When the current Impreza debuted for the 2008 model year, enthusiast forums went abuzz across the internet. NASIOC, the largest Impreza owners forum on the internet, cried a collective foul, asking if perhaps Subaru had mistakenly stolen one of Toyota’s more mundane compact car designs instead of using the striking, quirky traits that Subaru had become known for.
But in spite of its bland looks and the lukewarm reception it received from car enthusiasts, it has sold amazingly well, helping Subaru turn last month into its biggest June sales month yet at just under 126,000 cars sold across all models. Consumers are embracing this apparently more innocuous, more mainstream Subaru. The question is, though, would I?
See, my first car was a 1993 Impreza wagon — the first model year for the car — decorated in peeling refrigerator white paint. I loved that car for every one of the almost 30,000 miles I put on it. When snow would fall upon Northeast Ohio, drive it I did, often pretending that I was World Rally legend Colin McCrae tackling the rutted trails of Cypress. I remember watching old YouTube clips of how he’d thrash his 300+ horsepower machine with the utmost of precision. When I’d try to imitate his moves, muscling my 110 horsepower monster across the snowy roads, it quickly became apparent that, unfortunately, Colin McCrae I was not.
Aside from my obvious deficiencies, I held onto that car for four years, exploring every part of it, falling in love with it, trusting my car as if it were a loyal dog always by my side. And when I got the chance to drive the newest iteration if it, I jumped at the opportunity. The new sedan in question looks to be much bigger and more substantial than my old car, and, indeed, it is to the tune of two inches in overall length and almost 500 pounds in weight. But it also looked blander than the design that Automobile Magazine’s Jamie Kitman called one of the prettiest cars to ever come out of Japan. I wondered how much of the Impreza I knew and adored could be left over 17 years of design refinement.
Truth be told, a lot. Sure, Subaru ditched the frameless windows for this version to aid in structural rigidity, but from the first time I closed the driver’s door, the thud of it felt the same — hollow and cheap. Just the way I remembered it. Unlike the old model, however, the window didn’t rattled around in the door, making for a little more of a substantial feel.
While it’s a much larger, quieter car than the one I owned, the controls and layout are pretty familiar to anyone who’s been in a Subaru in the last 20 years. The engine has plenty of torque from the get-go from its large 2.5 liter flat-4, as well as a lovely albeit subdued rumble from the boxer engine. Its output numbers are a little deceiving, feeling hampered by the car’s more than 3,100 pounds. Mostly responsible for the weight is the all-wheel-drive system, making 170 horsepower feel more like everyone else’s 140.
Upon redesign, a major gripe that many critics had about the car centered on the fact that Subaru opted to keep the 4EAT automatic transmission — a unit that I had in my car and one that dated back to the 1989 model year from the first generation Legacy. While it’s down at least one cog versus par for the class, Subaru somehow worked out the heaving sensation that occurred every time my car would change gears. Traditionally the masters of the automatic transmission, GM would be jealous at how smoothly this car shifts. But then again, when the transmission design is now legally old enough to drink, it ought to have gotten some attention over the years. With a 5-speed automatic in Subaru’s parts catalog, there’s really no excuse for not having it in this car, though.
On Pennsylvania’s bumpy roads, the soft suspension took everything I could give it with little fuss. This isn’t a particularly sporty car, but it felt planted on the tarmac as though it could handle aggressive driving if it really needed to, as if the prowess for adventure were ever-present for those just-in-case moments. While I discovered it wasn’t a VW Jetta or Mazda3 in the dynamics department, I’d certainly rank its linear, if not slightly numb accelerator and brake pedals above the Jetta’s jumpy controls. The steering wasn’t anything amazing, either, but its light directness certainly puts in the better half of the compact class.
As for accommodations, the front seats are placed low in the car, feeling much like the seats in my old car, albeit a bit wider for the increased sized American waists that more and more seem to be finding their way into them. And like my old car, they’re well-bolstered on the sides but the bottom portion is too low and flat for my liking. As for the back seat, the four inches of increased wheelbase Subaru has added over the nearly two decades has definitely helped out, even providing more usable space in back than all but the newest Legacy models. Unfortunately, for you and the up to four additional passengers could haul around, though, the trunk is far too small to fit more than two or three medium suitcases, having its space compromised in order to fit in the AWD system. The load space is also angled up ever-so-slightly over the rear axle just in case I hadn’t been reminded enough all over the rest of the car that it had power to all of the wheels.
Otherwise, the car is pretty straightforward, if not stylistically and aesthetically lulling, with brittle plastics scattered throughout the interior. With the first generation model, at least it had a fairly pleasing, if not fun, interior with hidden compartments and a set of slide out cupholders that I didn’t even know were there for the first three months I owned the car. It was well-built, tidy package. It also had better materials with soft touch plastics and vinyls everywhere, making me feel a little disappointed how much quality had been compromised in the new car to keep its base price around $17,000 — roughly $3,000 more than my car cost new in 1993 without accounting for 17 years of inflation.
But seeing that it isn’t 1993 anymore, it’s good to know Subaru took the time to make the car better in most other respects while still retaining the simple functionality and feel that loyal Subie-philes like myself have come to know. While the company is trying to broaden its appeal, it has to remain dedicated towards serving the clientele it built up through the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. That base bought its cars because they needed the ruggedness of a farm tractor, the versatility that only a few manufacturers have been able to provide for such a long time and eccentricity in execution akin to a Japanese Saab, sans all of the Trollhaetten reliability issues. And with the exception of much-diluted quirkiness, Subaru has largely succeeded at giving consumers a car that caters to both the old and new buyers.
If you’re an enthusiast looking for the next great sport compact car, this is not it. Get a Mazda3 or a fork out another $7,000 and get a WRX instead. But all things considered, it’s one of the better cars in its class, as well as the best Impreza made yet. And as much as I still hold my first car on a psychological pedestal, I appreciate the benefits this car provides in terms of comfort, space, refinement and safety — in spite of the additional heft. While it may not be stylistically differentiated from everything else on the road anymore, with past iterations that earning nicknames like “pig nose” or “hawkeye,” it still feels like every bit as much of an Impreza that I’ve come to love, solidity on the road and sure-footedness intact. Thank goodness.
Full disclosure: I used to work at an Enterprise Rent-a-Car, where I drove many, many cars. The model I drove was of similar spec to the one pictured. All of the views and opinions expressed here are strictly those of myself and are unaffiliated with any employers I’ve had or currently have. The photo is courtesy of Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons/IFCAR.
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