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2024 Kia Soul Review2020 Subaru Impreza: Back to the Basics
The 2020 Subaru Impreza offers a smooth, fuel-efficient ride but falls short on speed and power. Read on to learn more
What’s New for the 2020 Subaru Impreza?
The Impreza is no stranger to the compact car scene. First making its entrance nearly 30 years ago, the 5th generation Impreza gets a few cosmetic and safety feature updates. The front bumper and grille are restyled, and certain model’s head and taillights are updated. The Sport and Limited models get new driver-selectable driving modes as well as new wheel designs and all models now have standard automatic door locks. The EyeSight suite of driver-assistance features now includes lane departure warning and lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and automatic pre-collision braking.
2020 Subaru Impreza – media.subaru.com | Shop 2020 Subaru Impreza on Carsforsale.com
The Breakdown
Standard all-wheel drive
Great fuel economy
Easy infotainment system
Weak engine
Basic interior
Limited tech features
The impreza needs more power
2020 Subaru Specs
- 152 horsepower from base engine
- 145 lb-ft of torque from base engine
- 4 available trims
- 12.3 cu-ft of cargo capacity
- Standard AWD
- 6.5-inch touchscreen on base models
- 3 years/36,000-mile limited warranty
2020 Subaru Impreza Powertrain
The Impreza has a 152 horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired with either a standard five-speed manual or a continuously variable automatic (CVT) transmission. This engine is unimpressive and sluggish, taking more time than it should to pass on the highway or merge into traffic. It takes 9.4 seconds to go from 0-60 mph, putting it near the bottom of its class. The CVT doesn’t do much to help and isn’t as responsive as we’d like for it to be.
The Impreza does offer a smooth ride and handles well with quick and responsive steering. Its body roll is well controlled, and it has plenty of road grip thanks to standard all-wheel drive—something not offered by many of its rivals. You could say the Subaru brand is synonymous with AWD having made more than 20 million AWD vehicles.
If a more efficient front-wheel drive compact car is what you’re in the market for, see our review of the 2020 Toyota Corolla.
2020 Subaru Impreza Fuel Economy & MPG
For an all-wheel drive compact car, the Impreza delivers an impressive fuel economy. The sedan and hatchback models with the CVT automatic transmission get 28 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway. The Sport has slightly lower estimates due to its bigger wheels. It gets 27 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway in the hatchback and 27 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway in the sedan. If you go with the manual transmission, you’ll see even lower estimates with 24 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.
Interior, Comfort, & Cargo Space
The Impreza’s interior is basic yet functional. The controls and touchscreen are well placed and easy to use. Interior materials are what you would expect from this price point with low-grade plastics and some soft-touch materials. The front row offers comfortable and supportive seats and has enough legroom to accommodate 6-foot drivers. Taller passengers will find the second row to be slightly cramped, especially on longer rides.
Both body styles offer a 60/40 split-folding rear seat to accommodate more cargo. Hatchback models can hold 21 cubic feet of cargo with the rear seats up and 55 cubic feet with the rear seats down. Sedans can only hold 12 cubic feet of cargo putting it on the lower end for its class.
Entertainment & Technology
The Impreza’s touchscreen—either 6.5-inches on the base and Premium models or 8.0-inches on the Sport and Limited models—has well laid out and easy to use functions that are responsive to touch inputs. All models come standard with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. The audio system’s quality and volume are subpar, and with no premium option available, audio buffs may need to look elsewhere.
Safety Features
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the 2020 Impreza the highest rating of “Good” in all six crash tests and awarded it their Top Safety Pick+ rating for automatic transmission models equipped with Subaru’s EyeSight suite of driver-assistance technologies. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the Impreza an overall safety rating of five out of five stars, with five stars in the side crash, frontal crash, and rollover tests.
All automatic transmission models now come standard with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, and active lane control. Rear cross-traffic alerts and blind-spot monitors are optional on Premium and Sport trims and standard on the Limited. This safety equipment is not available on manual transmission models.
2020 Subaru Impreza Trims & Pricing
Base – $18,695
The Base Impreza comes with the bare minimum including a 6.5-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability, a four-speaker stereo, Bluetooth, a USB port, keyless entry, power door locks, and a rearview camera. A manual transmission is standard on the base and for an additional $1,300 you can opt for the continuously variable automatic transmission. Subaru’s EyeSight suite of driver-assistance features is available on the base models with automatic transmissions.
On a budget and want a car with some punch? See our Top 10 Fast Cars Under $10,000.
Premium – $22,095
The Premium trim adds heated front seats, an additional USB port, a six-speaker audio system, and satellite radio. Hatchback models get a cargo cover and roof rails. Subaru’s EyeSight suite of driver-assistance features comes standard on the Premium trim and includes adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and lane-keep assist, forward collision warning with automatic braking, and automatic reverse braking.
Sport – $23,495
The Sport trim gets a larger 8-inch touchscreen, an additional USB port, a Wi-Fi hot spot, proximity keyless entry, larger wheels, and sporty suspension tuning. Choose from either a manual or CVT automatic transmission on the Sport trim.
Limited – $25,795
The Limited adds leather upholstery, automatic climate control, LED headlights, lane change assist, rear cross traffic alert, and blind-spot monitoring.
Warranties
Subaru offers a limited warranty that covers 3 years/36,000 miles and a powertrain warranty that covers 5 years/60,000 miles. There is no complimentary scheduled maintenance.
What we think
2020 Subaru Impreza – media.subaru.com | Shop 2020 Subaru Impreza on Carsforsale.com
If it weren’t for its standard all-wheel drive, we’d have to dismiss the 2020 Subaru Impreza, but all-weather capabilities and a smooth ride give us pause. Add to that an impressive fuel economy and you’ve got yourself a decent ride as long as you don’t feel the need for speed. We’d choose the Premium trim for its standard safety features and added comforts.
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