Subaru Impreza 2.0i Premium (2017)

Test Drive Notes Library

Pros
Ride. This may be the most comfortable riding compact car we’ve ever driven. It’s built on an all new Subaru platform, and, whatever they did, it works. The Impreza soaks up bumps and road irregularities with cars far more expensive. And it’s not a soft wallower. Handling is good. It’s just really comfortable.
Practical. The Impreza seats four comfortably, and offers a hatchback that adds tremendous versatility. Fold down the back seats and you can fit enough tofu and kale in the cargo compartment to get through the next armageddon.
Roomy. The Impreza is a compact car, but it doesn’t feel cramped inside. It has an airiness and openness that doesn’t leave you feeling confined or squished in. Headroom is particularly good up front, tall dudes.
Safety and price. While some of the greatest safety advances in years are slowly seeping down from luxuries cars, Subaru is already offering them to compact car buyers at an affordable price. Our test Impreza 2.0i Premium came with the optional, $2,400 Subaru EyeSight system (available on all but base models), which includes the stuff we highly recommend to everyone buying a new car these days: forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross traffic alert. Total sticker for our Impreza, with standard all-wheel-drive, heated seats, Apple CarPlay and more: less than $25K. Wow.
Easy. The Subaru is easy to live with. We’ve often complimented Hondas on being easy to drive. The Impreza is similarly easy to drive, easy to park, easy to see out of, easy to live with. Its controls are mostly simple, with three clear knobs for climate control and large, clear gauges. 31 mpg combined according to the EPA, even with all wheel drive, should make it easy on the wallet, too.

Cons
Seats. The cloth seats on the Premium 2.0i are somewhat soft, and we noticed that after longer drives. Better leather seats are available on higher trim models.
Small touchscreen. A 6.5 inch touchscreen is what we used to call a “large touchscreen.” Now it’s barely average. It’s relatively easy to use, but we find the separate “apps” that Subaru is pushing inconvenient.
On the dowdy side. If you want something that looks racy or sleek, uh, this is not your car. There’s a reason you don’t see men in their undershirts out in their driveways proudly buffing their Subarus to spit-polished sheen. Subaru has long been the sensible shoe of automobiles. You have to accept that you’re getting a great personality. And you are.