The 2008 WRX and WRX STi are all new for 2008, meaning that virtually every component or system within the car has been substantially revised, starting with its underlying structure.

Both the WRX and STi are larger than their predecessors. Wheelbase has increased nearly four inches, to 103.3 inches overall, while width has increased more than two inches. In general, the larger exterior dimensions translate to more room inside the car. The WRX four-door sedan, developed specifically for the United States, is more than six inches longer than the five-door hatchback.

Some of the changes aren't apparent to the eye, including a new double-wishbone rear suspension. With this design, the suspension towers encroach less into the WRX's interior and allow more usable cargo space. Both the WRX and STi have an aluminum hood, which reduces weight in front and helps distribute the car's mass more evenly over the front and rear wheels. The engine now sits slightly lower in the chassis, and that helps lower the overall center of gravity. It's a noteworthy consideration in a car designed to maximize performance.

Racy styling, of course, has always been a WRX calling card, full of wings and vents and boy-racer add-ons. In this respect, the 2008 models may disappoint some faithful fans, because all are more subtle, perhaps more holistic, than their predecessors. The aggressive look flows less from accoutrements on their bodies and more from their basic shapes.

The changes start in front and surge backward from there. The new grille and front end are wider and bit less vertical, with a more prominent logo. Subaru says the look is intended to create a connection to its heritage as an aircraft manufacturer. In side view, the most prominent bit of design is a sharp crease that extends from the front wheel arch and runs just above the door handles all the way to the rear. It helps create the impression of a wedge, and emphasizes the aggressive flare of the rockers between the wheels. From the rear, the WRX sedan and hatchback are distinguished by more than the obvious trunk lid, or lack thereof. The sedan has conventional red taillight lenses, while those on the hatchback are clear.

American buyers overwhelmingly prefer sedans to hatchbacks, but in the WRX's case we'll take the hatch, and not just for its practical benefits. We'd say it's the more handsome car. Its roofline runs in a single, elegant curve from the base of the windshield to a spoiler at the top of the rear glass, and its rear overhang is considerably shorter than the sedan's. The basic shape is reminiscent of the Audi A3 hatchback, only rounder and stretched out around the bottom.

The STi is available only as a hatchback, and it's the raciest looking WRX of all, particularly with the optional forged, thin-spoke BBS wheels. The STi was first created as a homologation car, or a required street-legal copy of Subaru's winning World Rally Championship competitors. Its fenders bulge more prominently than those on the other WRX models to stretch over its extra-wide tires, and all its various vents and air deflectors are functional. Yet like the other 2008 WRXs, the STi is more subtle than before. Its working air scoop flows more smoothly into the hood, and the integrated spoiler above its rear glass is far less obvious than the honking, two-stage rear wing of yore.

The STi unitbody also has some significant enhancements compared to other WRX models, starting with extra high-strength steel at suspension mounting points and key structural joints. Yet the structure within all Impreza models has been thoroughly re-engineered for the first time in more than a decade. Subaru claims that, while the 2008 body shells are larger, stronger and less prone to flexing than their predecessors, they are also lighter.

The new Impreza applies the latest evolution of what Subaru calls its Ring Frame Reinforced body design. Think of RFR as a safety cell in roughly a cube shape around the passenger compartment, made of hydroformed sections and steel pieces stamped from tailored blanks. The idea is more strength and rigidity without an undue increase in weight, and it may help explain the Impreza's excellent ratings in NHTSA crash tests. The first objective of RFR is better occupant protection, but the structural improvements pay dividends in many respects, from more responsive handling to improved smoothness in just about every aspect of the car's operation.

Interior Features

Inside, the redesigned 2008 WRX is a bit roomier and a lot nicer than the previous-generation model. Since its introduction in the late 1990s, the WRX has been more about the go than the accommodations, but this new one puts things on more equal terms. Features, too, are more upscale. Niceties such as a sophisticated anti-theft system, cabin air filtration and an outside temperature gauge come standard, while a navigation system is optional.

The front bucket seats in the standard WRX are upholstered with a soft, woven fabric, double stitched in the fashion of a luxury car. At least as important, these seats provide a good compromise between support and comfort. There's enough side bolstering top and bottom to keep occupants snug during fairly aggressive driving, but there's also plenty of give in the cushions. The leather/Alcantara seats in the STi are more like aftermarket performance seats, which means harder and more heavily bolstered. They're even better for hard driving, but the snugger fit leaves less squirm room during longer, more relaxed travel, and they demand more energy to climb in and out of.

Seat adjustments are fairly simple, but also effective, allowing people of various sizes to get properly situated. Overall, the WRX driving position is excellent. Most drivers will be able to reach all controls, including those for adjusting side mirrors, without lifting head or shoulders from the seatback. One minor gripe regarding the armrests: They're positioned such that each elbow rests at a slightly different height.

Overall the cabin is more subdued than before, with no embroidered logos to remind occupants what they're sitting in. The gauges are less garish, too, but easy to read and backlit with orange light. The trim is a metal-ized silver plastic. You can find more attractively grained plastics and maybe richer looking trim materials in this price range, but nothing in the WRX looks cheap enough to kill the deal. That's at least partly because the dashboard layout is so straightforward and effective.

Subaru calls the dash a twin cockpit design. Translation: The size and shape are roughly symmetrical on both the driver and passenger sides, with a big, outreaching center stack in the middle. All the gauges are clustered in a single binnacle directly in front of the driver. The four dash vents are fully adjustable and large enough to move plenty of air.

An LCD information display sits under its own hood at the top of the center stack, with temperature indicator, time and other information. At the bottom sit three big climate-control knobs: one each for temperature, airflow direction and fan speed, easy to grab with barely a peripheral glance, operating with a nice tactile sensation that conveys the amount of adjustment. In between is the standard audio head or the optional nav screen. Both are good sized and easy to manipulate. While the audio knobs aren't as big as those for the air conditioning, most adjustments are replicated with buttons on the steering wheel spokes.

Interior storage is average and easily accessible. The glove box is deep, holding more stuff than most, and there's a lined bin in front of the gearshift for phones, openers or glasses. A pair of cupholders sits in the center console, just right of the handbrake and hidden with a sliding cover in the STi. Another cupholder in each door pocket is large enough for a 24-ounce bottle. The box in the center console has jacks for MP3 players and a power point. Models with the navigation system also feature a video jack. This allows video games or DVD players to project on the nav screen, but only when the car is parked.

In all, this WRX feels less confining, perhaps more airy, than the previous generation. The glass seems more expansive, even though the side windows are now framed in the doors, rather than pressed against weather-stripping on the roof and roof columns, coupe style. In front, the feeling of space is most noticeable in the extra distance between occupants' shoulders. In back it's a bit more hip room and more headroom.

The rear door openings are larger than before, and shaped in a way that eliminates the big head bob required to get into the previous WRX. Sliding in and out is easier. The rear seatback is not so upright, either, and reclined at a more comfortable angle. There's room enough here for a couple of six-footers to stay comfortable for a reasonable period of time, though not enough for three. If the outside rear seats are occupied, the middle spot is best left to a youngster.

Trunk space? With 11.3 cubic feet, the WRX sedan falls toward the lower end of its size class, with a bit less than the less-expensive Honda Civic Si sedan or the more expensive BMW 328i (both 12 cubic feet). Still, the WRX's rear seatback splits and folds forward. With the 60-percent portion laid flat, there's enough room to slide two golf bags in through the trunk, and still leave room for a third passenger.

Cargo space in the five-door hatch is another story. The basic profile is different than that of the previous Impreza wagon, with more taper to the rear glass than a conventional, boxy wagon shape. Point being, there's less cargo space than the wagon offered. Nonetheless, with 19 cubic feet, rear seat up, there's a lot more space than what's available in the typical small sedan's truck. The hatchback also allows taller objects to be contained with the car. And when the rear seat is folded cargo capacity expands to 44 cubic feet, with easy access from the rear side doors to help push things in and out.

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