The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Roomy hatchback
- Strong crash-test scores
- Standard all-wheel drive
- New RS model
- Quieter, calmer ride
Dislikes
- No more manual
- Modest base power
- Base touchscreen comes up short
- Big touchscreen comes up cluttered
Buying tip
The 2024 Subaru Impreza presents value-minded transportation with the flexibility of a hatchback.
What kind of vehicle is the 2024 Subaru Impreza? What does it compare to?
The redesigned 2024 Subaru Impreza arrives only as a hatchback while the sedan rides off into history. Related to the higher riding Subaru Crosstrek, the Impreza hatch competes with a shrinking number of compact cars such as the Mazda 3, Toyota Corolla, and Volkswagen GTI.
Is the 2024 Subaru Impreza a good car?
Smoother, quieter, and more refined, the redesigned Impreza hatch graduates from apprentice to journeyman. Standard all-wheel drive and robust standard driver-assist technology ensure safety along the way, but its maturation includes a large touchscreen that fits like David Byrne’s big suit, without the irony. It’s a safety-minded car with a chassis that outperforms its engine options. It earns a TCC Rating of 6.3 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2024 Subaru Impreza?
The 2024 model year marks the loss of the sedan and manual transmission from the Impreza lineup but the return of the RS model. The RS refers to the 2.5 RS of the late 1990s, which was a precursor to the WRX, and the new model also has a 2.5-liter engine that wasn't offered in the outgoing model.
The new Impreza hatchback cleans up with more defined traits on its familiar egg-shaped body. Up front, the grille takes on a hexagonal shape and the outboard fog light housings grow taller. The fenders widen around the wheels and a new character line drops from the front wheels to the lower sills and back to the rear wheel cutouts. Roof rack brackets are standard, and Subaru adds a step plate inside the rear doors for easier access to the roof. The RS model is marked by dark gray wheels and gloss-black trim for the side skirts, mirror caps, fog lights, and grille.
A carryover 2.0-liter flat-4 spins up 152 hp and 145 lb-ft of torque in the base and Sport models. The RS's 2.5-liter flat-4 produces 182 hp and 178 lb-ft. While both engines send their power to all four wheels via a continuously variable automatic transmission, the version used for the Sport and RS has eight preset gear ratios so it can act more like a regular automatic. The punchier powertrain better matches the planted and much improved chassis, but for straight Subaru performance, look to the WRX. The Impreza’s advantage lies in quieter and more composed highway cruising without any of the high-strung jitters of the overcaffeinated WRX.
Inside, the Impreza has a 7.0-inch touchscreen in the base model and an 11.6-inch portrait-format touchscreen in the other models. The larger screen sits in a shield-shaped center stack, and the car retains analog gauges. The RS model features aluminum pedals and red seat bolsters on sport seats.
Without a manual transmission, the 2024 Impreza comes with more standard safety features, including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, and a rear-seat reminder system. Blind-spot monitors with steering assist and rear cross-traffic alerts are optional.
How much does the 2024 Subaru Impreza cost?
Simplified to base, Sport, and RS trims, the new lineup cost between $24,085 and $28,975, including a $1,090 destination fee. At its base level, the Impreza comes with cloth upholstery, keyless entry, LED headlights, and 16-inch alloy wheels. Buyers have to move up to the Sport to get the larger touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, fog lights, and 18-inch wheels.
The $28,975 RS adds heated front seats, rear USB ports, upgraded LED headlights, and LED fog lights, but options such as a 10-way power-adjustable front seat with lumbar support and a Harman Kardon 10-speaker audio system nudge it into the price range of the Subaru WRX.
Where is the 2024 Subaru Impreza made?
In Gunma, Japan.
2024 Subaru Impreza Styling
The 2024 Impreza hatchback skips the cladding of the Crosstrek for a more urbane look.
Is the Subaru Impreza a good-looking car?
With the sedan discontinued, the Impreza hatchback breaks the punky chains of the WRX and emerges from the shadows of the heavily cladded Subaru Crosstrek small crossover that was also redesigned for 2024. It earns a point for its clean but familiar exterior.
A broader hexagonal grille sits over a lower grille flanked by more pronounced fog light housings. Body-color fenders tone down the garish black cladding on the Crosstrek that also appears on other new Subaru models including the WRX. It makes the hatch fit in more on urban and suburban details, though standard roof rail brackets and standard all-wheel drive flex Subaru's calling card. An integrated rear roof spoiler and talon-like rear taillights grab hold of the hatch, and the RS rides on dark gray wheels and blackens the grille, side skirts, fog lights, and mirror caps.
The interior mixes the message of two generations. Alloy pedals, a chunky steering wheel, a mechanical gear shifter, and Subaru’s wide open windshield uphold the RS trim’s sporty heritage, but the 11.6-inch touchscreen on all but the base trim and the clear but busy steering wheel controls are a compromise to modernity. Thin vertical vents hug the portrait-style screen, and there’s enough room for a wireless smartphone charger and cupholders in the console. The cabin design packs in everything the modern driver might need, but the package is much more about function than form.
2024 Subaru Impreza Performance
Solid handling underpins the 2024 Subaru Impreza, and the RS has untapped potential.
A comfy ride and grippy handling earn the 2024 Impreza a point, though it feels like a sportier version than the RS could be coming. For now, it’s a 6.
Is the Subaru Impreza 4WD?
All-wheel drive is standard, of course, but Subaru says it’s improved, of course. Sharing much with the WRX, the 2024 Impreza’s AWD system has a center differential that doesn’t lock as early and brake-based torque vectoring enables quicker turning response. More high-strength steel and more adhesive increase the torsional stiffness by 10% over its predecessor, and the harshness from the powertrain has been addressed.
We didn’t push the Impreza near its limits on cold and wet roads in a Midwestern November, but it made for a much comfier road tripper than we remember. At posted highway speed limits, one passenger napped fitfully for hours and when awake, no one needed to raise their voices to be heard. Even with the firmer tune of the MacPherson front struts and double wishbone rear suspension, the RS we tested handled those same pockmarked roads without much disturbance to the cabin.
How fast is the Subaru Impreza?
Even with the peppier 2.5-liter flat-4 new to the Impreza lineup and exclusive to the RS, it’s not very quick off the line. Expect a mid-seven-second 0-60 mph time. The larger flat-4 lacks the turbocharger of the WRX and makes 182 hp and 178 lb-ft, which is 30 hp more than the 2.0-liter flat-4 that carries over in base and Sport grades. Output in those models peaks at 152 hp and 145 lb-ft.
Both the Sport and RS use a version of the continuously variable transmission with stepped gears that simulate an 8-speed automatic. Without those paddle shifters, you’d have to think twice before making passing moves, as the engine cruises low in the rev range for efficiency. Double-click the downshifts, however, and a pop of excitement better matches the chassis’ potential. It seems like the RS could be sportier than it is, and the dual-pinion electric power steering rack borrowed from the WRX furthers that sense.
2024 Subaru Impreza Comfort & Quality
The 2024 Subaru Impreza opens up as roomy as a crossover but it’s easier for dogs to get into.
The five-door, five-seat Subaru Impreza hatchback fits five for a quick college road trip, but the 60/40-split rear seats will more often be folded down to expand the cargo room from 20.4 to 56.0 cubic feet of space. That’s as much as small crossovers, and the low load floor that’s just over two feet high makes it easy for dogs of any size to hop in and out. It’s also much easier to load groceries and behemoth hockey goalie bags. The impressive cargo volume and rear seat legroom of 36.5 inches earn it a point each to a 7.
The Impreza’s budget-car status doesn’t betray it even in the top RS trim, where even a power driver seat is bundled as a package for $2,070. The front bucket seats slide forward with a bar underneath or tilt from the side, so getting them set to one driver’s shape could lead to bickering from shared drivers such as teenage children.
The new Impreza rides much quieter and feels calmer than its predecessor thanks in part to reduced vibrations from the engine.
2024 Subaru Impreza Safety
The 2024 Subaru Impreza makes safety a priority.
How safe is the Subaru Impreza?
It’s very safe for a small car, and not simply because of AWD. The IIHS ranked it as a Top Safety Pick+ for earning the highest marks in driver-assist and crash tests, while the NHTSA gives it five stars overall. Crash-test scores, standard safety features, and good outward vision earn it a point each to an 9.
An enhanced version of Subaru’s EyeSight safety suite comes standard on the Impreza now that the manual transmission is discontinued. The cameras have a wider angle view to detect people, bikes, and cars coming from the sides quicker, and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection is complemented by adaptive cruise control, active lane control, and a rear-seat reminder system.
Options include blind-spot monitors with automatic emergency steering that will redirect the car before impact to avoid a collision at speeds under 50 mph. Fortunately, we haven’t tested this feature and we hope you don’t have to either.
2024 Subaru Impreza Features
The 2024 Impreza doesn’t stray far from its value-oriented center.
The base Impreza costs $24,085, including a $1,090 destination fee, and bundles the standard safety features mentioned above with a 7.0-inch with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, a lower screen for climate and vehicle controls, a satellite radio trial, keyless start, and 16-inch wheels. The base model is a value play, earning it a point on our scale. The more popular Sport and RS trims have additional content to earn it another point to a 7.
The 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty is industry standard.
Which Subaru Impreza should I buy?
The $26,085 Sport upgrades with a stiffer suspension tune and paddle shifters to approximate an 8-speed transmission. It rides on 18-inch alloy wheels, and sizes up to the 11.6-inch touchscreen. Black cloth upholstery has red accent stitching. A $1,900 package adds heated front seats and steering wheel, a heated windshield and side mirrors, a sunroof, and blind-spot monitors. Even without that package, we’d opt for the RS trim that includes it as standard.
How much is a fully loaded Subaru Impreza?
The 2024 Impreza RS bundles the Sport and the All-Weather Package goodies, and drops in the 2.5-liter flat-4 for $28,975. The extra $1,000 over the Sport adds sport front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, aluminum alloy pedals, a wireless smartphone charger, and USB-A and -C ports in the rear center console. It can be optioned with a 10-way power driver seat and a Harman Kardon 10-speaker sound system for an extra $2,070.
2024 Subaru Impreza Fuel Economy
The 2024 Subaru Impreza gets up to 30 mpg combined.
Is the Subaru Impreza good on gas?
For a small car with standard all-wheel drive, yes, the 2024 Subaru Impreza is good on gas. The EPA rates the 2.0-liter at 27 mpg city, 34 highway, and 30 combined. That’s good for a 4 here. The more potent RS trim fares well by losing only 1 mpg across the board. A larger 16.6-gallon gas tank replaces the predecessor’s 13.2-gallon tank, unusual for a small car, but very welcome on a long road trip.
It can’t come close to the Corolla Hybrid’s rating of 48 mpg combined with AWD, but the Corolla Hybrid doesn’t come in the hatchback body style. The forthcoming Civic Hybrid will, however, but not with AWD. The Mazda 3 hatch with AWD rates at 26 mpg combined.
