Over the last several years, we’ve seen the demise of many small-car choices. Chevrolet canceled the Cruze; Dodge dashed the Dart; Ford flamed out the Focus; and Volkswagen shanked the Golf. So, we celebrated the arrival of the redesigned Impreza, and gave it a thumbs-up for being such a nice-driving car that’s light on the wallet. However, the base engine needs a serious infusion of horsepower since it can barely get out of its own way.
On the surface, the new Impreza doesn’t look radically different from the previous model, as it received just a few subtle upgrades for the 2024 model year, including more standard active safety gear. It uses a tweaked version of the existing platform and the base powertrain choice carries over. Also, the sedan body style is no longer offered—if you want a new Impreza, it’s a four-door hatchback or nothing. But the Impreza’s hatchback design proved super useful as evidenced by this comment in the vehicle’s logbook; “I was able to fit a full-size floor jack, a jack stand, some tools, and two tires in the back with room to spare.”
When you first drive it, the standard 152-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine initially seems eager, as the Impreza jumps abruptly off the line. But ask it to do any heavy lifting and this powerplant howls in protest and strains anytime you need real power. At least the continuously variable transmission (CVT) performs simulated upshifts to help keep engine revs low, and its 29 mpg overall beats any other all-wheel-drive car. Sadly for fans of “three-pedal driving,” the 5-speed manual transmission is no longer offered. The top RS trim comes with a stronger 182-horsepower, 2.5-liter engine that delivers a more satisfying driving experience. Full-time all-wheel drive is standard across the line.
The Impreza is a fun handler on twisty roads, proving agile, capable and very secure. Our Sport trim line posted an impressively high 56 mph through our accident-avoidance test. We were unimpressed by the 149 feet it needed to stop from 60 mph on our wet surface, though dry stops were sufficiently short.
Ride comfort is competitive for the albeit limited compact class. The updated suspension tuning is firmer than before. While supple enough to keep things steady, it lost the luxury car-rivaling ride quality of the last version we tested. The car’s low-profile tires let in an occasional harsh hit over bigger bumps.
Noise levels are kept to a dull roar under normal driving conditions. But wind noise does tend to creep in during highway drives, and the engine and transmission combine to make enough racket that you’ll never forget when they’re working overtime.
Drivers of all sizes are likely to find decent headroom when situated behind the steering wheel with a good view out over the hood. The manually adjustable front seats are comfortable, and the natural built-in lumbar support proved sufficient for most. The rear seat has good underleg support, though headroom will be tight back there for taller folks.
Controls are reasonably user-friendly, but it’s annoying that many of the climate functions are on the infotainment touchscreen, rather than physical buttons or knobs. At least most of them are always visible and can be used without having to hunt for a specific climate menu.
As expected in this price class, interior ambiance is no-frills but seems well constructed and durable. High points include some soft cloth material on the front window sills, glossy-tipped window controls, and some nice contrasting red stitching on the cloth seats.
Subaru’s “EyeSight” suite of active safety and driver assistance systems is now standard on the Impreza. All trims come with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian, bicyclist, and motorcycle detection, automatic emergency braking that operates at highway speeds, lane centering assistance, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams. However, it’s disappointing that blind spot warning and rear cross traffic warning are not standard. Buyers have to get it as an option on the mid-trim Sport.