Spy Shots: 2012 Subaru Impreza shows its face

Subaru released a side profile shot of its 2012 Impreza sedan ahead of the car's New York Auto Show debut, and now, our trusty spy photographers have caught the new Subie out in public, revealing its fresh face. Rather unfortunately, the production-spec Impreza looks to be a pretty drastic departure from the decidedly hot concept car that bowed at the Los Angeles Auto Show last November.

The automaker is keeping quiet about what's under the hood of its new Impreza (the black car seen above looks like it might be a base model), but the brand has already confirmed that a revised version of the trusty boxer flat-four powerplant will be on hand and good for 36 miles per gallon on the highway – a figure all but unmatched in the all-wheel drive kingdom. Subaru will continue to offer the Impreza in both sedan and hatchback formats, and of course, AWD will be standard.

As for the design, we'll wait until the 2012 WRX and STI present themselves before making the final judgments. Slap some more aggressive styling elements on this thing, along with rally-spec blue paint and gold wheels, and perhaps we'll be singing a different tune.

[Images: Brian Williams for Brenda Priddy & Company]