How Good Is The 2017 Subaru Impreza?
By Mike Garcia
Is the 2017 Subaru Impreza the new, practical, enthusiast car?
It’s easy to recommend the Honda Civic to your friends. Friends and family that ask me for automotive advice all want something spacious and practical. Rarely do words like, “fun” and “spirited” come to mind. While the Honda Civic Touring is putting out large horsepower numbers while promising great gas mileage down the line, there’s another car that will be out soon, right in the same price point. That car is the Subaru Impreza.
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Before we get started, no, this isn’t the turbo one. That is saved for the WRX. For enthusiasts, I would definitely recommend a WRX. Why not? It comes with a manual transmission. The FA20 motor with turbo shows signs of being easy to upgrade. Just add the boost, right? But for some, the WRX is just out of reach. Sometimes we can’t always take those weekend canyon drives. Sometimes gas mileage becomes a little bit more of a priority. That’s understandable. At the same time, we don’t want to completely lose our enthusiast badge altogether.
It’s not like Subaru took the fun out of the Impreza. The 2.0-liter Boxer-four is direct injected for more power and higher gas mileage. The Sport trim comes with 18″ wheels, a sport suspension, and active torque vectoring. Personally, those features are just enough to make a daily commute just a bit more fun than you thought it would be.
Total output from the 2.0-liter is 152 horsepower. While that number isn’t exactly mind-blowing, it’ll definitely help achieve gas mileage figures averaging between 25 to 30 miles per gallon. That’s a far compromise. Even the CVT transmission will act like a 7-speed gear box, with paddle shifts to put the driver in control.
The current 2016 Subaru Impreza starts at just over $18,000. Even if the 2017 Impreza with Sport trim starts around $21,000, it is a highly attractive alternative to the Honda Civic. A loaded Civic Touring ends up around $27,000. Isn’t that money best spent on a WRX with all-wheel drive anyway?
More cars: Redesigned 2017 Subaru Impreza Revealed At NYIAS
While we have raved about cars that are just over $25,000 and found the Honda Civic especially appealing, there’s something about the 2017 Subaru Impreza we can look forward to. I would easily sacrifice a bit of gas mileage for the advantages of all-wheel-drive traction. The addition of active torque vectoring would only make canyon drives more interesting.
There are definitely a lot of alternatives at the price range. A Subaru Impreza Sport should definitely be considered. It’s tough to find a car that hits the checkmarks across the board for a car that is reliable, practical, and fun. The latest Subaru Impreza does that well, and we can’t wait until it comes out.