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Subaru Impreza News & Reviews

   2010 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Sport 5-door Road Test Review

I was traveling home from a trip to St. John's, Newfoundland last night, on the second leg that took me from Toronto to Vancouver,

A nicely appointed well-adjusted compact hatchback, the 2010 Subaru Impreza 5dr 2.5i is a solid choice. (Photo: Automotive Metrics)

and found myself sitting beside a diehard Subaru owner. While her ride wasn't an Impreza, the subject of this review, her two sequential Foresters made her a believer and therefore a third one will be in her garage shortly. She said that she'd looked around at what was available, and nothing in the same price bracket worked for her like the Forester.

Impreza loyalists feel the same way. While many cars are sized similarly in the compact class, none deliver the same kind of experience. Truly, a Subaru is a totally unique kind of car, but its buyers aren't particularly eclectic. Its four-wheel drive just suits their lifestyles, and general reliability has earned their respect. What some Subaru owners don't realize, however, is how performance-oriented their cars really are. The Impreza has earned street cred by tuners and thanks to its rally-bred WRX siblings can hold its own on a winding road.

That <Read More>

   2010 Subaru Impreza 2.5GT Road Test Review

Subaru's Impreza family lineup for 2009 consisted of the Impreza 2.5i, Impreza WRX, Impreza WRX STI, and in the US, at least,

It looks almost like a WRX, but the US-only Impreza GT divides Lancer GTS and WRX right down the middle in price and performance. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

the all-new Impreza 2.5GT.  Ya, it's ironic that the Japanese brand chose to launch the new 2.5GT on Vancouver Island, but won't be bringing it north of the 49th for 2010 or the near future unless a press release is forthcoming, but such is life. 

In Canada, therefore, horsepower continues to range from 170 (2.5i) on the low end to 305 horses on the high end (WRX STI).  Also available is an Outback Sport version in five-door guise only. Minor styling freshening and additional amenities appear, along with a new grille in all models.  Unlike the US, there's no navigation system available, but Bluetooth audio, an iPod and USB connection comes as part of the MediaHub accessory kit. 

The Impreza 2.5GT falls into the mid-range power wise, with a 224-horsepower version of the 2.5-litre horizontally opposed four-cylinder "Boxer" engine.  If you're up on <Read More>

   2009 Subaru Impreza 2.5i 5-Door Road Test Review

It is called the Impreza. A name that sounds like the work of a Japanese marketing department trying to subliminally imply that

Funky little 5-door sports all-wheel drive and a 170hp horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine in base 2.5i guise. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

you'll be impressed by their entry-level car. Name aside, it is likely to leave an impression. The compact Subaru's unique underpinnings make it a real alternative in a field of cars that all have the same general layout under their tin bodies.

Sitting atop the monkey bars, pushing all the other small cars off the top are still the Mazda3 and Honda Civic. The Honda and Mazda kids make fun of Subaru for hanging out with the hippy crowd and liking geography. While being a little on the heavy side, no one will forget the gym class when they played soccer outside after it rained, and the Subie kicked everyone's butt. Subaru can only dream of selling as many cars in Canada as the majority of its rival Japanese automakers, and I hope they never do, for they wouldn't be cool and different anymore.

The two things that set the Impreza apart from everything else at its price point is full-time <Read More>

   2011 Subaru Impreza WRX Road Test Review

I've driven a lot of Subaru Imprezas over the years and have especially grown to love the sporty WRX line. The first one I drove

The WRX is a legend, and the newest version is as good as any not adorned with the extra "STI" designation has ever been. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

was a couple of generations ago, at least, and since I've had opportunity to test the current body style on the press launch in 2007 and after in various configurations for weeklong tests, just like I was able to do recently when Subaru loaned me the 2011 version.

Last year Subaru gave the car a fairly extensive upgrade, which included swapping the old 224-horsepower boxer engine for the 265-horsepower version that previously powered the WRX265 model introduced for 2009, retuning the suspension, adding summer performance rubber as standard and stuffing deeply bolstered rally-style seats into the front, so therefore changes to the 2011 model only include a set of larger rear head restraints to improve safety.

At the heart of the WRX is the aforementioned turbocharged and intercooled 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine that makes 265-horsepower <Read More>

   2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STi Road Test Review

Once upon a time, the general consensus of the majority of auto scribes was that Subaru's WRX STi was a less civilized machine

A familiar set of badges and iconic colour get an updated face. (Photo: Automotive Metrics)

than Mitsubishi's Lancer Evolution. In 2008, the third generation STi seemed to change that perception almost instantly. The STi then provided more horsepower and torque than its predecessors, and did it with a great deal more sophistication and finesse. For 2011, the STi is now available in two body styles – the more traditional 4-door version sees the return of the large rear wing, while the 5-door hatch now shares its wide body styling with the base WRX that incorporates a lip-type spoiler just above the rear glass.

The design of the 5-door delivers a contemporary flavour, which more closely resembles a compact sport wagon than its predecessor, along with unquestionably more versatility and functionality. The frontal appearance showcases a low, wide stance with a recognizable grille shape and flowing character line that glides continuously around the front fascia, up over the <Read More>

   2010 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited Road Test Review

While it seems many manufacturers are struggling around them, Subaru presses on. Having found a niche, Fuji Heavy Industries,

The new Outback is much more rugged looking than previous generations. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

primary owner of Subaru, is enjoying success by pursuing its own distinct course. The ingredients are well-known: all-wheel drive, boxer engines, reasonable prices, a reputation for reliability and a customer base in snowier regions that wouldn't have any other vehicle.

Subaru Canada, Inc. (SCI) announced a new record for May with total monthly sales having reached 2,436 units, which is a 25.6% increase over May, 2009. It was the fifth consecutive month of growth for Subaru Canada with sales up 32.6% year-to-date. An even better scenario has been playing out in the U.S., with Subaru of America having celebrated its best sales month in the history of the company in May, selling 23,667 units – a 35% increase over the same month in 2009. Its U.S. market share stood at 2.3%. By way of comparison, Volkswagen's U.S. market share is just over 2%.

Looking further <Read More>

   2010 Subaru Forester 2.5X Sport-tech Road Test Review

Sport-tech? That's what Subaru calls it. A Forester. Yeah. About as sporty as a station wagon crossed with a minivan, at least

Maybe not the sportiest crossover, but the Forester will likely win you over. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

on the outside. Ok, even on the inside. My first thoughts were… this is one pleasant interior. Hey, there's nothing wrong with it, but there's nothing exciting about it either. But then it grew on me.

Not the first day. I poked around town in it. Not really trying to test it because I really didn't think it had anything to offer other than mere reliable A to B transportation. But, folks, you heard it here, I was dead wrong.

At first it was the handling. What I thought was nothing more than a tall family wagon could really bend it through the curves, tracking flat and maintaining its line even at fairly high-speed, the Sport-tech's 17-inch alloy rims and 215/55R17 all-season tires gripping well without fuss and the nicely balanced suspension, with <Read More>

   2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT Road Test Review

Subaru's new 2010 Legacy is a superb car with strong straight-line performance and agile handling, but the rally-bred Japanese

The new 2010 Legacy 2.5GT is a WRX for a slightly more mature audience. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

brand knows that certain customers, especially those honed on its wonderful WRX series of cars but needing to move up a segment size to accommodate their growing families, want a little more performance to go along with that requirement for practicality.

To that end, the Legacy 2.5GT has been specially crafted to perform like a WRX yet accommodate as no previous Legacy has done before. The new model is larger than it was previously in every dimension, allowing for greater front and rear roominess, especially when it comes to legs in back, with more length thanks to a longer 2,750 mm (108.2 inch) wheelbase and more knee-room due to front seatbacks that have been carved out to increase usable space. The trunk is much larger too, now at 415 litres (14.6 cu ft), or in real-life terms capable of getting four <Read More>

   2010 Subaru Forester 2.5XT Limited Road Test

An early pioneer in the compact SUV field, the Subaru Forester was one of the first "crossover" types in existence – even before

The Forester XT is one fun to drive yet totally functional crossover. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

the crossover terminology had been coined.  It's always been great fun to drive and is genuinely off-road capable in lighter situations.  The Forester has evolved over its life span, continuing to improve. 

All vehicles in the Subaru lineup come standard with "Symmetrical" All-Wheel Drive (AWD), and this, the third generation of the Forester, was completely redone for the 2009 model year.  The styling elements are softer and more contemporary in nature and appearance than on previous models, but at the same time, display a bolder SUV-like face.  2010 models are based on an all-new platform with a longer wheelbase, and feature a wider track and longer suspension travel with more interior volume as well. 

Two <Read More>

   2010 Subaru Legacy Road Test Review

Where some automakers change their model names almost as often as they change body styles, Subaru is as loyal

A great new look will make Subaru's new Legacy much more popular. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

to its nameplate history as its customers are loyal to the brand. The Legacy has been part of the Japanese company's lineup for more than two decades, and now in its fifth generation it has actually created quite a legacy of performance, comfort, safety and dependability since its 1989 launch.

One look at the 2010 Legacy makes it easy to see that Subaru not only wants to retain its regular clientele, but also attract new buyers that might have never considered a Subaru before. It looks good, and more assertively styled than previous designs, with chiseled lines and a bold, purposeful face. Rear end styling is clean and uncluttered, with attractively shaped taillights and some tastefully applied chrome accents, while tying front and rear together are aggressively arched wheel openings that pay homage to the rally-bred WRX. Overall the look is good, upscale and a lot sportier than the previous car.

The <Read More>