Subaru Impreza: Sedan with rarity value

Subaru Impreza: Sedan with rarity value

Feel: Seen from the outside, the Impreza offers a mix of pleasing and contemporary lines and edges, which, however, do not combine to form a striking character and therefore leave a somewhat arbitrary impression. The interior offers a high-quality appearance, comfortable seats and a clear dashboard with ergonomically perfect controls.

Drive: Comfortable cruising through city traffic – the Impreza does this wonderfully. But as soon as you get on the country road or the motorway, the engine is reluctant to be woken from its slumber. When accelerating, the CVT transmission howls without providing adequate performance for the background noise. The chassis is excellent and nothing can disturb it. Be careful when parking: Parking beepers are not even available for an additional charge, but there is a very good rear view camera on board. The collision warning system reacts somewhat oversensitively.

Load: The rear passengers sit comfortably and enjoy enough knee and headroom. With a volume of 385 - 1310 liters, the trunk is average for the class; after folding down the 2:1 split backrests, there is still an annoying level. 

Conclusion: In the past - think of the Alfa 33 or the original Impreza - a boxer engine guaranteed a lively, impetuous and fun driving experience. It's incomprehensible why this ingenious engine concept is practically neutered by a CVT transmission - it could have been done without it altogether. Otherwise the Impreza is an exotic car without fault.