawk-eye headlights onto a more sculptural body, with prominent wheel arches and flowing lines.
The 2017 Impreza rides on a 2.67 m wheelbase, up 2.54 cm over the last generation Impreza. Both the Sedan and 5-Door are 4 cm longer than the outgoing models, and both are 3.81 cm wider. The larger dimensions create a roomier cabin, while a 1.01 cm lower height helps improve aerodynamics with a lower coefficient of drag.
The new Subaru Global Platform, together with the Boxer engine, Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (AWD) and EyeSight that represent Subaru’s core technologies, constitutes the basic foundation of the next generation of Subaru vehicles. Impreza’s new platform incorporates new frameworks to give more than 70% improvement in rigidity.
Body roll is reportedly 50% less than before thanks to mounting the suspension’s double-wishbone rear stabilizer directly to the body. In addition, the resolute straight-line stability that makes the 2017 Impreza more relaxing to drive is also an important constituent of the autonomous driving capability this platform can support in future Subaru vehicles.
New Direct Injection for Higher Performance and Efficiency
A revised version of the FB 2.0-liter 4-cylinder Boxer engine gains direct fuel injection and other enhancements to boost both performance (now 152 horsepower vs. 148 before) and drivability. In highline trims, the CVT gearbox features a 7-speed manual mode function with steering wheel paddle shifters.
New Impreza Sport with Active Torque Vectoring
The Impreza 2.0i Sport, now available in the Sedan as well as 5-Door features exclusive suspension tuning, 18-inch machine-finish alloy wheels and Active Torque Vectoring. Inside the Sport, unique black cloth upholstery is trimmed with red stitching, a motif that repeats for the steering wheel, gear shift, instrument panel and door trim. The instrument panel incorporates exclusive Sport gauges and a Multi-Function Display.
The Sport comes well equipped, including the Subaru STARLINK 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system, and a new harman/kardon premium audio system. Keyless Access & Push-Button Start, aluminium pedals, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift handle and a CVT shift boot round out the Sport’s enhanced standard equipment.
Safety features
The EyeSight system includes Adaptive Cruise Control, Automatic Pre-Collision Braking and Lane Departure and Sway Warning, plus a Lane Keep Assist function. Blind Spot Detection and Rear Cross Traffic Alert are also available.
The 2017 Impreza adds new driver-assist technologies, including Reverse Automatic Braking and the display of steering lines for the standard rear vision camera. Reverse Automatic Braking can apply the vehicle’s brakes if an obstacle is detected while reversing. A new 4-way Tyre Pressure Monitoring System can detect pressure drops at individual wheels.
