Yahoo Autos Over 40,000 Miles, Our 2017 Subaru Impreza Is Unexciting, in Good and Bad Ways
Despite its normcore looks, the Subaru Impreza has long found credibility in enthusiast circles thanks to its association with the rally-inspired WRX model. But the latest Impreza, which rides on the Subaru Global Platform, doesn’t have much to do with the World Rally Championship these days. In hatchback form, it now seems much more closely related to the Crosstrek quasi-crossover than the turbocharged WRX sedan, which is still based on the previous-generation Impreza and won't migrate to the new platform until the 2020 or 2021 model year.
Nevertheless, the Impreza had plenty to recommend it when it first arrived on our doorstep. Subaru promised this new platform would improve the model’s ride and handling compared with that of previous generations. A manual transmission is still standard, although we chose the more popular continuously variable automatic (CVT) for our test. This small hatchback, with 21 cubic feet of cargo space, rivals the hauling ability of some SUVs. And the standard all-wheel drive served us well when our first weekend with the Impreza brought a late-season snowstorm.
With all those marks in its favor, the Impreza made a strong first impression. Our Sport-trim example came with brake-based torque vectoring and 18-inch wheels (lesser models make do with 16s), and early comments praised the Impreza's firm ride and accurate steering. The CVT earned accolades for its convincing imitation of a traditional automatic. During the break-in period, before we probed the upper limits of the tachometer, we were impressed with the Impreza's strong initial throttle response.
The adaptive-cruise-control system (part of a $2945 package that also includes automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning, a sunroof, and an eight-speaker audio system) earned our seal of approval. Associate online editor Joseph Capparella called the system "intuitive" after a trip to Ohio, adding that it "never reacts abruptly." This stood in contrast to our contemporaneous long-term Honda Civic, in which the adaptive cruise drew complaints for approaching other vehicles too quickly, applying the brakes too hard, and allowing too large a gap between itself and the car ahead. The Subaru's lane-departure warning, however, annoyed us with its loud and frequent beeping.
Excitement began to fade once the Impreza's break-in period elapsed. Free to explore the car's full performance range, we found that there wasn't much we hadn't already discovered. The run to 60 mph took 9.1 seconds, and the Impreza's 170-foot stop from 70 mph was similarly mediocre. Its 0.84 g of skidpad grip trailed not only that of our long-term Civic but also that of our previous long-term Impreza, a 2012 hatchback that notched 0.85 g in the same test.
Perhaps that explains why, after trips to Virginia and southern Ohio in the first few months of its stay, the Impreza was largely relegated to commuter duty through much of the busy summer road-trip season. Drivers who did take the Impreza farther afield remained impressed by the cavernous cargo hold but bemoaned the car's need for constant steering corrections on the highway and its sub-30-mpg average fuel economy.
Once the Impreza rounded the halfway mark in its 40,000-mile journey, more negative logbook comments appeared. One author criticized the weak headlights, another decried the lack of wheelspin in the snow (though Subaru's more temperate clientele may count that as a benefit), and many complained that the Impreza was too slow. As assistant technical editor Maxwell Mortimer put it: "The phrase ‘pedal to the metal’ usually refers to enjoyable, spirited driving. However, in the Impreza, it refers to any time one needs any sort of meaningful acceleration."
Our Impreza may not have thrilled us, but its service record was nearly impeccable, requiring very few unscheduled trips to the dealer. At 26,000 miles, the driver's seatback began to rock back and forth. After diagnosing a loose connection between the seat-bottom frame bushings and the seat rails, the dealer ordered replacement parts and installed them free of charge. A month later, an obnoxious humming noise was resolved when the dealer determined the left-rear wheel bearing was worn out and replaced it. Aside from a bent wheel ($274) and some scrapes that needed mending just before the Impreza was sent away ($997), there were no other issues to speak of.
The Impreza's record was clean during its stay with us, but it's total service cost ($652) was more than the Civic's. The Subaru's service visits were only about $10 more expensive on average than the Honda's, but the Impreza's 6000-mile service intervals meant that it made more trips to the dealer during its stay with us compared to the Civic, which has a 10,000-mile interval.
When it finally left our offices for good, 18 months after it had arrived, the Impreza was not mourned. Not because anyone had detested it, but because many editors had simply ceased to think of it at all. And it was never the first choice for road trips.
Boring may be the enemy of the auto journalist, but it's exactly what many buyers want. So while we can't truthfully say that we'll miss the Impreza, we can wholeheartedly recommend it to shoppers who are looking for a car that is reliable, versatile, and relatively affordable. We hear there's a nice one on the market, lightly used with all its records in order. Only 30 previous drivers.
Months in Fleet: 18 months Current Mileage: 40,261 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 28 mpg
Fuel Tank Size: 13.2 gal Observed Fuel Range: 370 miles
Service:$652 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0
Damage and Destruction: $1271
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