Autoblog

Tom Design @ Jun 22nd 2006 6:58PM

I like Subaru cars. They have dated drivetrains which, because of the AWD layout can't be stretched easily, making really cramped for room rear seats. They have 4-speed automatics.

My sister has just bought the WRX and it is a lot of fun in a tiny compartment! It's similar to the tight interior on my A4 wagon, but it moves a heck of a lot faster than the Audi. The Audi's interior is beyond reproach, if a boringly bland in the grey enamel option/grey leather. The WRX has some bizarre loose fabric on the seat covers, that I thought was a cheap car seat cover, and the general look is more "rally" than "oh, really!"

The utilitarian look of the Fit and similar Japanese econoboxes, built to be tall narrow and cheap for the downtown driving in Japan is not my idea of a passenger car. These are pragmatic B-box cars easily turned into take-out food delivery vans. Somehow, where the Fit design fails, there's just enough old school, quirky Subaru styling in here, to make me actually like this economy B-box.

For the most part, Subaru styling has gone Toyota boring; the day of the beautiful SVX and edgy Subaru Brats is gone. Now, we have to endure a morphed-from-the-last-gen-Corolla looking Impreza. The Legend model doesn't stand out from a 2005 Honda, LaCrosse, Camry, or Altima.

But, at least Subaru had a prominent, oval, grill opening filled with their funky global chrome ornament. It was the way you identified the Subaru, seeing that funky chrome "broach" like emblem.

The grill show here is such a direct ripoff of the new Ford company's three bar grill, even in stealing their blue oval shape, that I was shocked! Subaru, shame on you!