Nuts & Bolts
2008 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Premium Sedan
|
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
Complaints: The Impreza sedan is not a car for everyone. It will please practical souls but will not satisfy adventurous sorts, such as my associate, Ria Manglapus, who found the Impreza "less than impressive" in styling and performance.
Ride, acceleration and handling: Mary Anne and I gave it "good" marks in all three categories. Ria called it a "snoozemobile."
Head-turning quotient: Eccentricity flooded by mainstream. We'd rather have ugly that is so ugly it's cute than styling that is so vanilla it's forgettable.
Body style/layout: All Subarus are all-wheel drive. The Impreza sedan is a compact, front-engine economy car with four doors and a notchback trunk. It's also available as a hatchback, wagon and high-performance WRX.
Engine, transmission: The tested sedan comes with a 2.5-liter, 116-valve, flat four-cylinder engine that develops 170 horsepower at 6,000 revolutions per minute and 170 foot-pounds of torque at 4,400 rpm. The engine is mated to a four-speed automatic transmission that also can be shifted manually. A five-speed manual transmission is available. WRX models get a turbocharged, 224-horsepower version of the flat four and a selection of either the four-speed automatic transmission or the five-speed manual.
Capacities: In the tested car, there are seats for five. Luggage capacity is 11.3 cubic feet. The fuel tank holds 16.9 gallons of regular unleaded gasoline.
Mileage: You get 20 miles per gallon in the city and 27 mpg on the highway -- not spectacular for a small car, not bad for a car with all-wheel drive.
Safety: Standard equipment includes rigid body construction, antilock brakes, side and head air bags, and electronic stability and traction control.
Price: The base price on the 2008 Subaru Impreza Premium sedan with automatic transmission is $19,495. Dealer's invoice price on that model is $18,551. Price as tested is $20,332, including $192 in options (auto dimming mirror with electronic compass) and a $645 destination charge. Dealer's price as tested is $18,551. Check for sales incentives on this one. Prices sourced from Subaru, Edmunds.com and Cars.com, an affiliate of The Washington Post.
Purse-strings note: This is a good compact car surrounded by worthy competitors. It has the advantage of an excellent all-wheel-drive system. Compare with Chevrolet Cobalt, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Mazda3, Toyota Corolla.
