The Subaru Impreza has had some minor changes for 2012. Offered as both a four-door sedan and five-door hatchback, the 2012 Subaru Impreza drops its 170-hp 2.5-liter four cylinder engine for the new, smaller, and more economical 2.0-liter 148-hp four cylinder Boxer engine. It less powerful, causing the acceleration times to rise to about 8.0 seconds compared to last year’s time of around 7.87 seconds.

The new engine does improve the Impreza’s fuel economy from 27 mpg highway for the 2011 model to 36 mpg highway for the 2012 on both CVT- and manual-equipped models. The gas mileage was a big selling point for us. The symmetrical all-wheel-drive system and five-speed manual transmission are standard across the entire line. The conventional automatic transmission is no longer an option.



We did have some complaints about the CVT transmission and the biggest thing we didn’t like was that the clutch felt like it was never engaged when using the paddle shifters on the steering wheel. The Impreza had a lot of torque and revved pretty high but its shifting was smooth regardless of the clutch never feeling like it was engaged.

Space has grown inside the new Subaru Impreza due to the slightly longer 104.1-inch wheelbase. The manufacturer also moved the car’s A-pillar a full 7.9 inches forward, increasing the front passenger room. Subaru will be offering five trim configurations; base, Premium, Sport Premium, Limited, and Sport Limited. The most luxurious model is the Sport Limited package, and it standard items are Leather trimmed upholstery, automatic climate control, and CVT with manual shift. Standard equipment for the Limited package comes with things such as the 17-inch gunmetal-finish alloy wheels. The Limited package starts at $21,895 and there are multiple factory upgrades for the Subaru race enthusiasts out there.



By Tabitha Baez
Provided by duPont REGISTRY


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