2017 Subaru Impreza
WHAT WE LIKE: We’re eight months and halfway through our Lapis Blue Subaru Impreza’s 40,000-mile marathon. The Impreza’s low beltline and generous sightlines tend to compensate for the car’s low stance. Brake feel is good, if a little aggressive at first hit, and the steering is also appropriately weighted and accurate, with excellent on-center feel. (The car is, however, no portrait of liveliness.) Also drawing favorable comments, the Impreza’s adaptive cruise control is subtle but vigilant, closely matching what would have been the driver’s own reactions.
When this hatchback’s rear seats are flattened, the cargo bay is beyond generous. Items 60 inches long—even a little north of that—will slide into the Impreza’s maw. Outdoorsmen intending to sleep back there will be disappointed, but if you bend your knees you could pull it off for an uncomfortable night or two. Well, one. One would be better.
The ride/handling trade-off shows evidence of conscientious engineers at work, with the car remaining flat and composed in all but the most spirited driving. There is a level of impact harshness, however, that borders on flinty, likely the result of those low-profile tires that look like rubber bands wrapped around thimbles. On the topic of ride, most logbook comments lean toward the favorable, but it varies with the quality of road surfaces. Moreover, the front tires can wander distractedly when road surfaces become, shall we say, scrofulous.
Buyer’s Guide senior editor Rich Ceppos summarized, “It feels like a lot of the lessons learned from making the WRX have filtered down to the ‘civilian’ models.” He’s right, but that doesn’t mean this Impreza is a joyful lark of sportiness. It isn’t, especially as the fun-to-drive quotient tumbles further and further down the list of consumer priorities. Subaru noticed. The Impreza is more utile than frolicsome.
WHAT WE DON’T LIKE: Saying that this continuously variable automatic transmission is “better than most” is a little like saying, “That rattlesnake over there looks surprisingly friendly.” Nonetheless, vast distances accrue without the CVT drawing attention to itself, and if it doesn’t satisfy then there’s always the modest enjoyment of batting at the paddle shifters, pretending to row through seven gears. What inevitably intrudes, however, is not only the expected but tolerable CVT drone but also a whooshy jet-engine exhaust note that is almost unbearable between 5000 and 6000 rpm. What happened to the old trademark flat-four Subie growl? Gone, all gone.
Subaru has dialed in a level of throttle tip-in that can be abrupt, lending the car a faux sporty feel in stop-and-go traffic, and it takes some practice to compensate for it. Of course, if you dig deeply in the throttle, you’ll discover there’s nobody home. Notes in the logbook regularly echo a sentiment similar to this: “With 50 extra horses, it would go as well as its appearance suggests.” Some editors reckoned 20 extra horsepower would suffice, but no one has been satisfied with the 152-hp status quo.
Subaru claims this car’s ground clearance is 5.1 inches, but it sure looks less than that, especially on the P225/40R-18 Yokohama Avid S34s. Remember, all-wheel drive is useful, but when snow accumulates deep enough to drag across a majority of the floorpan, the cessation of forward motion is often nigh. Which, of course, is an argument in favor of the Impreza’s sibling, the Crosstrek. While we’re picking nits, forget this car’s $464 auto-dimming mirror package. Way overpriced. Are compasses in Lafayette, Indiana, really that dear?
WHAT WENT WRONG: At 688 miles, the Impreza got off to a wobbly start, answering a recall to update the software controlling its radiator fan. But it’s been a champ since. We’ve treated the car to three oil-change/general-maintenance services for a total of $272, and we swapped its all-season rubber for Michelin winter tires at 15,000 miles. Nothing else has required mechanical attention, nor have we added any fluids.
WHERE WE WENT: Our long-term Impreza has mostly performed myriad errands and short-duty assignments around Ann Arbor, for which, arguably, this vehicle is best suited. It then visited southern Ohio and Virginia before crossing the country to serve at our official Montana Desk in the Bitterroot Mountains, where its all-wheel drive became familiar with gravel roads and grades steep enough to depress sheep. In that service, the Impreza luckily avoided the worst of the mud and all but a few snowflakes. It did, however, wend its way to one of this country’s best-preserved ghost towns, in Bannack, Montana—an unmolested array of bars, assay offices, brothels, the works—from which it returned as dust encrusted as a dead cowboy’s hat. The car further flourished throughout a week touring San Juan Island, off the Washington coast, where it served as an airy camera platform for photographing killer whales and seals. As we speak, the Impreza is back home in Michigan for winter, rooting for the Wolverines, whose traditional colors the Subaru half matches.
Months in Fleet: 8 months Current Mileage: 21,351 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 29 mpg Fuel Tank Size: 13.2 gal Fuel Range: 380 miles
Service: $272 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0
Specifications >
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback
PRICE AS TESTED: $27,605 (base price: $20,715)
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
TRANSMISSION: continuously variable automatic with manual shifting mode
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 105.1 in
Length: 175.6 in
Width: 70.0 in Height: 57.3 in
Passenger volume: 97 cu ft
Cargo volume: 21 cu ft
Curb weight: 3202 lb
PERFORMANCE: NEW
Zero to 60 mph: 9.1 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 26.0 sec
Zero to 110 mph: 35.2 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 9.2 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 4.6 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 5.9 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 17.1 sec @ 84 mph
Top speed (drag limited): 126 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 170 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.84 g
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA combined/city/highway driving: 30/27/35 mpg
C/D observed: 29 mpg
Unscheduled oil additions: 0 qt
WARRANTY:
3 years/36,000 miles bumper to bumper;
5 years/60,000 miles powertrain;
5 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection;
3 years/36,000 miles roadside assistance
There’s a new Midwesterner at our Ann Arbor offices, and it’s not a product of the Big Three. The vehicle in question is the progeny of Japan but hails from the state that bills itself the Crossroads of America, brags that it’s the country’s second-largest producer of popcorn, and is the site of Abraham Lincoln’s boyhood home: You know, Indiana. We’ve taken ownership of a brand-new Subaru Impreza (a hatch, natch), and we’re holding on until the clock hits 40,000 miles.
The Impreza is new from stem to stern this year. Even the bones are different, as this is the first car to use Subaru’s new Global Platform architecture. The Impreza’s sole engine is a 152-hp 2.0-liter flat-four, newly direct injected for 2017 in an upgrade that adds four horsepower over the previous model. A five-speed manual is still the base transmission, while a continuously variable automatic is optional; all-wheel drive remains standard. Subaru’s design team has fashioned a new look for the Impreza, adding more character lines, redesigning the taillights, and giving the hatchback a wider opening.
Subaru has been on an extended sales hot streak, posting eight consecutive years of record-breaking numbers. Demand for the new Impreza was up 33 percent in the first quarter of 2017 compared with sales of the previous generation a year ago, and its early adoption of Subaru’s new platform makes the Impreza a perfect test case with which to evaluate the strength of the company’s boom-time offerings.
We selected, as most buyers will, a hatchback CVT version of the Impreza. The second-from-the-top Sport trim may not be as universal a choice, but we were drawn to its torque-vectoring functionality, which seeks to capitalize on the Impreza’s stiffened structure for improved handling. The Sport model also wears 18-inch wheels rather than the standard 16-inchers.
For $2945, we added a power sunroof, an eight-speaker Harman/Kardon audio system, and Subaru’s EyeSight driver-assistance package. Pre-collision warning with automated emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, and blind-spot monitoring are all included in the EyeSight package. Choosing the CVT added $800 to our bottom line. Those options plus auto-dimming mirrors and all-weather floor mats brought the final tally to $27,605.
The first weekend in our fresh Impreza brought a late-winter snowstorm, the perfect playground for a Subaru. Fun was slightly limited as we were still accumulating break-in mileage, but the little Subie was sure-footed on the slick, unplowed roads we encountered.
With snow days now mercifully behind us (we hope), the Impreza must rely on other traits to impress drivers. Thus far, its charms seem plentiful, with drivers almost universally complimentary about its solid ride and quick steering. Complaining about CVTs is a favorite pastime of C/D editors, but so far the Impreza’s has mostly avoided comment, although that may change as the miles pile up. The cloth-upholstered interior and manual climate controls—we’d expect automatic controls at this price—have inspired the bulk of negative logbook comments and have been unfavorably compared with the finer fittings in our similarly priced long-term Honda Civic.
We took the Impreza to the dealer at 688 miles for a recall on the software that controls the cooling fan. The fix was quick and free, which we hope will set a tone for any future visits. With few miles on the clock, there’s plenty of ground yet to cover in our long-term Impreza. Thousands of miles of summer road trips, morning drop-offs, and evening commutes undoubtedly will tease out issues large and small, so we’ll see whether the Impreza deserves to surpass popcorn as a source of Hoosier pride.
Months in Fleet: 1 month Current Mileage: 2256 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 28 mpg Fuel Tank Size: 13.2 gal Fuel Range: 360 miles Service: $0 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0
Specifications >
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback
PRICE AS TESTED: $27,605 (base price: $20,715)
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
TRANSMISSION: continuously variable automatic with manual shifting mode
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 105.1 in
Length: 175.6 in
Width: 70.0 in Height: 57.3 in
Passenger volume: 97 cu ft
Cargo volume: 21 cu ft
Curb weight: 3202 lb
PERFORMANCE: NEW
Zero to 60 mph: 9.1 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 26.0 sec
Zero to 110 mph: 35.2 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 9.2 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 4.6 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 5.9 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 17.1 sec @ 84 mph
Top speed (drag limited): 126 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 170 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.84 g
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA combined/city/highway driving: 30/27/35 mpg
C/D observed: 28 mpg
Unscheduled oil additions: 0 qt
WARRANTY:
3 years/36,000 miles bumper to bumper;
5 years/60,000 miles powertrain;
5 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection;
3 years/36,000 miles roadside assistance
WHAT WE LIKE: A car that can fit in compact parking spaces and swallow tons of gear? Count us in. Since joining our fleet this spring, our blue 2017 Subaru Impreza has carried luggage for four, equipment for a 20-person painting party, and supplies for a weeklong beach vacation (all separate occasions, mind you). We’ve had fun on the way to these events, too, as our early appreciation for the Impreza’s on-road agility and compliant ride has not faded. In an unexpected twist, the continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) has garnered its own share of praise, thanks to the stepped upshifts it employs in a convincing mimicry of a conventional automatic transmission. Subaru’s EyeSight system is another high point. The optional adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist handle lane changes and city traffic better than many comparable systems we’ve tried. Crucially, the systems allow the Impreza to follow other cars closely enough that opportunistic drivers can’t squeeze into the gaps in front of us, and both acceleration and braking are smooth, natural, and appropriately timed.
WHAT WE DON’T LIKE: Since making it past the break-in period, we’ve had the chance to acquaint ourselves with the upper register of the 2.0-liter flat-four’s rev range, and we’re a little disappointed. The Impreza’s throttle mapping means that it feels quick off the line, but pressing the pedal farther fails to add much oomph, and the engine feels overworked and underpowered at speed. With four adults and luggage on board, this little hatchback struggled to maintain speed over hills on a trip across the Blue Ridge Mountains, and long highway journeys have inspired discontent; the Impreza wanders disobediently in its lane and requires frequent minor corrections. Our fuel economy is sitting at 28 mpg overall, 2 mpg below the EPA’s combined rating. This might be the price we’re paying for standard all-wheel drive and a CVT that acts so much like a conventional automatic, but we’re unwilling to write a free pass. Our long-term Honda Civic has taught us that a good CVT can coexist with parsimony.
WHAT WENT WRONG: Nothing at all. A trip to the dealer for a scheduled oil change and tire rotation at 6000 miles left us $77 lighter, but otherwise life with the Impreza has been worry free.
WHERE WE WENT: Mostly, we’ve stayed near home, with two trips each to western Michigan and Ohio and one jaunt to Illinois. The Impreza’s first major trip was to Virginia International Raceway as a support vehicle for our annual Lightning Lap track-test bonanza, but, alas, no one was inspired to record a lap time.
Months in Fleet: 4 months Current Mileage: 10,356 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 28 mpg Fuel Tank Size: 13.2 gal Fuel Range: 360 miles
Service: $77 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0
Specifications >
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback
PRICE AS TESTED: $27,605 (base price: $20,715)
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
TRANSMISSION: continuously variable automatic with manual shifting mode
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 105.1 in
Length: 175.6 in
Width: 70.0 in Height: 57.3 in
Passenger volume: 97 cu ft
Cargo volume: 21 cu ft
Curb weight: 3202 lb
PERFORMANCE: NEW
Zero to 60 mph: 9.1 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 26.0 sec
Zero to 110 mph: 35.2 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 9.2 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 4.6 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 5.9 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 17.1 sec @ 84 mph
Top speed (drag limited): 126 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 170 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.84 g
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA combined/city/highway driving: 30/27/35 mpg
C/D observed: 28 mpg
Unscheduled oil additions: 0 qt
WARRANTY:
3 years/36,000 miles bumper to bumper;
5 years/60,000 miles powertrain;
5 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection;
3 years/36,000 miles roadside assistance
