The 08 ‘Rex came in with 224 HP – not unhealthy.  For 2009, Subaru’s engineers got to work, and the result is brilliant – 265 horses from that little boxer engine.  That’s not too far from the top dog STI, for the record.

The bigger turbo is the big news of course, and accounts for that HP bump.  But Subaru wasn’t lazy with the 09 WRX – they also updated the suspension with some STI bits, and put summer tires on as standard equipment.  Considering the WRX’s performance-based theme, that makes sense.

Some will cry that the WRX is still underpowered.  After all, an Altima has 270 HP these days.  To those people, I say – what a load of crap.  The WRX has never been the fastest car around.  It is a reasonably fast car ( now a bit faster ), that handles fantastically, and can be driven all year round, regardless of the climate.   Turbocharged, AWD fun is the name of the game, and Subaru has it nailed.

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Meet the all-new Subaru Exiga.  It joins it’s brother the Tribeca as one of automobiledom’s most poorly named vehicles.  Ugly names aside, what’s the Exiga all about?  Well, it’s a “crossover”, today’s greatest buzzword.  More specifically, it’s a 7 seat crossover.  Hiding under the hood is a 146 HP 2.0 liter flat 4.  More daring souls could choose the turbocharged flat-4 that makes 222 HP – a wise choice.

As of now, the Exiga won’t make it here to the US – at least not with that name.  More likely it will become the Outback.  That’s a good thing, because I instantly know that an Outback is a Subaru – an all-wheel-drive, reasonably priced, safe vehicle.  I would have no idea that Exiga is supposed to be a combination of “exciting” and “active”, nor would a particular brand or purpose come to mind. 

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The 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI is cursed with one of the worst names in the automotive world.  Rivaled only by the Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec-V, the 2008 STI is all new this year, and only available as a hatchback.  That right there kills the STI for many folks, because wagons / hatchbacks just aren’t in, at least here in the US.  On a positive note, the giant wing that plagued the previous STI sedan is gone.

The heart of the STI, that turbocharged boxer 4, was also tweaked for 2008, and received 12 horsepower bump.  Peak torque ( 290 lb-ft ) comes in 400 RPM lower, which should aid drivability a tad.  If you’re willing to abuse the clutch, the quarter mile will disappear in about 13.3 seconds – not to shabby for a compact hatch.  Handling is fantastic, though a tad worse than last year’s model. 

The biggest problems I have with the STI are looks and price.  I’m not a hatchback kind of guy… and even if I was, I would think the STI is ugly.  Besides that, the price is astronomical.  $35 grand for a Subaru?  If you strap on Navigation and the fancy wheels, you’re staring at a nearly $40 price tag.  FOR A SUBARU.  Forty grand buys a whole lot of cars these days that don’t say Subaru on the back.  Performance aside, I think that still says a lot. 

2008 Subaru Impreza STI Specs

• 305 HP 2.5 liter turbocharged 4 cylinder engine
• 6 speed manual transmission
• Standard AWD
• 18″ alloy wheels standard
• Base MSRP : $34,995
• EPA Says: 17 mpg city / 23 mpg highway

2008 Subaru Impreza STI Reviews

TTAC reviews the 2008 Subaru Impreza STI and isn’t thrilled with the interior – ‘The STI’s interior is a travesty at the price. Someone (Subaru? GM? Toyota?) replaced the previous car’s nice-for-an-econo-box plastics with crap. Crap whose crappiness is increased exponentially in full consideration of the STI’s $40k price tag. The STI’s cabin “boasts” a cartoonishly oversized (or is that MINIshly?) tachometer, festooned with green and pink neon lights, which glows a deep orange-red. Now that’s cooking with class! Radio buttons on the steering wheel of an STI? In a word, nyet!‘

Inside Line reviews the 2008 Subaru Impreza STI and has this to say – ‘Our 2008 STI’s 0.90g skid pad performance (while exceptional) is slightly below the old car’s 0.93g effort. Perhaps the 245/40R18 Dunlop Sport SP 600 tires don’t have as much ultimate grip as the Bridgestone Potenza RE070s of old. At the same time, we couldn’t feel the difference on the open road, where real corners that feature direction changes more closely mimic the slalom.’

Motive Mag reviews the 2008 Subaru Impreza STI and has this to say – ‘I walked away from Subaru’s latest hot pocket wanting more, especially on these roads. This new STI is a more refined, more mature, and more capable performance sedan than ever before. At its $35,995 base price, it isn’t cheap, but it’s certainly attainable for a lot of driving enthusiasts. The STI’s real charm is that it not only represents a decent value when placed up against expected rivals like the upcoming Mitsubishi Evo X, but also less obvious 300+ horsepower performance coupes like Infiniti’s G37 and BMW’s 135i.’

Popular Mechanics reviews the 2008 Subaru Impreza STI and has this to say – ‘And, of course, part of that confidence comes from the massive brake package. The Brembo brakes are now emblazoned with “STI” emblems, and the dual-piston rear calipers now use larger pistons. Rotors grow from 12.77 in. to 13.0 in. up front, and from 12.3-in. to 12.6-in. at the rear. Pedal feel is dramatically improved from the 2007 car, but the distance separating the gas and brake pedal feels wider. And the brake pedal itself feels higher—much closer to the driver. So pulling off clean heel-toe downshifts requires a significantly longer jab.’

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Subaru went to work on the ‘Rex for 2008, and went against the grain. Nearly every manufacturer, when redesigning an existing model, chooses to make the new model bigger inside and out, as well as heavier. Subaru resisted this urge ( Kudos! ), and actually ended up with a lighter WRX than the previous model. The sedan is actually longer, but the hatchback is shorter. Interior room is improved with both models as well.
At 3152 lbs, the 2008 WRX isn’t necessarily a lightweight, but you must consider that it does have standard AWD. When you factor that in, the WRX is exceptionally light. The 224 HP from the turbo boxer engine come a little lower in the RPM range this year too, which makes it easier to drive.

Styling is still subjective. The sedan is pretty much inoffensive, but less edgy than last year. I’m no fan of hatchbacks, so you can make your own decision in that regard. I can’t help but wonder that Subaru softened the look of the WRX too much, which may turn off the target buyer.

2008 Subaru Impreza WRX Specs

• 224 HP 2.5 liter Turbocharged flat-4
• 5 speed manual transmission
• AWD
• 14.3 seconds through the quarter mile
• Curb weight: 3152 lbs
• EPA Says : 19 mpg city / 24 mpg highway

2008 Subaru Impreza WRX Reviews

Motor Trend reviews the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX and writes – ‘In the new WRX, boost pressure has been tweaked down to 11.9 psi, creating peak power and torque numbers identical to the outgoing WRX’s. The difference is all 224 horses and 226 pound-feet are available 800 rpm earlier, an improvement in every driving situation, although there’s no measurable difference at the dragstrip: The new WRX turns in a 5.6-second sprint to 60 mph and a quarter mile time of 14.3, virtually identical to the performance turned in by the previous-gen WRX we tested last year (5.6, 14.2).’

Cnet reviews the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX and writes – ‘On our first run out in the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX, we felt the power of the intercooled and turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. Acceleration is good below 2,500rpm, but above that it becomes incredible as the turbo spins up and the car gets its peak 224 horsepower. So we thought it would be interesting to run some acceleration tests starting with and without the turbo wide open.’

Inside Line reviews the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX and writes – ‘These days, every new model weighs more than the one before, and manufacturers keep adding power to compensate. Subaru has done exactly the opposite. Through the same clever engineering that brought the WRX to the U.S. in the first place, the Japanese carmaker has minimized the weight of this more spacious, all-wheel-drive WRX to retain its head-snapping acceleration.’

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Subaru dropped the “B9″ part of the Tribeca name, and the vehicle soldiers on as the Subaru Tribeca, rather than the Subaru B9 Tribeca. Also gone is the garish, almost obscene grille that damaged the eyes of millions across the globe. Strangely, Subaru looked to the Chrysler Pacifica, a failed SUV if ever there was one, when redesigning the grille. Now, instead of an automotive atrocity, the Subaru Tribeca looks like a slightly smaller Pacifica. Folks, if you’re going to copy a design, copy a good one, really.

The 2008 Tribeca starts a hair under $30,000, and comes with AWD standard as is the Subaru norm. Your choice of 2 or 3 rows of seats, though the third row will of course cost you extra. No matter which trim level you get, the interior looks the same – futuristic, swoopy, and almost cool. Instead it comes off as too cozy and distracting looking. I’ll give Subie credit for trying though – too many manufacturer’s are afraid to create a distinctive interior.

Overall I don’t like the Tribeca. It’s less offensive than before, but it doesn’t look good. The interior is goofy, the curb weight is too high, and the gas mileage is poor. The choice to style it after a failed Chrysler product is completely baffling to me, and it makes me wonder who’s getting paid to make calls like those. Subaru should stick to cars like the Impreza and Impreza WRX – ugly cars that rock.

2008 Subaru Tribeca Specs

• 256 HP 3.6 liter flat-6
• 5 speed automatic transmission
• 4 wheel ABS standard
• EPA Says : 18 mpg city / 23 mpg highway
• Curb Weight : 4129 lbs

2008 Subaru Tribeca Reviews

Cars.com reviews the 2008 Subaru Tribeca and writes – ‘The optional leather seats are firm but were comfortable for the duration of the long drive. What made for some discomfort, though, was the lack of a telescoping steering column; it only tilts. I’m 6-foot-1, and I usually find myself adjusting the driver seat far backward to achieve a comfortable distance from the pedals. Once in position, I had to extend my arms farther than I’d like to reach the steering wheel, which made for a sore upper back after a few hours on the road.’

The Detroit News reviews the 2008 Subaru Tribeca and writes – ‘Be that as it may, let’s indulge the marketing folks with the notion that the Tribeca will carry stacks of artists’ canvases as easily as it does the cast of a Broadway play. With a front end bearing a Subaru star framed by a set of chromed wings, the Tribeca somewhat resembles a modernistic street rod. The new front end is designed to solve styling complaints focused on the oddly trapezoidal grille. The visage of the original suggested more the face of a koala bear than a raptor.’

TTAC reviews the 2008 Subaru Tribeca and writes – ‘Getting the “old” Tribeca to move out of its own way was like asking an iceberg to dance. Given the previous engine’s impolite appetite for premium fuel, there wasn’t much Subaru could do to rectify the Tribeca’s sloth. So they didn’t do much. They modified the existing H6 engine package to run on regular, added variable valve timing to the exhaust valves and fitted a shortened conrod. Voila! The Tribeca’s powerplant grows from 3.0-liters to 3.6-liters, increasing power by 11 horses (to 256hp) and adding 32 ft-lbs. of torque (up to 247 ft.-lbs.).’

Hi there – could you help spread the word about Houston Cars? I could really use your help in getting my work out to new readers. If you would send someone a link, email, or even mention it to your friends, I would appreciate it. 2008 Subaru Tribeca Review is a post from: Houston Cars, home of the best darn car reviews around.