MAIC Discussion of 2008 Impreza (Live pics from the NYIAS start post #200)

[Lone Wolf 75]

Originally Posted by Siper2

Paul (Lone Wolf 75),

Yeah I think the Tribeca HVAC may be a later option. The '08 Impreza so far is just the first-year car. More always comes, later.

I know very little about the plastic vs. aluminum intake argument, so I'll sit back for now, too.

My wife and I took a spin in two '07 cars, an Outback H-6 (which has a *lot* more grunt than her '01 version, wow!!!) and a Tribeca. She still likes the Outback better. Tribeca's interior was great, but she didn't like the handling or the appearance.

I agree that it's nice to have a car that looks great from the factory, but I've seen very few cars that satisfy that need, for me. I think if you want that, you've got to get in to BMW ///M or Audi S territory, that kind of thing. STI arguably, but a lot of people don't like the big wings and stuff.

Otherwise, you're talking about commuter cars, some of which have a performance advantage. Like the WRX. I mean, lots of people pine after the GC-series cars, still, for example. I still have my '00 RS, I love it to death...
But the classic Impreza, before the STi came out, was a pretty freakin' boring coupe/sedan/wagon. Add some big foglights, a new bumper, spoilers, a hood scoop.....

...and eventually you end up with the 22B. I don't know... point being, judgment on this car's longevity and appeal simply cannot be made, based upon first-year production shots.

-Chris

Chris,

Well it looks like the Tribeca HVAC will fit in the dial spaces, so that is probably to come in a few years. After having rented quite a few cars with electronic HVAC controls in my travels, I feel like that is a creature comfort that my next car should have.

I'll have to look into the plastic intake. I certainly wouldn't recommend it for industrial diesel gensets, but I think those tend to run a bit hotter than our car engines.

Car styling is highly subjective, and it seems that you do pay for it. I do like the looks of all Ferraris, most Porsches, the 350Z, and the M Series BMWs out of the box. Of course, I really can only afford the 350Z out of those, I just have to question the practicality of it (maybe if I keep my WRX too). I remember when the "New Age" Impreza was released (seems like yesterday) and everyone was up in arms because it was so different than the first generation, which had evolved into a very aggressive looking car from the very first bare-bones Imprezas, which looked like the Geo Prisms/Toyota Corollas of the day. Back in those days I would have laughed at anyone that told me I would be driving a Subaru (and would own two).

Time will tell. I'm probably going to hold out from purchasing a new car until the new STi is revealed. In the meantime, I 'll continue to enjoy driving my bugeye.

Originally Posted by wdb

Is the WRX hood aluminum or steel?

It is steel, hence the new hood struts used to open it.

Paul