First Look: 2012 Subaru Impreza Design Concept

The Future Looks Promising

While Subaru may not admit it, for all intents and purposes, you're likely looking at the next-generation Impreza. Penned under a new "confidence in motion" design philosophy, the internationally known four-door receives clean and simple character traits that continue to evoke the brand's iconic anytime-anywhere attitude.

Designers styled the front clip in a manner that accentuates its bulk and strength. The brand's hexagonal grille takes its prominent place at the nose and includes a badge flanked by wings. Slim "hawk eye" headlights wrap far into the highly accentuated wheel arches (like those of the current Legacy), giving the model a strong sense of speed and confidence.

But the avian motif doesn't end there. Skinny wing-shaped fog lights find their ways inside lower air inlets. As it is a "four-door coupe", the side profile remains trim with slim windows and blacked out b-pillars. Tiny dual rearview cameras protrude from atop the a-pillar and send their views to the dash's high-definition touch display.

Like the front, the concept's hindquarters take on a hexagonal shape. LED taillights extend into the quarter panels, while underbody diffusers reduce drag and improve fuel economy. A 2.0-liter version of Subaru's current 2.5-liter Boxer motivates all four multi-spoke wheels. Fuel ratings are further improved by the Lineartronic continuously variable transmission.

The Impreza's sophisticated, yet uncomplicated theme continues inside. Platinum colored leather with double stitching and blue piping wraps each of the four buckets. A large central touch display relays all pertinent vehicle and multimedia information. Matching haptic controls on the sport steering wheel make switching channels or volume adjustment a cinch. There's also a forward facing EyeSight camera that not only provides a camera for extra visibility, but additionally acts as a collision avoidance tool.

Although labeled a design concept, the Impreza is quite telling of the brand. It successfully melds environmental friendliness, ride comfort, luxury, and all-wheel drive athleticism into a modern and attractive package. More interestingly, it serves as our best indication of what the speedier two-door "Toyo-Baru" could look like. As for further details on both the standard and go-fast versions, you'll have to stay tuned to this channel for all your latest news.