This past fall, I drove what was allegedly the most ticketed car in the U.S., Subaru’s WRX. This winter, I drove what might be termed the “other end” of Subaru’s spectrum of power, the 2015 Impreza.
photo courtesy Subaru
If I made the Impreza sound pedestrian with the words above, that was misleading of me. It certainly handles daily life well, but it does plenty more.
Exterior
My Crystal White Pearl Limited tester wasn’t hugely different from the model it replaced. There’s no sense in fixing what isn’t broken: the previous model’s styling left little room for improvement. Styling touches like the sculpted exterior make this a handsome car to drive. The 17-inch, 15-spoke wheels on my Limited model complement the body well.
The 4-door now features a standard trunk lip spoiler for better aerodynamic performance while the roof-level rear spoiler on the four-door hatchback houses the brake light.
Interior
The Impreza is a capable hauler whether in sedan or hatchback format. My hockey bag took up much, but not all, of the cargo area with the rear seats up.
A hockey bag and a messenger bag fit easily enough.
Inside, four adults will fit comfortably. Kudos to Subaru for designing tall-person-friendly drivers seats. Theirs may be the only vehicles whose moonroofs do little more than leave an off-centre “dent” in my hair (the automotive equivalent of hat-head I guess).
I found two minor issues with the cabin.
The seat heater switches are inconveniently placed behind the hand brake lever. They would be more accessible, especially to a cold-arsed passenger, if they sat up near the well-laid-out climate controls.
Quibble number two: the engine start-stop button is behind the right steering wheel spoke. This spoke hides the accessory light on the button so drivers can’t easily tell from that light whether the car’s systems are on. Granted, drivers ought to be able to see the cabin’s screens, and if they’re on…
Driving
Hit that engine start-stop button to hear the satisfying, if not overly loud, Subaru 2.0L 148 hp 4-cylinder boxer engine fire up.
The engine turns all four wheels via a Lineartronic® CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission). There’s also a manual mode, so drivers who want a sportier feel to their drive can use the steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters to go through 6 preprogrammed (“artificial”) gears. Like Subaru’s other “manual mode” paddle shifters, drivers need not worry about messing up the transmission. All they need to do is remember to gear up when they hear the engine roar above the 2,000 RPM it seems to call home. Downshifting doesn’t happen until the Suby decides to allow it, and if you don’t do so, the Suby downshifts for you. Use it, though, and you can practice “engine braking.” (The “in-the-moment” mileage indicator shows maximal mileage when doing so.)
My verdict on the shifter? It’s fun, but I bet your mileage will be lots better if you let the CVT handle the gearing. Regardless of the mode drivers choose, the Impreza puts out enough oomph to handle daily driving situations.
For the record, Subaru’s mileage numbers are 6.4 L/100km highway and 8.5 L/100km in town. My numbers were not as good, a fact I attribute to snowy, sometimes icy roads and plenty of cold starts.
EyeSight
Some vehicular systems can be tested on open roads while others really shouldn’t. Subaru’s EyeSight system falls into the latter category, even though I know I should trust it.
Subaru’s optional collision avoidance system makes itself known by the two forward-facing cameras that flank the rear-view mirror. More than two years ago, a member of Subaru’s STI team had me point a similarly-equipped Legacy sedan at a barrier, take it to 35 km/h and take my feet away from the pedals.
(I took it to 40. The Subaru staffer showed a little nervousness, but I blame the Suby’s power for overshooting the requested speed.)
You can read about what happened here, but the short version of the story is that no damage came to car or passengers (the calm Subaru staffer and two other journalists who I suspect were just as freaked out as I was).
EyeSight goes beyond taking control of your brakes. While waiting at an intersection where the light turned green, it flashed a message telling me that the car ahead had moved. It also flashed a couple of (arguably premature) lane departure warnings during highway driving.
As for systems that beg to be tested, there’s the backup camera that Subaru now offers as standard equipment on the Impreza. I look forward to the day when EyeSight becomes standard equipment. It makes just as much sense as backup cameras.
In-cabin electronics
Drivers can access the AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA audio system and the GPS navigation using a 7-inch high-resolution capacitive touch-screen display.
This screen includes Subaru’s STARLINK smartphone integration. If you stream media over your mobile connection, you can avail yourself of the likes of Aha radio. I prefer to keep a lid on my data charges, but music, podcasts and audiobooks on my iPod Touch kept me adequately entertained.
Pricing
The Impreza starts at $19,995 MSRP. My tester, the five door 2.0i Limited Package with technology options (CVT), carries an MSRP of $30,295.00, Add freight and PDI of $1,595.00 and it will run you $31,890.00 MSRP.