2024 Subaru Impreza First Drive: Practical as Ever, Now With a Dash of Fun

Subaru’s compact car hits differently for 2024 as the Impreza now arrives in its sixth generation. Fundamental philosophical changes include the retirement of the four-door sedan variant as Subaru doubles down on the hatchback for its practicality while also embracing the model’s sporty lineage with a new RS version. The range also boasts significant powertrain, technology, and trim level updates.

Taking the Fight to the Civic and Corolla

The 2024 Subaru Impreza RS’s standard 182-hp, 2.5-liter non-turbo flat-four—also used in the Crosstrek, Forester, and Outback—represents a commendable step toward heating up the Impreza. It produces more output than the 1.5-liter turbo inline-four found in the 2023 Honda Civic EX-L and Sport Touring hatchbacks, which makes 180 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque, as well as the 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder in the 2023 Toyota Corolla hatch, which makes just 169 hp and 151 lb-ft.

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The bigger Impreza engine’s bump in thrust is noticeable from behind the wheel. It won’t bowl you over, but the grunt we missed from the smaller engine in the last model presents itself in useful and fun ways here. The car is more capable at passing and getting up to freeway speeds, and it’s more fleet exiting corners. If the 2.0-liter in the previous Impreza was enough engine for getting around town and in nearly every situation except zipping past traffic, the 2.5-liter Subaru uses here solves that problem.

For all its athletic aspirations, however, the 2024 Subaru Impreza’s transmission might be its greatest weakness. A CVT automatic is back and now the only transmission offered; the previous generation’s six-speed manual has been put out to pasture. It’s retuned for quieter, more efficient operation, and Sport and RS models come with a manual-shift mode and steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

We can’t knock the power delivery, because it was generally linear and stayed in the meat of the powerband. Subaru improved refinement here with a retune and the addition of greater sound insulation in the engine bay. But the CVT still did CVT things, namely protest loudly when it was pushed too hard.

Subaru expects fuel economy for its new powertrain to trail rivals. If efficiency is a priority, the previous generation’s base 2.0-liter engine is also available—although it doesn’t improve the Impreza’s ratings much, still falling behind the Honda and Toyota competition. EPA fuel-economy estimates for the 2023 Honda Civic hatchback with its 1.5-liter turbo engine are 31/39/35 mpg city/highway/combined, and 30-32/38-41/33-35 mpg for the non-GR Toyota Corolla hatch.

That said, driving range for all 2024 Subaru Imprezas increased significantly because they now have a bigger fuel tank of 16.6 gallons compared to the previous model’s 13.2-gallon reservoir. Filled up, it can travel between 481 and 498 miles (depending on which engine you choose) before needing to refuel, eclipsing the Civic 1.5-T’s 434 miles and Corolla 2.0-liter’s 462 miles, though the Honda’s tank is only 12.4 gallons and the Toyota’s 13.2 gallons.

Still a Solid Ride

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We would pit the 2024 Subaru Impreza’s chassis tuning against any of the class’ best competitors. The new model handles as competently as the old one, due partly to featuring stouter underpinnings. Subaru is eyeing another IIHS Top Safety Pick award for the redesigned hatchback (the model’s 16th straight), and it stiffened up parts of the platform, including adding more steel to the car’s sides in preparation for the institute’s new side-impact tests.

Standard all-wheel drive, torque vectoring, and an adept suspension translate to lots of grip. You can also add to that the Sport and RS’s wider 225-series tires (the base model comes with 205s). Although it’s plenty planted, we did find a hint of body roll as the lateral g’s crept up, and we noticed some dive on sudden stops. Subaru says the new car comes with softer springs, but we’re more inclined to think the unwanted motions came from some ham-handed driving.

The Impreza’s chassis provides some decent feedback to the driver. Certainly, the front seats, now bolted directly to the chassis, have something to do with that. So does a new electronic brake booster that Subaru says improves both feel and operation. The hatch also gets the WRX’s dual-pinion electric power steering, which we thought was quick and communicative in the rally rocket, and some of that feeling is here, too.

EyeSight driver assist features are now standard across the Impreza lineup and benefit from new wider-view front and rear cameras. The 2024 Impreza gets the latest version of the safety package, with automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping systems, and adaptive cruise control. Automatic high-beams and a rear-seat reminder are also standard, and on models with blind-spot and rear cross-traffic monitoring—standard on the RS, optional on the Sport—new automatic emergency steering is included.

Exterior Updates and RS Kit

Subaru gives the 2024 Impreza a frameless grille, an angrier hood, and smoother haunches. The car also receives new standard steering-responsive headlights that are slimmer than previous model’s. Standard active grille shutters and lightweight aluminum fenders help with fuel efficiency, and larger door-handle pockets and a more convenient tailgate handle make interior access easier. A rear camera washer is also standard. Base models feature 16-inch wheels; Sport and RS trims ride on 18s.

Active lifestyle types will love that the roofs are equipped with crossbar mounting points. Most of 2023’s seven-color palette returns on the new model except for Ocean Blue Pearl and Crimson Red Pearl. They are replaced by Oasis Blue Pearl and Pure Red.

As for the Impreza RS specifically, it gets a model-unique rear roof spoiler, skirts, and underbody aero. The black finish on the front grille, side spoilers, side mirrors, and around the LED foglights—as well as the RS badging on the front doors and rear hatch—are also a dead giveaway about the car’s identity.

Slicker Cabin

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This is a new hatchback with the same exterior dimensions, which turns out to be good for interior volume. There’s more front and rear headroom with and without a sunroof than there is in the Civic and Corolla hatchbacks. The new Impreza’s forward legroom of 42.9 inches also edges out the Honda’s 42.3 inches and Toyota’s 42.0 inches, but the Civic has 0.9 inch of additional legroom, for 31.4 inches.

The 2024 Impreza offers 2.6 cubic feet more cargo space behind the rear seat than the Corolla hatch’s 17.8 cubes, but the longer Civic beats them both with 24.5 cubic feet. As for space with the second row folded, neither Honda nor Toyota has provided those measurements, but Subaru pegs the space at 56.0 cubes. The center console box is also larger than before, and cupholders in the doors, center console, and hatch area are now big enough for large water bottles.

Base models come with a standard dual 7.0-inch infotainment interface, a half inch bigger than the old displays, but you’ll want the upgrade. It’s the same huge 11.6-inch touchscreen that’s in the 2024 Crosstrek and replaces the outgoing Impreza’s 8.0-inch screen. It’s also more than 2 inches bigger than anything Honda or Toyota offer. Although we didn’t get to play with it for long, functionality appeared straightforward, and we appreciate that Subaru kept a few knobs and buttons for volume, station tuning, and climate control.

A wireless phone charger has finally come to the Impreza and is standard on the RS. Available seat heaters in the Sport and standard in the RS get hotter than before, and the front seats are more supportive around the midsection. Engineers also moved up the shift knob by 1.4 inches, and like the new Crosstrek, the Impreza features Subaru’s new focused-air climate-control feature, which senses and tailors system settings to occupied seats.

The new cabin is both quiet and comfortable. We mentioned the improved forward sound deadening, but there’s also more insulation in the roof and a sound-insulating windshield on Sport and RS models. Both the A/C system and automatic windows are revised to work more silently, too.

A Better Impreza

As they share a platform, the 2024 Subaru Impreza and Crosstrek have a whole lot (too much?) in common. We didn’t point out all the overlap here, but there’s quite a bit. And while we appreciate the more powerful engine in the new RS, the CVT is still something of a wet blanket. But we think that disappoints only a small sliver of Impreza intenders.

The car’s ride and handling balance is still excellent, and the cabin might be quieter than it’s ever been. Range has meaningfully improved (though you pay more for a full tank), plus fresh driver-assist tech contributes to a safer car. The big optional touchscreen is the cabin’s most significant gain, but you’ll relish how peaceful and relaxing all 2024 Imprezas are to drive. The new model will also likely continue to be more affordable than the Honda Civic hatchback. And if you’re building and selling compact cars, that mostly checks off all the important boxes.

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