Cars

Subaru prepares for the future

Subaru has unveiled a new Impreza, though the company is evaluating whether to bring it to Ireland
Subaru has unveiled a new Impreza, though the company is evaluating whether to bring it to Ireland Subaru has unveiled a new Impreza, though the company is evaluating whether to bring it to Ireland

YOU'RE nobody these days in the car world unless you have a new 'platform' to tout, writes William Scholes.

'Platform' in this case doesn't mean the place where you stand and hope the 8.12am train to Great Victoria Street will arrive on time. Eventually.

Rather, platform, is the catch-all word used to describe the oily bits beneath your car - the floorpan, the suspension, the engine, gearboxes, even the stuff that makes the heater work and the electrical kit function.

Platforms are rather expensive to develop, so it's no surprise that when designing them, engineers have a keen on eye on making them flexible enough to be tailored to different size and styles of car.

The Volkswagen Group, for example, uses a version of the same platform beneath the Volkswagen Golf, Audi A3, Skoda Octavia, Seat Leon, Audi TT, Volkswagen Tiguan, Seat Ateca... you get the idea.

Subaru is the latest to unveil a new platform, the firstfruits of which is this, a new Impreza.

The United States is big business for Subaru, so the new car has been unveiled there in saloon and hatchback form, and the company is assessing whether it should bring the hatch to these shores.

Compared to the phenomenon that the original Impreza became, the latest models to bear the name have been a little lacklustre, and it's arguable that a new hatch isn't exactly what the company needs in Ireland at a time when SUVs and crossovers, a Subaru speciality, are what the market craves.

Either way, the new underpinnings, called 'Global Platform' by Subaru, promise "higher levels of driving pleasure, agility, crash protection and ride comfort".

The new platform will eventually find its way under a number of new Subaru models, including hybrids and the company's next generation of SUVs and crossovers.

As ever, Subaru's trademark 'Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive' system is standard, along with another of the company's longstanding technologies in the form of four-cylinder 'boxer' configuration engines.

Its 'EyeSight' driver safety system is also built in, bringing with it adaptive cruise control, automatic pre-collision braking and lane departure and sway warning, plus a lane keep assist function. blind spot detection and rear cross traffic alert. Plenty to keep you out of trouble, in other words.

Subaru says the new Impreza also debuts a new design language, though in truth it doesn't look a lot different to something like the Levorg GT. Modest, low-key design is another Subaru hallmark, after all.

Meanwhile, the supremely capable and versatile Forester SUV has been given a raft of minor improvements, aimed at improving safety, convenience, comfort and refinement.

There are styling tweaks inside and out, more soundproofing material, thicker glass, LED headlamps which can follow the direction in which the driver is steering and suspension changes.

Engines and transmissions remain unchanged, meaning a mix of boxer petrol and diesel units and manual and CVT gearboxes.

Prices in the nine-model Forester range start at £25,495 for the 2.0i petrol XE and £26,995 for 2.0D diesel XC models, rising to £30,995 for the high-powered 2.0 DIT XT model.