In a market where the average new car price is somewhere in the upper troposphere, it is gratifying to know shoppers can still purchase a well-equipped all-wheel drive vehicle for $24,665 including destination.
That’s the price Subaru has stuck on the window of its 2025 Impreza, a five-door hatchback which costs just $500 more than last year. That’s for the Base trim of course – capitalized here because it is actually called ‘Base’ – with the Sport and RS trims adding two and five grand to the bottom line, respectively.
Its powertrain is familiar. Under the hood of Base and Sport trims is a 2.0-liter boxer-type engine making 152 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque, all lashed to a continuously variable automatic transmission which simulates an octet of gears even though it technically doesn’t have any. The RS is equipped with a 2.5-liter variant of that engine, making 182 hp and 178 lb-ft of twist. It gets the same (non)gearbox. Raise your hands if one thinks the 2.4L turbo good for 271 ponies from a WRX would be a hoot in this car.
A vote for the Sport trim is found in the Base cabin, where a bizarre setup of dual 7.0-inch touchscreens look like a pair of old TVs stacked on top of each other. The upper screen controls infotainment and the like while the lower one handles climate and vehicle settings. It takes a minute to acclimate. Far better is the 11.6-inch tablet in the Sport and RS which also adds wireless smartphone mirroring and satellite radio amongst other features. A moonroof is optional; don’t bother if you’re over six feet tall or have a long torso.
The affordable Impreza sells at a far slower pace than other models but isn’t exactly welded to showroom floors. Through to the end of September, Subaru has delivered 23,073 units, more than the Legacy and WRX (14,642 and 13,545 respectively) but way less than the Crosstrek (131,847), Forester (130,098), and Outback (126,333). In fact, the Impreza is responsible for about five percent of Subaru volume so far this year in which about half a million machines have been delivered.
The 2025 Subaru Impreza is produced in Japan and will begin arriving at dealers later this year.
[Images: Subaru]
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