Subaru's new hatchback WRC car

Anonymous
Anonymous Posts: 79,667
edited June 2008 in The Crudcatcher
well, the new Subaru was unveiled at the Acropolis rally this weekend. what do people think of it?
will it be the end of Petter Solberg's drought? Can anything really challenge the C4?
(not discussing results yet in case people haven't seen the coverage)

Comments

  • Dazzza
    Dazzza Posts: 2,364
    Shame i can't discuss results :(

    It is an odd shape, a lot of scoobynet members don't like it but i see the potential.
    The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.
    Giant Anthem X
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    I quite like it to be honest. It certainly looks a bit more fresh.
    Not doing too bad for a new car, either.
  • big-hitter
    big-hitter Posts: 254
    personaly i dont think it looks as mean of manly as the old one, but that had been the same shape for years! also i dont think that the cars matter as much as the drivers, for instance the c4 is a good rally car but loeb is one hell of a driver! i think it would be nice to see chris actinson (sorry about the spelling!) or matt wilson win a rally or two.

    does anyone know why suzuki are bothering with this rally?

    sorry to but in on your post yeehaamcgee but what are peoples fav rally cars???

    mine would have to be the mg zr, the ford rs2000 and the cossy! (mainly beacsue my dad has oned them all!!!)
    Tree's are not soft. FACT
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    My fave would probably be either the Peugeot 205-T16, or the Lancia Delta S4. Awesome machines.

    Anyway, I do believe the cars will have a difference, the C4, for example has obvious reliability benefits on it's side, as well as the fact that it's a newer design than the old scooby.
    When drivers have a car that is at a slight disadvantage, they are forced to push it harder, which in turn damages the car, so any shortcomings are magnified.
    A tiny difference can have a big impact on stage times, especially considering the length of some of them.
  • big-hitter
    big-hitter Posts: 254
    true but the new scooby wont be any better. the old one was designed to go fast and it was rally car first, production car second. but the new one has been toned down so it will sell to familys and is alot shorter and had a higher center of gravity then most of the other cars, making it harder to control.

    you might be thinking, so what? so was the 206 and that was wicked and they also trick out the rally cars.but but subaru are putting less and less money into the team and they are pretty much reling on sponcers, so they cant get the best of the best unlike citeron witch have got the most funding out of all of the teams.
    Tree's are not soft. FACT
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Hmm I think the reason Citroen have the most funding is due to the incredible run of success they've had recently, surely sponsors try hard to outbid each other for a place on the top car?
    However, if it's PSA (citroen's parent group) that's increasing the funding, well, that's a different ballgame.

    Maybe Subaru have sadly decided to step the car down to a family hatch (I haven't heard of a crazy STi version yet) because they're struggling in rallying?
  • Surf-Matt
    Surf-Matt Posts: 5,952
    I've warmed to it - and the 300bhp road version (STi) looks ideal - subtleish super fast hatchback - never been a fan of saloons really.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    ooh, so there is a mentalist road version now then? I'd missed that somehow!
    I've liked the shape of the new hatch version since I first saw it in Autocar magazine, I think, almost a year ago.
  • BlackSpur
    BlackSpur Posts: 4,228
    What was that crazy Ford rally car they had (I think in the 80s) that got pulled straight away. I think it killed someone or something?
    "Melancholy is incompatible with bicycling." ~James E. Starrs
  • zaynan
    zaynan Posts: 180
    Imprezza has been ruined by dumming it down for the masses....But fairplay to Subaru - it's about time they made some money in Europe!

    I own a 2004 WRX wagon (great for getting the bikes in) but the new hatchback looks to have made putting more than one bike in much more difficult. Looks like I'll be going to Litchfields for a tweaked Legacy for my next Subar....
    www.practicalcycles.com
    The home of cargo bikes
  • GT Destroyer
    GT Destroyer Posts: 1,719
    BlackSpur wrote:
    What was that crazy Ford rally car they had (I think in the 80s) that got pulled straight away. I think it killed someone or something?

    I think you mean the RS200?

    FORD%20RS200%20MO1810%2010X18.jpg
    500 Miles in 5 days
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Sadly, the RS200 arrived too late. Ford never got to develop it, as the whole class (group B) was abandoned for safety reasons.
  • Dazzza
    Dazzza Posts: 2,364
    The rs200 is a deathtrap, very snappy tail end that has caught out many rally drivers.

    The new scooby is a complete redesign, funny enough it uses a 5 speed gearbox as they had a job to fit the six speed in.

    The s-gt aka wrx is a 2.5l not sure of hp id guess 240hp and it's destined for the uk markets.

    The import sti matt is on about has the 2.0l engine and is around 300hp with beefed up brakes/suspension.

    I can see what subaru did a redesign, they really want the rally crown back as they're tired of the smaller cars beating them quite comfortably afterall their sales came upon the success of the original impreza.

    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1vBN6c9yY ... re=related
    The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.
    Giant Anthem X
  • batch78
    batch78 Posts: 1,320
    Don't like the look of it, I am a fan of saloons! And what puzzles me is, how can you change the body shape, gearbox, engine, floorpan etc and still call it an Imprezza? Surely its just a remodelled Justy now!!

    Saying that it would be nice to see Subaru do well at rallying again always a little upsetting to see a Frenchman in a French car winning, thought we'd past that phase by when 205's and 5 maxi turbos became obsolete. :lol:
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    You have to hand it to Loeb though, as miserable and unemotional as he is when being interviewed
    ("how does it feel to have broken all of rallying's records?"
    "Well, it's uh, it's, uh, ok, i guess") :lol:
    He is an absolutely awesome driver.
  • batch78
    batch78 Posts: 1,320
    Given, he is awesome. Maybe he'll just do something crazy in his last rally, like Zidane did in the world cup!!
  • Surf-Matt
    Surf-Matt Posts: 5,952
    Dazzza wrote:
    The rs200 is a deathtrap, very snappy tail end that has caught out many rally drivers.

    The new scooby is a complete redesign, funny enough it uses a 5 speed gearbox as they had a job to fit the six speed in.

    The s-gt aka wrx is a 2.5l not sure of hp id guess 240hp and it's destined for the uk markets.

    The import sti matt is on about has the 2.0l engine and is around 300hp with beefed up brakes/suspension.

    I can see what subaru did a redesign, they really want the rally crown back as they're tired of the smaller cars beating them quite comfortably afterall their sales came upon the success of the original impreza.

    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1vBN6c9yY ... re=related

    Dazza - you can buy the STi with full UK road spec from any Scooby dealer. Evo mag rate it higher than the Evo X but think the Evo IX is still better than both of them!

    http://www.subaru.co.uk/Subaru_co_uk/Vi ... enuid=M1M1

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