I think some misunderstand why people cry over the 08 wrx.
First of all, "ugly" is not really a good word to describe the 08. Plain, boring, generic, and other-car looking are better terms. I agree it does look somewhat better in person, but so do the previous usdm wrxs. The only thing that can save the 08 is the hatch w/ the factory upgrade million-dollar grill.
Second of all, people aren't angry at subaru for doing anything in particular detrimentally wrong. Performance-wise, it's still just as good as the previous wrx in most ways, and even better in others (namely, double-wishbone suspension). The improvements, however, stop there. THAT is why we are angry. Subaru could've shaved a hundred pounds or so, put a twinscroll setup w/ avcs, better brakes (or at least KEEP the 4 pots), forged internals, better flowing heads, a stronger tranny. bigger/lighter rims/tires, whatever. They could've done SO many things to make the wrx a better performing car. Evos and ms3s were stepping ALL OVER the wrx, and the 08 was supposed to be subaru's answer. It was supposed to take back the glory it once had when the wrx first hit us shores. But what did subaru do? They threw it on a couch, turned on the tv and fed it potato chips until it turned into a middle-aged, chubby, uninteresting mama's "bring-your-kid-to-soccer practice" car. They abandoned their loyal fans in hopes of winning over civic and prius drivers. THAT is why I, as well as many other wrx owners, despise it.
The sti, on the other hand, is another story. Hopefully subaru can redeem itself with that.