Subaru Impreza 2024 Review

The 2024 Subaru Impreza 2.0S on test here costs $37,990 plus on-road costs, or around $43,000 drive-away if you live in Melbourne. This will be the top-spec variant until the warmed-up Subaru Impreza RS arrives.

Subaru’s latest Impreza was revealed in late 2022 at the Los Angeles motor show, where it was also announced that sedan body styles and manual gearboxes had been deleted.

So an automatic hatchback is the only Impreza now available and, like all new model these days, prices have headed north. The entry-level Subaru Impreza 2.0L is priced from $31,490, while the mid-range Impreza 2.0R is a $34,990 proposition (both plus ORCs).

The higher prices make it one of the more expensive Asian hatchbacks in the small-car segment, in which competitors like the evergreen Toyota Corolla (from $29,610), Hyundai i30 (from $24,000), Mazda3 (from $30,470) and Kia Cerato (from $$27,060) all offer lower starting prices. However, none of these rivals offer AWD – except the GR Corolla… but that costs an eye-watering $64K.

Warranty provisions are fairly typical at five years and unlimited kilometres, but there’s only one year of complimentary roadside assistance (linked to a car club membership in your state, such as RACV or NRMA), which is below average.

Service costs aren’t as low as the Corolla’s (few are) and you’ll pay an average of $475 per annual service or $2372 over five years or 75,000km, with 12-month/15,000km service intervals.

The entire 2024 Subaru Impreza range is handsomely equipped, with all grades now fitted as standard with a jumbo 11.6-inch portrait-style central touch-screen, wireless phone charger, smart key and push-start start, automatic (dusk-sensing) LED headlights, LED tail-lights, power-folding door mirrors and USB-A and USB-C ports.

Dual-zone climate control, 17-inch alloy wheels, tinted rear windows, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, cloth-trimmed seats and both wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also standard across 2024 Impreza range, while this top-spec 2.0S adds GPS satellite-navigation, 18-inch alloy wheels and heated, leather-trimmed front seats – power-adjustable but only for the driver.

An electric sunroof, 10-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, self-levelling headlights with high-beam assist, LED front fog lights, aluminium-faced sports pedals and auto-dimming rear-view mirror are also added to the 2.0S equipment list.

The 2024 Subaru Impreza hasn’t yet been assessed by independent safety authority ANCAP but it does come with an impressive safety suite, including nine airbags and Subaru’s latest ‘Eyesight’ sensory array.

This includes an upgraded dual or ‘stereoscopic’ camera system mounted at the top of the windscreen that enables autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control and automatic steering on the freeway via lane centring and lane departure prevention.

It also gets autonomous emergency steering and an intelligent speed-limiter via road sign recognition, plus there’s a blind spot monitor to alert drivers to cars they may not see behind and beside them, and rear cross traffic alert that’ll warn drivers of approaching cars when reversing out of tight or vision-limited car parks.

A facial recognition system is coupled with a distraction warning system that beeps if you take your eyes off the road for more than a few seconds, which can be annoying when trying to hold a conversation on dead-straight freeways, where the auto steering system does a good job of keeping the car on the straight and narrow.

The 2024 Subaru Impreza’s technological headline act is without doubt its 11.6-inch vertically-aligned central touch-screen. It’s bigger than all of its rivals’, it looks great – especially with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto – and the hard-wired temperature controls mean you don’t have to drill into menus to quickly adjust the air-conditioning.

There’s no head-up display nor a digital instrument cluster, which is disappointing given how similar the cabin design is to its predecessor’s. It’s almost like serving up eggs benedict without the rich buttery sauce.

The analogue dials are effective and the compact 4.2-inch digital screen wedged between them offers plenty of info, and while the reversing camera is detailed and the overhead 360-degree view helpful, this doesn’t feel like a particularly advanced or innovative vehicle.

Along with its ‘symmetrical AWD’ system (which is only a genuine full-time all-wheel drive system when equipped with the now-axed manual gearbox), another signature powertrain feature of the 2024 Subaru Impreza is its flat four-cylinder engine.

However, the novel engine type in the sixth-generation Impreza is unchanged from the preceding fifth generation, which means power and torque outputs (115kW/196Nm) remain unchanged. That said, it’s still got class-competitive muscle compared to Japanese and Korean rivals.

Power is transferred to all four wheels via an automatic CVT (continuously variable transmission) that has eight ‘stepped’ gears if you tap on the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

Because the Impreza has an AWD system it’s a bit heavier than most of its direct competitors and this negatively impacts fuel consumption. The 2024 Subaru Impreza 2.0S is happy to drink cheaper 91 octane petrol and has claimed fuel efficiency of 7.5L/100km, which is none too rosy these days.

Our testing saw it slurp fuel at a rate of 9.0L/100km, which is not great and results in CO2 emissions higher than its 170g/km claim.

There’s nothing wrong with the way this Japanese hatchback drives, but when Subaru concedes its new-generation 2024 Subaru Impreza has merely been ‘finessed by Subaru’s engineers’, one begins to wonder if this is indeed an all-new vehicle or just a significant facelift?

Direct steering and a low centre of gravity generate an agreeably nimble feel right away, making the car change direction with an eagerness that makes curvy country road driving rather enjoyable. The chassis dynamics are respectable and it doesn’t mind tucking into tighter corners. Indeed, unlike many rivals, it has an analogue, mechanical feel to the way it motivates, which adds a bit of charm.

But that charm is dashed when you rev the engine, which is breathless and slow-revving like the carryover powerplant it is. Granted, it works reasonably effectively with the CVT auto at low speeds, delivering satisfactory acceleration up to 60km/h, which makes it an adept suburban combatant.

But overtaking other cars on freeways and arterial roads at 80 or 100km/h reveals a level of lethargy in both the dated engine and transmission.

It’s a confident car when it rains and on dirt roads thanks to the AWD system, providing sure-footed road-holding. Ride comfort is pretty good too, the suspension smoothing out pot-holes and poor-quality roads with relative ease.

Minor changes to the inner frame of the Subaru Global Platform architecture, which all the critical mechanical components are bolted to, are supposed to improve body rigidity while making the cabin a bit quieter, but without a back-to-back test with its predecessor it’s impossible to verify Subaru’s claims.

It certainly doesn’t feel quieter. The engine and CVT make a racket when revved and there’s noticeable wind noise around the windscreen and mirrors at higher speeds too.

Driving the Impreza is pleasingly effortless, if dull, but the soulless CVT and dated engine give it decade-old Toyota vibes.

Yes, it can! The AWD system is quite capable on dirt roads and can tackle challenging climbs that its rivals cannot. But its off-road ability is limited by its low ride height, with just 130mm of ground clearance meaning it’ll get snagged on rocks and washed-out ruts quick smart.

After all, this is a passenger car – not an SUV – albeit one with an above-average ability to traverse muddy roads or wet, grassy paddocks.

Step inside the 2024 Subaru Impreza and the big 11.6-inch touch-screen dominates proceedings, but look beyond what is one of the small hatchback’s key selling points and you’ll find fairly good fit and finish and sound ergonomics

We noted no squeaky panels and while there are cheap plastics scattered around, there’s also some nice soft-touch materials – including on the shapely front seats. The driver gets eight-way power adjustment (with lumbar) but the front the passenger has to manually adjust their seat, which smells of cost-cutting in this top-shelf variant.

That said, the 10-speaker Harmon Kardon audio system is good and, together with the electric sunroof, lends the cabin an upmarket glow.

Apart from the large central bin and wireless device charging pad, storage solutions are average, but dual USB ports (A and C) and an AUX port are handy. Voice recognition is in there, but it can be hit and miss.

If you’re upgrading from the previous fifth-generation Subaru Impreza you may feel a little short-changed when you notice several carryover interior parts, including the steering wheel.

The cabin’s overall look and feel is eerily similar to the previous Impreza and, together with a lack of air-vents for rear seat passengers and a 15 per cent smaller boot than before, it all feels a bit underwhelming.

It all depends on whether you love Subaru with all your heart… because unless you’re a rusted-on loyalist you should consider other options in the small-car segment that are better vehicles – and better value.

The 2024 Subaru Impreza feels like a major facelift, not an all-new car as the promotional material insists. Granted, the cabin is a bit nicer with the big digital display being the hero, and safety tech is impressive.

But the aging powertrain, small boot and lack of rear-seat amenity don’t do it any favours. There’s little excitement or innovation here and, without a sedan option and no chance of a new WRX STI hero, there’s a sense that Subaru has either lost its mojo or is penny-pinching – or both.

No, there are no major flaws here that would be deal-breakers for many new-car buyers, but the iconic Impreza nameplate deserves more than just a luke-warm update.

Die-hard Subaru advocates might not be disappointed, but everyone else may find the 2024 Subaru Impreza stuck in the past.

2024 Subaru Impreza 2.0S at a glance:
Price: $37,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 115kW/196Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic with eight stepped ‘ratios’
Fuel: 7.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 170g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested