2024 Subaru Impreza Hatchback

　　

2024 Subaru Impreza Review

byBrent RomansSenior Manager, Written Content

　　Brent Romans has worked in the automotive industry since 1996. He has written or edited thousands of expert car reviews and road-tested hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Brent is a senior manager of written content at zzdcar and previously contributed to publications such as Super Street and Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road. His personal car is a 2019 BMW M2 Competition, which he bought for its ideal combination of performance, style and practicality.

　　, rating written byBrent RomansVehicle Test Editor

　　Reese Counts has worked in the automotive industry since he started as an intern at zzdcar in 2015. He has written or edited thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Reese is a vehicle test editor at zzdcar and has also contributed to Autoblog. Reese has also been featured on Yahoo! Finance, Engadget and AOL reviewing cars and covering automotive technology, auto shows and more. Reese learned to drive in his father's C4 Chevrolet Corvette and now owns his grandfather's 1999 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG. A love for cars runs deep in his family.

　　Since its introduction to the U.S. market 30 years ago, the Subaru Impreza has been a popular compact car for shoppers seeking performance — by way of the Impreza-based WRX — or those simply desiring a car well suited for driving in inclement weather. Thanks to its standard all-wheel drive, the Impreza has had plenty of sway over this latter buying demographic. Now there's a redesigned 2024 Impreza that Subaru hopes will pique your interest.

　　This new generation of Impreza hatchback — the sedan is discontinued — doesn't look radically different from its 2017-2023 predecessor but it does feature some key improvements. A new 11.6-inch center touchscreen is standard on most Imprezas, giving this small car some bigness where it counts. A host of advanced driver aids are also standard. Mechanically, the 2024 Impreza drives more smoothly and handles more confidently than before and receives a more powerful engine in the new RS trim level.

　　Overall, we like the new Impreza. But hatchbacks of the roomy Honda Civic, upscale Mazda 3 and value-focused Toyota Corolla are worth checking out as well. Keep reading to see our team's Expert Rating that evaluates the Impreza's comfort, utility and more.

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Average

　　7.6

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

7.0/10

　　How does the Impreza drive? We were able to test the new Impreza RS trim, which exclusively comes with a more powerful engine. Alas, our test car accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in an unremarkable 8.4 seconds. That's slightly off the times we recorded in the Honda Civic and Mazda 3 hatchbacks, and you can expect the other Impreza trims to be even slower. Additionally, the car's continuously variable transmission can be slow to respond when you need a burst of speed. Merging or passing on the highway requires a little more planning.

　　Braking and handling capability are also little behind the class leaders. The Impreza changes direction without excessive body roll on twisty roads, and the steering is light and quick enough to make parking easy. But if you want a hatchback that feels a little sporty, we suggest looking elsewhere.

　　

Comfort

7.5/10

　　How comfortable is the Impreza? The Impreza hatch is one of the more comfortable vehicles in its class. The front seats are soft and offer decent support. The rear bench is a bit flat but is generally comfortable. Our RS trim test vehicle featured heated front seats. They work well and can be set to automatically turn on when you start the car. We also like the Impreza's ride quality and its general smoothness over bumps. The car is quiet most of the time, though the engine is loud at full throttle.

　　All Impreza hatchbacks feature standard dual-zone automatic climate control. That's great, but we've found the automatic system tends to run warm, though full AC is still plenty cold. The lack of vents for rear passengers is a disappointment.

　　Continue reading zzdcar Expert Rating below