Autoblog

Remember that unconfirmed sketch of the 2009 Subaru Forester we brought you a couple of weeks ago? It appears those scribblings will be very close to the actual tall wagon/CUV-thingy that Subaru eventually unveils. What appear to be scans of an actual brochure for the redesigned Forester (albeit a JDM version) have popped up on the NASIOC forums, as well as what looks like a scan of a Japanese auto rag cover. Though these scans are extremely tiny, we can make out a grille similar to the Tribeca's flanked by new swoopy headlights that soften up the Forester's famously blunt visage. Will the car completely lose its boxy character in favor of a Matrix/Vibe profile and swept back D-pillar as the sketch suggested? Unfortunately, these scans don't offer much enlightenment and their validity is difficult to confirm. While this scan of the Japanese auto rag's cover does show the whole vehicle, it's almost certainly a rendering and therefore doesn't necessarily show us the final version of Subaru's next Forester. Looks like we'll just have to wait until it pops up on the auto show circuit, though all signs are pointing towards a radical design departure for Subie's little CUV.

[Source: NASIOC via Straightline Blog]

NASIOC forum member Lone Wolf 75 was at Raven's Stadium recently and spotted a pack of new Imprezas apparently getting ready for some type of focus group ride-and-drive. Besides the base Impreza and WRX sedan, he saw a hatch with a roof rack and revised front end. It is most likely the new Outback Sport. As other members had pointed out, it has a different grille with a chrome strip at the top, thinner chrome sides and an elongated drop in the bottom section of the grille. Much like the STi, but with a different mesh-patterned insert. It also sports the new front fascia, over-fenders and restyled rockers of previous Outbacks in a contrasting silver color. The two-tone look is a bit debatable, making the car look like a mismatched mule rather than a production model, but the overall package is tasteful. We had seen the back and side before, but this is our first look at the Outback-ed front end.

[Source: NASIOC]

Click the image above for a gallery.

Although our initial (negative) impression of the restyled Impreza remains, every time it's caught in the wild with a de-chromed, color-matched grille, we warm up to it a bit more. Sure, the headlights and profile still scream Corolla, but it's amazing what a nose job can do – just ask Ashley Simpson.

These most recent shots of the 2008 Impreza come courtesy of a NASIOC member who was attending an event hosted by ESX Motorsports, one of the top Subie tuners in the nation.

As we said before, we're still not entirely convinced that the redesign is in the best interest of the Impreza, especially those taillights, but if the driving dynamics remain, we'll just force ourselves to get over it.

[Source: NASIOC]

The aftermarket potential of the new 2008 Impreza is likely to equal that of its predecessors, and one Subaru of America employee is getting into the game early. Sporting a set of bronze Grams Light 57Fs, held on by blue anodized lug nuts and equipped with the Duracon shift knob found on the SpecC RA-R, this black five-door model was spotted by a camera phone-wielding member of the NASIOC community in New Jersey.

Aside from the aforementioned exterior and interior bits, the new front-end has dispatched the chrome grille surround with a color-matched piece, while the right side of the instrument cluster looks to be sporting either a shift light or a remote mounted boost gauge.

Questions remain about what this particular Impreza, that hasn't even begun production, is doing sporting some aftermarket gear. Is it a test mule for SOA or for a parts manufacturer? Should we expect a similarly modded version at SEMA this year? We're looking forward to an answer to all these questions and more. Hopefully soon.

Thanks for the tip, Mike!

Follow the 'Read' link for all the pics.

[Source: North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club]

The folks over at the North American Subaru Impreza Owner's Club (NASIOC) were kind enough to post a translated article from Yahoo! News that outlines the future use of CVTs by Subaru.

According to the article, Subaru is currently developing a CVT to be used in conjunction with their new boxer diesel on models sporting two-liter engines, including the upcoming Forester and Legacy models. Both models are expected to bow sometime in 2008, at which point other CVT-equipped vehicles will follow.

Since CVTs are said to offer a 10-percent boost in fuel economy, it's probably a smart move to equip Subaru's upcoming diesels with the gear-less tranny. As for the rest of the Subaru lineup, we're not entirely convinced.

[Source: NASIOC via Straightline]