The Subaru Impreza enters its sixth generation for the 2024 model year with lots of changes. What hasn’t changed is that it’s still a fun, sporty little car with the practicality of all-wheel drive as a standard feature. What it loses this year is the sedan, leaving only the 5-door hatchback, and the manual transmission which the brand is shelving here. That last bit makes us sad, but with fewer people opting for manuals, it was bound to happen eventually.
What we gain, however, takes some of the sting out of that loss. There’s a new RS trim that gets added visual punch along with a more powerful engine – and we got to spend some time with it. The lineup also includes a larger infotainment touchscreen on all but the base trim and an updated interior that brings it in line with the rest of the Subaru lineup. Here’s what we found after a week with the Impreza.
Exterior: The Sporty Hatchback Gets Even Sportier
The new Impreza looks a lot like the old one, but better. It gets a far more aggressive front end with a larger grille and sharper angles. It fits the aesthetic of a hot hatch without going too far. It’s a car that wants you to have fun, but knows you’re also a responsible adult. Taken in profile or from the rear, differences are less dramatic. This is an all-new generation, but it doesn’t stray too far from its immediate predecessor.
The most notable exterior changes happen in the new RS trim, pictured here. It gets unique exterior elements, including bold RS badging on the front doors and the hatchback, 18-inch dark gray alloy wheels, upgraded LED headlights, and a black grill with matching side spoilers and side mirrors. It’s a nice dose of sportiness that makes the RS the one with all the style.
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Interior: A Series Of Modest Upgrades
Subaru, even when it’s building a little hatchback, makes its cars ideal for the outdoorsy type. Anyone who frequently has muddy boots with a spare set in the trunk, doesn’t care if the dog wanders across the seats, and spends their days out in the wilds enjoying nature, will find Subaru interiors up to the challenge.
This hard-wearing interior philosophy is also standard for the Impreza, which is both good and bad. We love that durability, and we love that we don’t have to worry that mud or muck is going to trash delicate interior trims. There’s many a car out there with suede surfaces, fancy stitching, and open-pore wood that do not do well with the elements or spilled drinks. We can appreciate the simplicity of the Impreza.
That said, it isn’t especially appealing, even after having spent a week with the top trim in the lineup. The RS features interior upgrades with gunmetal and imitation carbon fiber trims along with sport seats in black with red bolsters. It gets the RS logo on the floor mats, steering wheel, and shifter, and aluminum alloy pedals. It looks fine, but it doesn’t match the visual impact of what you’ll find in a Honda Civic or a Mazda 3. But I wouldn’t want my dog in either of those, so, it’s a fair trade.
Seating: Room For Five, But Just Barely
This is technically a 5-person vehicle, but let’s be realistic: At most, you’re going to want four in your Impreza, because this is not a large car. That’s okay, because if you have a big family, you’re not shopping in this segment anyway. Four people, however, can get surprisingly comfortable despite the Impreza’s small size. The front sports seats in the Impreza RS are comfortable with bolsters that hold you in place without being too tight. They were also comfortable even after several hours behind the wheel.
We took a drive in the Impreza with four adults, one who was well over six feet. He adjusted the front seat so that he had ample room and the person in the back still had enough legroom without having to do that awkward sideways sitting position to keep their knees from being squished. It might not work for a long road trip, but in everyday use, the back seats are comfortable and roomy.
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2024 Subaru Impreza Interior Dimensions |
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Headroom Front* | Rear |
38.7 | 38 inches |
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Legroom Front | Rear |
42.9 | 36.5 inches |
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Shoulder Room Front | Rear |
56.8 | 55.3 inches |
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* with optional moonroof; +1.1 inches without
Cargo: Big Room From A Little Car
We’ve always been a fan of hatchbacks, especially for those who need the ability to carry cargo. Sedans don’t always allow for the larger, awkwardly shaped stuff that fits without a problem in a hatchback. The Impreza offers 20.4 cubic feet behind the rear eats with 56 cubes once you fold them down.
That’s a lot of room, but it falls short of what’s behind the second row in the Honda Civic hatchback. The Toyota Corolla hatchback comes in lower – unless you choose to ditch the spare tire – which puts it ahead of the Impreza. It might not be at the top of its class, but it still has a solid amount of room for those who frequently have cargo to carry.
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Cargo Room Comparison: Subaru Impreza vs.Core Rivals |
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Subaru Impreza Hatchback |
20.4 ft³ |
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Toyota Corolla Hatchback |
17.8 ft³ (23 ft³ w/o spare tire) |
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Honda Civic Hatchback |
24.5 ft³ |
Infotainment: A Larger Screen For The Top Trims Only
Subaru gave the Impreza an infotainment upgrade that includes its Starlink multimedia system with an 11.6-inch vertical touchscreen along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but it’s not available on the base trim. That one gets a dual seven-inch touchscreen setup with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Either way, it has key features, but the larger screen is really the way to go for several reasons. There’s the wireless smartphone connectivity, which makes the cabin far less cluttered and means you can still connect even if you forget a cable. There’s also the larger screen itself, which makes everything easier from finding apps to following navigation. It also just looks better. Two screens were a thing for a while, but it’s a somewhat outdated approach.
Powertrain: A Choice Of Two Gas Engines
The Base and Sport trims of the Subaru Impreza have a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine with 152 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque. The RS has a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder with 182 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque. Both are paired to a continuously variable automatic transmission, but the Sport and RS get an eight-speed manual mode along with paddle shifters that let you shift on your own without the pedals. There is no manual transmission for either engine and all-wheel drive is standard.
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Impreza Base Model
- Engine
- 2.0L Flat 4 Gas
- Drivetrain
- All-Wheel Drive
- Transmission
- Continuously Variable Automatic (CVT)
- Horsepower
- 152 hp
- Torque
- 145 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm
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Impreza RS
- Engine
- 2.5L Flat 4 Gas
- Drivetrain
- All-Wheel Drive
- Transmission
- Continuously Variable Automatic (CVT)
- Horsepower
- 182 hp
- Torque
- 178 lb-ft @ 3700 rpm
While both will do the job, the engine in the RS is obviously the more fun of the two. Between the added power and paddle shifters, it lets you treat the Impreza like a bit more of a hot hatch. It sits at the top of the lineup, however, which might put it out of reach for more modest budgets. The good news is that fuel economy is easy on your wallet no matter the engine. The base engine gets an EPA-estimated 27/34/30 mpg on the city/highway/combined cycles, with a drop of just one mile per gallon across all cycles for the more powerful engine.
Driving Impressions: Sporty – But Not A True Hot Hatch
We spent our driving time in the RS, so we had the most performance-focused version of the Impreza that you can buy at present. It definitely looked the part with the RS exterior badging and the red trim on the seats inside. Did it drive the part? Well, sort of. The 2.5-liter engine is responsive and did a fine job of merging into heavy traffic, and the sport-tuned suspension let us take curves more enthusiastically, but it’s not especially rapid.
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It has a version of the dual-pinion electronic power steering rack found on the performance-focused WRX, which adds to its handling, and Subaru increased torsional rigidity in the Impreza by 10 percent, which means nothing to most people. What it does is let the suspension work better, giving you a smoother ride – and that does mean something. It’s a noticeable difference compared to the prior generation and made the ride over bumps and potholes a lot less harsh. It’s also noticeably quieter than the prior generation.
Conclusion: Pricing and Verdict
The 2024 Subaru Impreza enters its sixth generation with a multitude of small changes that subtly improve this little car. The lack of a sedan in the lineup will disappoint those who prefer a trunk, but the hatchback is still surprisingly roomy. Before you write it off as being too small, take it out on a test drive and try sitting in the back – it’s truly bigger than it looks.
The other omission is a manual transmission, which is a little harder to let slide. A lot of the fun of driving a sporty little hatchback disappears when you can’t row through the gears on your own. There’s something visceral about that experience that cannot be captured by paddle shifters. Despite this, we did enjoy driving the RS trim and found it an engaging and spirited drive.
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A choice of only three trims includes the Base at $22,995, not including $1,120 destination. The Sport goes for $24,995 while the new RS is $27,885. This keeps the whole lineup nicely under $30,000, making this a great car for first-time buyers or anyone on a budget. We’d aim for at least the Sport for its improved infotainment setup, which drastically improves the feel of the interior, but if performance is your priority, go for the RS. While not the hottest hatchback you can buy, the Subaru Impreza delivers a nice combination of performance and comfort along with the versatility to manage cargo and a more affordable price.