- We’re comparing our test results in a variety of categories between the 2024 Subaru Impreza and its SUV sibling, the 2024 Crosstrek.
- The Impreza is cheaper, offers better fuel economy, and has slightly more cargo space than the Crosstrek.
- The Crosstrek has a higher seating position and comes in a wider range of trim levels.
Welcome to Car and Driver’s Testing Hub, where we zoom in on the test numbers. We’ve been pushing vehicles to their limits since 1956 to provide objective data to bolster our subjective impressions (you can see how we test here).
SUVs and crossovers are undeniably popular and have dominated the new-car market for years now. Compared with passenger cars such as sedans and hatchbacks, they offer the promise of extra interior practicality and all-terrain capability, among other intangible attributes. But are SUVs actually better than cars? It’s a question that depends entirely on your perspective, but we set out to answer it in objective terms as best we could.
Our test results for two distinct Subaru models—the 2024 Impreza RS and the 2024 Crosstrek Limited—provide the unique opportunity to compare two closely related vehicles, one a compact hatchback and the other a subcompact SUV, in a variety of measurements. The Impreza and Crosstrek share their platforms, powertrains, and countless other components. But while the Crosstrek’s extra ground clearance and body cladding may help it outsell the Impreza by more than a four to one margin, we found that the hatchback is the better performer in most categories, including some that may surprise you.
Fuel Economy: Advantage, Impreza
The 2.5-liter versions of the Crosstrek and the Impreza have the same EPA ratings of 26 mpg city, 33 mpg highway, and 29 mpg combined. But in the real world, it didn’t surprise us that the lower, lighter, and more aerodynamic hatchback beat the taller Crosstrek. Both surpassed their EPA highway estimates, with the Impreza achieving 37 mpg in our real-world 75-mph highway fuel economy test and the Crosstrek getting 35 mpg in the same test.
Performance: Advantage, Impreza
The Impreza weighs 126 pounds less than the Crosstrek, so that accounts for its 0.3 second advantage in the sprint to 60 mph, at 7.8 seconds to 8.1 seconds. It also grips the skidpad at 0.83 g, an advantage of 0.02 g. These differences are minor, though, and the Crosstrek actually beat the Impreza in braking performance, stopping from 70 mph five feet shorter.
Cargo Space: Advantage, Impreza
Practicality is one of the key parts of an SUV’s appeal, but the Impreza beats the Crosstrek in terms of cargo space and usability. With the rear seats folded flat, both Subarus held 22 carryon suitcases in our testing. But with the rear seats up, the Impreza held eight suitcases, one more than the Crosstrek. (It is worth mentioning that the Crosstrek has a spare tire, while the Impreza does not, which likely accounts for the difference here.)
Because the Impreza is lower to the ground, it’s also easier to load heavy stuff in the back. You’ll only have to hoist a heavy box 26.3 inches in the air to slide it into the hatchback’s cargo hold, versus the Crosstrek’s 30.4 inch liftover.
Seating Position: Your Call
Impreza
We’re not here to tell you whether you should prefer a higher or a lower seating position, but we can illustrate the clear differences between these two cars thanks to our H-point, or hip-point, measurements. Obviously, you sit higher in the Crosstrek, by a whole 4.5 inches. The Impreza’s step-in height, or the height of the door sill as you enter the car, is also considerably lower, by nearly 4 inches for both the front and rear seats. Our visibility measurements showed that the Impreza offers a slightly better view out, with two feet less road obscured from the driver’s front viewpoint and one foot less obscured from the rear.
Price: Advantage, Impreza
Surprise! The hatchback costs less. It starts at $24,085, while the Crosstrek kicks off at $26,290. The Crosstrek’s main draw is its wider range of trim levels. While the Impreza is offered in only base, Sport, and RS variants, the Crosstrek has five distinct configurations—including the off-road-oriented Crosstrek Wilderness with a raised suspension, all-terrain tires, and an even more rugged look.
Despite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.