134 | AUSTRALIAN NEW CAR & SUV BUYER’S GUIDES
ubaru’s Impreza, available
as a hatch or sedan, opens
at $23,080 for the 2.0i hatch.
The 2.0iL is $25,180, the
Premium is $26,980 and the
2.0iS, tested here, is $29,960.
Sedans are $200 cheaper.
You have only to drive the
Impreza for fi ve minutes to realise
that in the sophistication, strength
and quality of its body and chassis
engineering, it’s at the front of the
class with the VW Golf.
However, the dash is fussy and
uncoordinated, with weird angles,
random bulges and complex
curves all competing with each
other. It’s trying for an edgy,
techno-luxury effect, similar to
Lexus, but it’s trying too hard.
It’s a diffi cult, distracting dash
to navigate, too, with three display
screens (including an infotainment
system touchscreen), each with
its own set of controls. Whatever
information, menu or function you
want is certainly there. Finding it
is the hard part.
Subaru’s voice control doesn’t
understand simple commands and
on the test car was all but useless.
Tall adults can travel
comfortably in the back
seat, albeit without air vents.
Boot space isn’t particularly
generous in the hatch.
You sit high, in a well-bolstered,
heated, leather armchair, with
plenty of adjustability.
Vision is clear around the car,
assisted to the rear by a camera
with movable guidelines, blind-
spot monitoring and rear cross
traffi c alert, part of the Vision
Assist radar-based package
standard on 2.0i S.
Subaru’s Eyesight system
uses twin cameras to read
the road ahead and includes
automatic emergency braking,
adaptive cruise, pre-collision
management and a long list
of other active safety tech. No
other car in the class has such
a comprehensive suite of driver-
assist safety features.
Impreza’s naturally aspirated
2.0-litre engine, matched with a
standard CVT transmission, does
the job but only just. Even by the
humble standards of this class,
the Subaru is gutless.
CVT gets it off the line well
enough, but the engine then
dies, so you have to apply more
right boot to keep the plot
rolling, and at times you wonder
if the acceleration you want is
ever going to arrive. CVT doesn’thelp the cause either, being far
too slow to respond.
The fact that you have to work
the accelerator also means that
Impreza is fairly thirsty in traffi c.
Even with auto stop/start, the
test car recorded 9-11L/100km,
on regular unleaded.
Overtaking isn’t what you
would call brisk, though, and
cruise control also takes aeons
to resume your set speed after an
interruption. You can use the shift
paddles to access a seven “ratio”
shift map, but here the CVT is a
slow learner, too.
Impreza’s ride/handling
compromise is a highlight.
It feels almost like a French
car in the way its suspension
(independent at both ends) glides
over poor surfaces, delivering a
smooth, supple, quiet ride while
maintaining disciplined control
and secure road holding.
It’s not a sporty drive, but
Impreza can string a series of
corners together in style, aided by
light, precise steering, a low centre
of gravity and all-wheel drive.
The Impreza is a good thing let
down by a mediocre drivetrain.
The engine just doesn’t haveenough torque, while the CVT
is ineffi cient and unresponsive,
largely because it has precious
little performance to work with.SUBARU IMPREZA FROM $23,080 S
THINGS WE LIKE
Sharp pricing and well equipped
Spacious, comfortable cabin
Class-leading safety specifi cation,
especially driver-assist tech
Light, strong and well-balanced,
with precise steering, agile,
responsive handling and a smooth,
quiet ride
High resale values
THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE
Below 4000rpm, the engine has got
nothing
Sluggish acceleration from any
speed
Thirsty in town
Dim-witted, unresponsive CVT
Too many screens and too many
different ways to use them
Voice control usually doesn’t work
Small boot
SPEX (2.0i S hatch)
Made in Japan
2.0-litre, horizontally opposed four-
cylinder petrol/CVT/all-wheel drive
115kW of power at 6000rpm/196Nm
of torque at 4000rpm
0-100km/h in 10.1 seconds (claimed)
6.1L/100km highway; 9.1L/100km
city; 91 octane; CO2 emissions are
163gkm
Warranty: Five years/unlimited
kilometres
Standard: Seven airbags, stability
control, all-wheel drive, Eyesight
and Vision Assist safety systems,
Data Dot identifi cation, leather-
faced seat upholstery, dual
zone air, sunroof, keyless entry,
18-inch alloys, swivelling LED
headlights, eight-inch touchscreen,
navigation, Bluetooth, voice
control, Apple CarPlay, Android
Auto compatibility, tyre pressure
monitoring, temporary spare
Redbook future values: 3yr: 55%;
5yr: 42%compare with ...
Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Hyundai
i30, Mazda3, Toyota Corolla, VW GolfSafetyPerformanceHandlingQuality and reliabilityComfort and refi nementValue for money
Overall
STARS