2012-15 Subaru Impreza Review

Full time AWD make this so much more than a small economy car.

To be fair, this one is really pushing the "on a budget" bit, but a search can find you a used one at a good price...

The Impreza was completely redesigned inside and out along with the engine and transmissions for 2012. Now, this car isn't exactly a budget car, or necessarily an "economy" car, but with its updates it is getting closer to that realm; even with the All Wheel Drive (AWD)! So if you live in a area where you don't have the best of weather, where everyone seems to think an SUV is the only option, please read on and see that there are other options.

But before all of that, lets take a look at the 'new' Subaru Impreza sedan and hatchback:

Different Styles:

The Impreza comes in three main models: the regular Impreza, a sporty version called the WRX, and a super sporty WRX STI. The Impreza comes in either a sedan or a hatchback and up until 2014 the WRX and WRX STI did as well, now they are both only available as sedans. The Impreza comes with a new 2.0L 4 cylinder Boxer engine. The WRX comes with the same one but with a turbo, and the WRX STI is a 2.5L turbo version. Subaru's engines are different because the cylinders are horizontal instead of vertical like most 4 cylinders and not V shaped like some 6 and 8 cylinders. One advantage of having this type of engine is that it has a much lower center of gravity, meaning handling will be much better, however they tend to be a tad louder and go through oil a bit faster than normal engines. 

This review will be covering the most economical and budget friendly of the three, the Impreza, which comes with either a 5 speed manual or a CVT (Continually Various Transmission). 

Styling and Comfort Impressions:

The front of both the sedan and hatchback look the same, they don't have super aggressive "faces" but they have enough lines and a pointed and sloped enough nose to look somewhat sporty and agile instead of pudgy. The hatchback has a higher roof line in the back and a sloping back end that doesn't make it look like it got kicked in the but to take up less space. The sedan's trunk doesn't seem to rise as high as others giving the car a more planted look. I like the look of the outside of these cars for the same reason I like the new Honda Civic, they seem to have everything in proportion a bit better than other companies; somewhat large windows, not over sized tires and a nice flowing design instead of super edgy and sharp.

When getting inside it seems like they might have ran out of ideas or the budget to really make it seem fancy or modern. Its not all hard plastics, but there are not a lot of soft ones either. The dark on dark interior once again to me seems to feel too plain than the beige (tan?) and black choice ( I think I might have a bias here) but it just brightens it up. Like, nothing looks bad, but it just doesn't look as modern as it could have been to really compete with other cars in it's class, I think its because the lines are too straight, not curved and flowing like in other cars.
Take a look:

I like the large knobs for the air controls ( I think Subaru expects you to possibly be wearing gloves while doing this) as they are easy to grab and aren't too far down of a reach from the wheel. The buttons are kept to a minimum and once again are quite large. You can of course upgrade to a better media unit with back up camera. Leather and heated seats are also easy options. 
This is a relatively large car for it's class so it goes without saying that there is plenty of room up front and in the back with lots of headroom as well. The seats are comfortable and its pretty easy to get a good driving position. The windows are relatively large and go down low so visibility is pretty good in both the sedan and the hatchback. Trunk space in both the sedan and the hatchback is pretty good, the seat backs fold down relatively flat so if you get the hatchback you have a huge space to move bulky items. 

Driving Impressions:

Firstly, I haven't had a chance to drive this new Impreza in the winter or any sort of bad weather in general, but I have driven a Subaru Legacy that my family used to have in some of the worst winter weather I can remember, and as the Impreza is just a smaller version of the Legacy, it should be very similar. With the AWD you basically just don't have to worry about not having some sort of traction or control in bad weather, as long as you have a decent set of tires on as well. But remember, having a car with AWD doesn't mean you will be able to stop better in bad weather, the only thing that can help with that is good tires and good brakes. So AWD is great in snow and bad weather, but how does this new Impreza with its CVT transmission perform in most driving conditions?
This was the first car I ever drove with a CVT transmission and I was a little hesitant going in hearing all the bad things about CVTs. But luckily Subaru, like Honda, has one of the best CVTs out there and its really no problem. The 2.0L Boxer engine has plenty of power and torque for this size of car. The main difference between a normal transmission and this new CVT is the lack of gear changes and the lack of high revving. 
When I was driving it I would test its acceleration in a variety of different settings and it is a bit odd because on most situations where you put your foot down (about 70-90% down) from a stop or from a slow speed to high speed, like merging onto the highway, the revs never go higher than about 4,000 RPM. But as I stated before, it has plenty of power and torque so you never really need to go above this, but if you do put your foot all the way down, hold on because it really goes!
The engine is pretty quiet from the inside when idling, driving around town and cruising on the highway. The only time it gets a little loud is when pushing it hard, the CVT drones a bit. There isn't much road noise and the suspension is a nice combo of sporty and comfortable so there isn't much body roll and you always feel in control.
As it is a large car for the "compact" class, parking isn't as easy as some others, but still much easier that say a Camry or Malibu....

Overall:

I really like this car. I like the looks on the outside; inside could use a bit of work but its functional which I give points for. All Time AWD is always a good thing to have and the car just feels secure when driving at all times. It is comfortable and roomy with plenty of cargo room. I would say the hatchback style of the Impreza would be a great first / only car for anyone that has a bit more of an active lifestyle or lives in a place where the weather isn't the best. I would certainly love to have this car if it was the only one I would have access to. It's a Subaru, so it is built well and with proper maintenance should last a long time, I know both my family's Subaru's lasted around 300,000 KMs before they started giving major trouble or got destroyed by people with cars that couldn't handle the conditions.  It may be out of most first time buyers price point brand new, but if you do a good search you should be able to find a nice used one at a reasonable price.

Facts/ Figures:

Sedan:

Price ( for mid trim level): $25,000+

AWD

MPG (approx*): 25 city, 36 highway

Cargo room (approx*): 13 CuFt

Length: 180''

Width: 69''

Tank Size (gal): 14.8

Miles on one tank (using combined MPG figures): 458

Average used price with 60,000KM or less: $17,000+ 

Hatchback:

Price ( for mid trim level): $25,000+

AWD

MPG (approx*): 25 city, 36 highway

Cargo room (approx*): 22 / 53 CuFt

Length: 174''

Width: 69''

Tank Size (gal): 14.8

Miles on one tank (using combined MPG figures): 458

Average used price with 60,000KM or less: $18,000+

* when I say "approx" I usually am using the numbers given by the actual manufacturer or Consumer Reports, minus 1 to be a bit more realistic. 

Links:
Subaru USA
Subaru Canada

Please feel free to leave a comment to tell me how Im doing or suggestions for future posts / reviews.

J.K.