Subaru Impreza 4D

Previous car I drove was a Hyundai Avante. I must admit that the Impreza had very excellent handling however it engine is greatly under powered. Kinda expect it from a 1.6 AWD, petrol wise quite a drinker as well. At best I can get is 9km per L and that is taking it slow and easy. Lastly the 15 inch wheels that came with it is a total joke. Too small and I changed it to 17 inch on day 1 of collection. I suppose Subaru is quite reliable cannot comment on that as I've only owned it for 2 months. Free 5 years servicing and the superb handling is what made me decide the Impreza over the other 1600cc cars... Read More

Just got the car in April. I was attracted by the comparatively lower price, its country of manufacture, 3-year free servicing and 5-year warranty. With no CEVS rebate, its PARF value is also based on the full OMV. Interior Things are of reasonable quality and functional. The layout is straightforward and neat; as I don't fancy lots of curves, this suits me well. The top of the dashboard has a soft-feel which is nice. The buttons and knobs have a firm feel when pressed or turned. They are quite well-positioned on the central panel and on the steering wheel. The centre storage compartment which can be accessed by lifting the arm rest is too far back – I have to twist quite a bit to reach the stuff in it. I also wish that there is an overhead compartment for sunglasses. At the back, the legroom for rear passengers is quite good but the centre storage extends too far back. This makes it hard for rear passengers to move from one side of the car to the other. Safety The car is fussy about safety. If the driver or front passenger does not put on the safety belt after the car picks up speed, there will be a rather irritating and loud tone. If the driver opens the door when reversing to check the parking line, another tone will be sounded. The Drive The car moves off smoothly from rest. Subaru will credit this to their Lineartronic CVT technology. There is some drag when it is pushed hard. I suppose this is not unexpected from a non-turbo charged mid-size sedans. After the car picks up speed to around 90 km/h, the drive is steady with engine RPM around 2000. Likely due to the heavy weight of the car, the car is stable. The front and rear suspensions are firm and holds the car well. The handling of the car is good. The car grips the road well – it gives the driver a confident and fully-in-control feeling when making bends and turns. The car salesman credited this to the AWD and low CG of the engine. I think the heavy weight of the car plays a role too. Anyway, it is a sensation that makes the car quite fun to drive. Fuel Consumption Based on the first two tanks of petrol, I got 11.5 km/l based on the use of RON95 petrol, 50 high way and 50 normal road. This is quite a relief as I have read about older models doing 8-9 km/l at best. In conclusion, this is a car that is fun to drive and offer good value for money.... Read More