Owning a Subaru Impreza at 24 is stupid; I know this. I know I shouldn't own one, but I'm too young to care. I know it's crippling me financially and I know it's the most stupid thing to do, but I want speed, and with the Impreza, that's exactly what I get.
It has something called Anti-Lag, which basically means the turbos are never off, they're always ready to go, and you get boost like you've never experienced before. Inside, it's pretty basic and very uneventful. If you like interiors, buy an Aston Martin Vantage.
This car is all about the handling and performance, nothing else matters. Handling wise, it's epic. It has four wheel drive and bags of grip. In fact, so much grip, you almost can't believe it.
The power delivery is brutal but somehow smooth, and with a lovely gearbox, it utilises all the power perfectly. I went for the saloon model version as I'm not a fan of the way the new ones look.
A great car that will take a lot to replace!
Hi guys, I don't actually own this Impreza, but I recently drove one on holiday and thought i'd give a small review. Basically it's a small hatch with an Impreza badge but without any of the Impreza soul or fire. It looks relatively sporty, and then you get inside and you're just given lump after lump of disappointment.
It's got four-wheel drive, but I don't know why. It has the power of one harnessed child, so you have to rag it everywhere to get anything out of it, so four wheel drive is completely wasted.
Inside it's just so basic. The A/C was truly dreadful and the instruments looked like they were from a 90's VW. Seriously, what have Subaru done to the Impreza name?
Overall, it's just a very disappointing car to drive.
When I was considering the Subaru Impreza, I compared it to other cars of a similar class. I decided to go with the Impreza mainly because all models have four-wheel-drive as standard. Presonally I think this is pretty neat. I did consider the relatively low miles-per-gallon compared to some others I looked at, and the power isn't exactly mind-blowing, but when I got in and sat at the wheel I knew it was the car for me.
The main thing about how the Subaru Impreza actually drives is the suspension, which I had heard was pretty good but I never believed would really make much practical difference but you can really feel it in terms of the steering angle and general handling. It's noisy in a classic rugged, Subaru kind of way but hey, I don't really want a great car like this being completely silent.
Like I said, inside the Impreza just feels and looks amazing, it's roomy, the interiors are so smooth and sporty, I love being in it. And from the outside, it might not be very trendy but personally I think it looks awesome. It wasn't cheap, and it's not cheap to run, but I definitely don't regret buying it.
My current Impreza is my 2nd in the space of a year. I had always wanted one, purely for the 'scooby's' reputation alone and I finally got my mits on a '99 UK turbo wagon in July of 2009.
After selling it 6 months later and regretting it every day, I sold my Volvo S60 T5 and took the plunge with another one in January of this year.
I will admit that buying one can be a lottery, especially early examples and imported models but the pro's far outway the con's on a car like the Impreza.
Reviewing it is difficult because theres nothing really to compare it to. Yes, theres the Mitisibishi Lancer Evolution models, but they are so loaded with computers and gadgets to keep you on the road, you lose track of whats exciting about this type of car.
The Impreza is simply a excellent chassis, 4 wheels and a flat 4 boxer engine. No traction control, no anti yaw control, no anti skid control etc.... In my opinion that makes the EVO a little boring and predictable to drive.
Anyway, back to the Impreza. First impressions are; the interior is typical Japanese.. bland. The seats are Recaro derived and hold you in place with assurance when cornering. And cornering is what you find yourself doing alot of in an Impreza. The speed you can carry out of corners is mind blowing, grip levels are unbelieveable. And acceleration can put some older supercars to shame with even the base spec UK turbo reaching 60 in less than 6 seconds. The STi models are even quicker with a bigger turbo and even the older ones have as near as makes no difference to 300bhp.
Owning one has its drawbacks though. Running costs are high and they like to drink expensive higher octane fuel. Believe me when theres one parked on your driveway, you will want to drive it at every opportunity! I do!
Pro's
Handling, grip, fun factor
Con's
Running costs, bland interior.