This week we are reviewing the Subaru Impreza Sport tech 5 door with EyeSight. Our vehicle was assembled at the Lafayette plant in the United States and has an MSRP of 31695.00 CAD.
Fun Factor: 5
Can it Family: 7
Fuel-Friendly: 8
HWY-warrior: 7
Karaoke-Friendly: 5
Baby-Friendly: 7
City Cruising: 7
While the Impreza might not be the most engaging vehicle we've tested this year, it felt secure and easy to maneuver; Subaru put lots of effort into bringing a compelling sedan inside-out. The engine underneath the hood that drives all four wheels is a 2.0L boxer four-cylinder with 152hp and 145 lb-ft of torque. The CVT liked to be revved to punch out the most out of this boxer engine. The vehicle has 2 modes found directly on the steering wheel; the first Intelligent (I), where it will use the most efficient tuning of the engine to get you forward, the second; Sport(S) mode enhances throttle response to give the most of the engine's power. As for handling, it is quite precise, and this is what made us enjoy it so much. The Impreza is one of the few vehicles available with AWD and a manual transmission like the Crosstrek. We can only imagine it would be as much fun to drive in the snow as we loved our experience in the Crosstrek last winter.
Family wise, the interior was enjoyed by all the family members. While the beige seats would not be our first choice for a family, it brightens the interior and makes it stand apart from other vehicles in its class. Seating comfort is good; they give you the sensation of being in a sports car and offer excellent support. Those seats were naturally heated for those cooler fall days coming our way. Rear seating offered pleasant seating for our 3 children; the center seat is not as soft as the outer seats, but our middle child didn't complain. As for adult seating capacity, we would say it's best to limit to 2 passengers in the back.
The average fuel economy we observed with the Subaru Impreza was 8.4L/100km during our 500km test. The fuel economy we saw in the city was 9.2L/100km, and on the HWY, we achieved a fuel economy of 6.2L/100km. The fact that our Sport model comes with active grill shutters might have helped. Subaru announces a fuel economy of 8.4L/100km in the city and 6.6L/100km.
On the HWY, the 5-door Impreza is undoubtedly one of the safest vehicles available for its price thanks to its EyeSight system; it takes away a lot of the risk from driving on congested Highways. Other vehicles equipped with similar systems don't always make you feel safe as they break too late or too early or become a nuisance due to the loud warning chimes. This is not the case with this system. If the vehicle notices someone abruptly stopping, it warns you by showing you a message in the cluster in front of you and starting the breaking procedure to avoid an accident.
The Subaru sound system found in our Impreza was of average quality. The sound system lacked some of the richness that would have made us enjoy some of our favorite tunes. On the other hand, the infotainment was easy to use and offer a minimalist setup complemented by a secondary screen on top of it. This additional screen gives you information on how your AWD system is doing its magic, fuel economy and other systems related information. However, we found it was a special touch that you could set up a birthday into the vehicle, making it impossible to forget your loved ones' birthday this way. The infotainment offers naturally Android Auto and Apple Car Play using a USB cable.
Installation of the car seat was pleasant in the Impreza; the ISOFIX ports are hidden underneath a Velcro leather strap, giving you easy access to these and make latching the cars seat quick and hassle-free. The rear anchor port is found just behind the headrest and requires some juggling as the visibility is limited in that area. The rear-door opened wide enough to fit our car seats and also made it easy for our little toddler to get in and out of the vehicle with ease.
In the city, the Impreza made us contemplate how important it was to have a vehicle with excellent handling. The number of horsepower was not quite encouraging when stuck in traffic. I can't say it enough; it was pleasantly easy to drive. It is so easy that, when my daughter is of age to her driving license, I would want her to get behind the wheel of an Impreza. Additionally, parallel parking in tight spots was simple enough. The only let down was the quality of the rearview camera that can indeed be of better quality.
Why would we buy the 2020 Subaru Impreza, or what we liked about it? Easy & comfortable to drive, EyeSight available in base model with the CVT transmission. All wheel drive available in all version even the manual ones. Easy car seat installation.
Why would we not buy the 2020 Subaru Impreza or what we did not like about it? Engine power feels just, a slight more powerful engine would do it justice without having to set for a WRX. The sound system could be better especially in the Sport Tech variant. EyeSight not available with manual transmissions.
Subaru has lent us this vehicle one week as a press vehicle. We have no affiliation with Subaru Canada. The above is a recollection of our personal opinion of the car referred above.
Here are additional picture of the travels we've done with the Subaru Impreza, pictures are by Maryna Kuhn Von Kuhnenfeld
