Impreza gets a mid-life refresh
New styling, technology and more efficiency are appealing highlights for 2015
The Subaru Impreza is a lot like vanilla ice cream. No, not as in bland, but rather you either really like it or, well, you don’t.
It’s been four model years since the introduction of the fourth-generation Impreza, and for 2015 Subaru’s Impreza sedan and hatchback models have received some cosmetic tweaks, new safety and entertainment features, and a revised engine and transmission.
We’ll start under the hood. All 2015 Imprezas come with a new 148-horsepower 2.0-litre boxer engine, a more fuel-efficient powerplant than what was in the outgoing model, and one that qualifies the new models as Partial Zero-Emission Vehicles (PZEV). What that means is these Imprezas produce zero evaporative emissions, thereby offering very clean running.
They’re also more fuel efficient, with Subaru Canada claiming fuel economy numbers of 8.5 L/100 km in the city and 6.4 L/100 km on the highway. That will make the Impreza one of the more fuel-efficient compact cars in the segment, and that’s against vehicles that don’t offer allwheel drive. As with past Imprezas, all 2015 models come standard with Subaru’s proven symmetrical allwheel drive system.
Also as with past Imprezas, you’ve got a transmission choice between a standard five-speed manual and an optional continuously variable transmission (CVT), but more on that below.
In all, there are 12 different ways to package a 2015 Impreza, or put another way, six ways in either sedan or hatchback configurations. First is the base model, next up is Touring followed by the Sport, the Sport with technology option, the Limited and finally, Limited with technology option. Pricing ranges from $19,995 to $30,295.
The biggest news for 2015 apart from the engine update is an Impreza-first: the addition of Subaru’s EyeSight system available on the optional Technology Package, which also includes a proximity key with push button start and steering responsive fog lights. The EyeSight system integrates Adaptive Cruise Control, Pre-Collision Braking and Vehicle Lane Departure Warning by using Subaru-developed stereo camera technology.
Standard safety equipment on all 2015 Impreza models includes a newly added backup camera, front dual-stage airbags, driver knee airbag, front seat side-impact airbags and side curtain airbags.
There’s also a handful of exterior changes, most notably up front with a new chrome grille, fog light design and 2015 WRX-style side view mirrors. Sedan models feature a revised rear bumper look and standard spoiler. New 16-inch alloy wheels are available on Touring Package trims, and a high lustre 17-inch wheel is new on Limited Package versions.
As is the case with most new model vehicles, the 2015 Imprezas feature upgrades in the ever-important infotainment features in the 2015 Impreza. The upgraded system in Impreza Limited Package trims adds a seven-inch touchscreen navigation unit that offers swipe and scrolling gestures, similar to smartphones and tablets, as well as voice-activated text messaging and iTunes tagging capabilities.
Simplicity in design provides the driver with a very user-friendly experience.
The cabin layout is unchanged, with flat folding 60/40 split rear seats and good cargo capacity in both four- and five-door models. There’s also an across-the-board upgrades to seat fabrics, shift boot covers and redesigned centre consoles that integrate the new colour multi-function touchscreen displays.
The Canadian launch of the 2015 Impreza was held in the heart of the Okanagan Valley, a four-season playground for golfers, skiers and wine lovers. It also features some of the best mountain road driving experiences in Western Canada.
Our drive route took us from Kelowna up to Big White Ski Resort, and while a mid-November drive up this passage in years past could really put the all-wheel-drive system to the test with deep snow and ice, this year’s moderate fall meant dry pavement until the very top of the mountain. There, Subaru Canada offered a snow-covered parking lot, coned-course to flick the Imprezas around on.
I drove a five-speed manual hatchback up the mountain and a CVT hatchback down, and for the first time in my auto writing career I recommend the CVT over the stick. I was not alone.
On the climb up the mountain switchbacks I just couldn’t get a settle on an appropriate gear, with second way too whiny and third much too boggy.
I’m not sure if Subaru HQ back in Japan has a warehouse of five-speeds it’s trying to empty out, but it’s high time the Impreza got with the rest of the Subaru stable and offered a standard six-speed gearbox.
The CVT, on the other hand, really worked well, and seemed well mated to the 2.0-litre engine. That engine, however, might be a little underpowered if you plan to take some friends and all the gear for a ski weekend.
The all-wheel drive system continues to be one of the best in the industry, proved over and over again as journalists tried to drift though the cone course but were foiled by the traction control system.
You might not make it up the mountain first, but rest assured, in a 2015 Subaru Impreza, you will make it up.
What the Impreza could use to make it tastier is just a few more sprinkles on the vanilla ice cream, but of course, that flavour is already in Subaru’s freezer — it’s called WRX.