PHOTOGRAPHY BY ARTIST NAMEING
0932017 SUBARU
IMPREZA
VEHICLE TYPE: front-
engine, all-wheel-drive,
5-passenger, 4-door
sedan or hatchback
BASE PRICE:
$19,215–$25,415
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC
16-valve flat-4, aluminum
block and heads, direct
fuel injection
DISPLACEMENT:
122 cu in, 1995 cc
POWER: 152 hp
@ 6000 rpm
TORQUE: 145 lb-ft
@ 4000 rpm
TRANSMISSIONS:
5-speed manual,
continuously variable
automatic with manual
shifting mode
DIMENSIONS
WHEELBASE: 105.1 in
LENGTH: 175.6–182.1 in
WIDTH: 70.0 in
HEIGHT: 5 7. 3 i n
PASSENGER VOLUME:
97–100 cu ft
CARGO VOLUME:
12–21 cu ft
CURB WEIGHT:
3050–3150 lb
PERFORMANCE
(C/D EST)
ZERO TO 60 MPH:
8.2–8.8 sec
ZERO TO 100 MPH:
25.3–26.5 sec
1/4-MILE: 16.5–16.9 sec
TOP SPEED: 120 mph
FUEL ECONOMY
EPA COMBINED/CITY/
HWY: 27–32/24–28/
31–38 mpg (C/D est)haven’t really fallen into place until now, bedeviled as the Impreza
was by chintzy no-brand electronics and a bargain-budget feel.
Now, with a stiff new platform, a stick shift offered even in the
upper Sport trim, more sound insulation, and a heating/air-condi-
tioning system redesigned to be quieter, the Impreza is gunning to
be a serious challenger to the Honda Civic and Mazda 3. With a
price escalator that starts at $19,215 for the base 2 .0i manual sedan
and ends at the $25,415 Limited CVT hatchback, the Impreza
matches up nicely against the two compacts we consider good
alternatives for those who can’t or won’t pay for an Audi A3.
Rated at 152 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 145 pound-feet of
torque at 4000 rpm, the peaky, naturally aspirated 2.0 is not
exactly ate up with power despite its lofty 12 .5:1 compression ratio.
The power ratings are about on par with the other base compact-
class engines in the competitors, though, unlike Honda and Mazda,
Subaru does not (yet) offer an upgrade engine as you climb the
Impreza’s trim levels. This one 2 .0 is what you get, though the
revised FB20 does seem a smidge more refined and smoother than
boxers of yore. Perhaps it’s just the new Impreza’s additional sound
insulation. But after they chugga-chugga-chugga to life in that par-
ticular loping Subaru way, the four flat pots sound good and healthy
and have a taste for revs, which you’ll need if you wish to ascend
hills with any sort of alacrity.
The five-speed manual (ugh, still!) was delayed a couple of
months, so a CVT was what we jockeyed around the hinterlands
east of San Diego. As at Honda, the Subaru CVT mimics a step-gear
transmission at higher throttle inputs, rev ving up and then “shift-
ing” to a new, taller ratio. Most owners will never know it’s a CVT,
and it does an excellent job keeping the engine in the fattest part of
its somewhat lean torque band.
Where the Impreza really starts to feel Audi-like is in the cor-
ners. A heavily rethought electrically assisted power-steering unit
takes the ratio down from 16:1 in the old car to 13:1, the same as the
BRZ’s. The quicker steering combined with sophisticated damping
that clips the body motion and also soaks up the impacts with a
tolerant compliance proves again that, as with the BRZ, the Subaru
boys know how to tune a suspension.
Steering response and on-center certainty were big focal points
in the platform’s development, and Subaru trotted out several
charts to proudly prove their success. Well, the Impreza is not just
a paper tiger; the steering wheel feels awake in your hands, and the
car scribes neat, clean lines through the apexes. Brake-based torque
vectoring on the Sport trim only heightens
the car’s eagerness to turn and undoubtedly
cuts the understeer inherent in most all-
wheel-drivers pushed to the limit.
Much of the Impreza’s incremental
growth goes toward making the cabinlarger. It is 1.1 inches wider for the front
seaters, whose chairs move farther apart,
and 1. 4 inches wider for the rear, the wheel-
base growing an inch to increase legroom
in back. The rear shock towers are pushed
farther apart to make some room in the
trunk, and the rear doors have larger aper-
tures. The upsizing brings it to within a hair
of the Civic’s dimensions.
In a hatch, it’s all about the hole, and
Subaru widened the Impreza’s by splitting
up the taillights and putting part of each
lens on the cargo door. Subaru claims three
more cubic feet of cargo space in the wagon
than previously, or enough to pack in 2472
ears of corn with the seats down. Really, the
Subaru folk actually made glued-up corn
sculptures—corn being a leading export of
Indiana—in the shape of the wagon’s cargo
area to prove it. Because Subaru.
Oddly for a company with such a great
sporting history, the company wants to be
thought of first and foremost as the safety
choice, which is why EyeSight, Subaru’s
own suite of automated safety systems
including adaptive cruise control and
pre-collision braking, features prominently
in the Impreza’s press bumf. Apparently,
Subaru’s growing legions of followers say
safety is a big reason they buy the all-wheel-
drive cars, along with reliability and good
resale value. W hatever the reasons, it
seems to be working for Subaru.The new Impreza’s
interior is roomier,
finished in higher-qual-
ity materials, and better
shielded from noise
than the old car’s.