Road test review: Subaru Impreza
Tuesday, 19 May 2020
SUBARU IMPREZA 2.0 SPORT
Base price: $32,490
Powertrain and economy: 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder, 115kW/196Nm, continuously variable transmission, AWD, combined economy 6.7L/100km, CO2 152g/km (source: RightCar).
Vital statistics: 4460mm long, 1775mm wide, 1480mm high, 2670mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 345 litres, 17-inch alloy wheels.
We like: Comfortable and spacious, lots of technology for the price, agile and noble chassis.
- We don't like: A bit conservative in the styling department, CVT dulls the enjoyment.
We haven't run a long-term car here at Stuff since the return of our Holden Acadia a while back. Well, not intentionally at least - meet our latest, albeit inadvertent, long-termer; the Subaru Impreza 2.0 Sport.
So how does a car become an 'inadvertent long-termer'? Did you forget to take it back?
Not quite - we have the coronavirus pandemic to thank for our long-term date with the Impreza, because it was the car I had when all this kicked off.
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I had travelled to Australia for the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe launch, landing back in New Zealand two days before the government closed the borders, so when the request went out for anyone who had travelled with two weeks of the closure to self-isolate, I jumped at the chance.
I jumped at the chance because I don't have much patience for society in general and have for years searched for the perfect excuse to simply never leave home without looking a bit mad (freelancing for years was perfect).
Anyway, I also had a slight head cold and it was decided by Subaru NZ that rather than risk it being something more Covid-ish, I should just hang onto the Impreza for the duration. However long that might be.
So that is why we now have a road test of a long-term car that sat in my driveway for roughly six and a half weeks only occasionally popping up to the local supermarket to pick up essential supplies.
So how do you road test a car that you hardly drove?
Well, to be fair, the 2020 model is just a fairly minor facelift - the Impreza basically got a redesigned front bumper and grille, as well as a new design of alloy wheel.
Yeah, so that's easy to test in the driveway.
However, it also now sports the company's 'Subaru Intelligent Drive' (SI Drive for short) which adds a Sport drive mode to the Impreza.
Like other Subarus that feature SI Drive, 'Intelligent' is just a 'normal' mode, while 'Sport' sharpens up the throttle response and holds the CVT up higher in the revs for longer. However, it does lack the 'Sport Sharp' mode of more performance-oriented Subarus.
So how was that Sport mode pottering around town then?
Actually, it was my preferred mode around town.
Not because I was desperately overcompensating for not being able to go for a back road thrash, mind you, rather it was the sharper throttle response that made the Impreza sprightlier around the supermarket carpark.
For a car costing $32k the Impreza comes impressively well-equipped with the latest technology, featuring Subaru's Eyesight driver-assist system that includes a pre-collision braking system, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, lane sway warning and brake light recognition.
And, of course unlike virtually every other car in its segment, the Impreza also comes standard with AWD.
So it's nicely sure-footed around the supermarket carpark then - wouldn't AWD make it thirstier than its rivals though?
Traditionally Subarus have been a bit thirstier than they should be and the added weight of an AWD system should be a penalty, but it really doesn't seem to matter to the Impreza, which actually returned some impressively frugal numbers during our extended time with it - particularly considering it was literally all urban running and only very short trips.
While the Impreza is rated at 6.6L/100km in the combined cycle, it has a claimed urban figure of 8.4L/100km and we honestly didn't see that at all, with the little white Impreza barely climbing above 8 during the six and a bit weeks.
The 2.0-litre boxer engine is a refined unit with a subtly gruff boxer burble under acceleration, and it is happy to rev. Which is just as well, because it is hooked up to a continuously variable transmission…
It does have to be said that Subaru's CVT is one of the best on the market, but that is just like saying that Donald Trump is the best reality television star to become the President of the United States…
Still, the engine puts a brave face on things and never sounds unduly strained or desperate.
By the end of six weeks, I would happily argue that the Impreza was close to being the perfect car to be locked down with.
Small enough to be easy around town, but big enough to be comfortable. It was impressively frugal, had an eager, flexible engine and was simply delightfully easy to live with.
Any other cars I should consider?
While the Impreza represents excellent value for money, there has been a sharp rise in the bang for you buck equation amongst its rivals lately, with the most obvious leap coming from its most obvious rival, the Toyota Corolla.
The Corolla largely matches the Impreza for equipment and you can have a super-frugal hybrid Corolla for around the same price as the Impreza now.
Other obvious rivals include the Ford Focus, Mazda3, Skoda Scala, Honda Civic and the like, but of course, none of them come with the Impreza's secret weapon of all-wheel drive.