Subaru’s 2012 small car is value priced, careful with fuel

The 2012 Subaru Impreza five door is a pleasant looking, versatile and smart handling car whose standard all-wheel drive makes it unusual among small cars that typically are front-wheel drive only.

Better yet, the Impreza comes at a competitive retail price starting at $19,045. This base Impreza price is on par with the starting retail prices of some competing front-wheel drive cars.

Meanwhile, the Impreza’s top fuel economy rating of 27 miles per gallon in city driving and 36 mpg on the highway from the federal government confirms the all-wheel drive is not a drag on gasoline mileage. In fact, the 2012 Hyundai Elantra GT five-door hatchback, which doesn’t offer all-wheel drive, has the same fuel economy rating as the all-wheel drive Impreza.

Also worth noting: The 2012 Impreza is a recommended buy of Consumer Reports, where its predicted reliability is better than average.

The manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $19,045 is for a base, 2012 Impreza 2.0i five-door hatchback with manual transmission and 148-horsepower four cylinder.

The 2012 Impreza offers a wheelbase that is an inch longer and has updated exterior styling, richer-looking interior, increased passenger and cargo space and smaller displacement than its predecessor. The four-cylinder engine with CVT is also new.

Inside, the passenger compartment looks ritzier than before and the top of the dashboard even has soft-touch materials. Gauges and controls are easy to read and well placed.

The engine change is especially noteworthy, because automakers are loathe to make an engine smaller and reduce horsepower in a new model.

But Subaru soundly met its goal of improving fuel economy in this new, fourth-generation Impreza. The 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter four cylinder is gone from this “regular” Impreza, replaced by a 148-horsepower, 2-liter four cylinder.

Note that the performance versions of Impreza — the WRX and STi — continue in 2012 with the 2.5-liter engine.

The new, smaller engine still is a horizontally opposed, “boxer” design that has become a Subaru hallmark, but it’s lighter in weight. Peak torque is reduced from 170 foot-pounds at 4,400 rpm to 145 foot-pounds at 4,200 rpm.

Courtesy of the Washington Post