G'day OzBuyer
Aiming to get a used 2016, or 2017 model of Impreza
Any known issues with Subaru?
How's their warranty?
All feedback, suggestions welcome.
Subaru Impreza - Good Buy?
[Deactivated] on 25/08/2018 - 10:57
Last edited 25/08/2018 - 11:37 by 1 other user
Last edited 25/08/2018 - 11:37 by 1 other user
Comments
ummm.. thanks
I think the Subie Imprezza 2017 is a good buy. Very reliable cars. AWD gives you that extra safety feature in the wet. Sure the economy is not as good as say a Mazda 3(also good option). Get one with low Kms and you wont regret it. Also get model with the eyeview safety feature with the 2 cameras in front.
the eyesight technology sounds good. thanks for your reply.
I looked at many cars when I was looking for my wife. She ended up with a Euro car because of the badge, but I rated the Subie Imprezza and the Hyundai i30. Try the later as well. Best to just test drive.
did you end up marrying a Peugeot as your wife? what is the badge?
Badger?
Had my 2010 Impreza for going on 4 years now.
Only complaint as mentioned above is the fuel economy is fairly rubbish for a 2 litre vehicle.
Other than that I've had no dramas with it other than swapping out the rear shocks and regular servicing.
thank you. around 7, 8 /100km? or higher?
I have a MY18 impreza and despite what the dash computer says, my average is definitely 8.1L/100 and it's sluggish as (profanity). Terrible on hills and terrible for starts. It's great on the highway but almost unbearable for city driving (fuel usage skyrockets to 11/100 for me).
Eyesight is awesome, it's got good traction and the inside is really nice.
But to be honest if I had a time machine I think I would have been happier if I bought the diesel PD i30 I was also interested in instead.
thanks for sharing your experience. can you please let me what do you enjoy most on the Eyesight? assisted breaking, lane departing or other features? i don't have any experience with the latest safety technologies, I wonder how important are these for day to day drive. one mazda owner told me he turned off brake assist as it feels strange when he didn't want to stop the car too fast some times.
I have a driven an Impreza for work, good car, the AWD means it is more secure on the road especially in the wet.
I also own a Mazda 3, same fuel consumption, around 8L. mazda 3 feels like it has more power, but it isn't that much better.
@live buy sell:
I have XV MY18 with eyesight.
I think its great for what it offers, but of course its not perfect, you still need to keep an eye on the road and so on (its not Tesla)
Lane departing actually steers the car back to the centre a little bit too, and with a small audible beep. So if you're falling a sleep and steering away, it might be a good sign that you need a rest.
These only comes active when you're cruising at decent speed (50? or 60k or higher), so if you're on start/stop traffic jam, it wont come active.
Only negative is Eyesight is a massive thing on the top of the windscreen. you might not like how it blocks the view.Fuel usage is about 7.8L/100k (city driving only, drop off kids, supermarket etc), subaru Impreza would be a slightly smaller or similar to XV
I traded in 1998 CRV to this, so its a massive improvement from CRV fuel economy/safety, etc@live buy sell:
came with XV L Edition, its about $2000 extra compare to the base model.
I wanted 2018 safety tech, so its definitely worth it.
Your 2010 likely has the old ej20, which is completelt different to the fb20 engine in the cars op is looking at. Fb engine has miles better economy
Mine does 10.4 - 11 per 100km and I'm usually just doing short trips of around 20-30km.
Overall good vehicles.
Few caveats……
Underpowered engines.
Need regular oil changes. Every 6m or 10000k's (I think).
Can have leaky head gaskets.
Short warranty.
Higher than average fuel consumption.
You are also thinking of the ej20 rather than fb20.
The 2.5L subaru engines were the ones with head gasket leaks issues, although mostly resolved since the newer type post 2010. The Impreza's 2.0 L engine is much rarer to have head gasket issues, especially the new FB engines.
Agreed. Oil consumption can be higher than others but not alarming like cars of old.
Unless you get a turbo the engine is very conservative in power figures which may be a good thing in term of durability.
The new shaped ones only require servicing every 12 months or 12500km
2018 model? will look into it. thanks
MY17 onwards
Yeah make sure it's G5. It's easy to tell, if it has ugly square brake lights is G4, if they're rectangular its G5. G5 also has android auto.
Thanks for the tip!
what is the difference between the 2.0i and 2.0L model?
- No "eyesight" (AEB, adaptive cruise, lane sway warning, lead vehicle start alert etc.). This alone is enough reason to get the 2i-L over the 2i imho.
- No power folding mirrors (I never use it anyway)
- No DRLs (not really important imho)
- No front fog lights?
- No dual zone climate control (depends how often you have fussy passengers)
- Basic instrument cluster (I'm not sure what the difference here is)
- No dashboard screen I believe (I find this screen quite useful)
- No lights on sunvisor (who cares)
- No leather steering wheel (who cares)
- Basic cloth seats vs "premium cloth" (who cares)
- 6.5" vs 8" touchscreen (I haven't seen the 6.5" one but the 8" in the L, P and S is really nice and has good graphics)
- 1 vs 2 USB controllers (depends how much you want to plug stuff in)
I think there are some minor external differences too.
Between the L and the next one up, the P, is only a sunroof + sat nav (which is redundant if you use android auto) but its a big step up from there to the top of the range S model.
The comparison here is really useful -> https://www.subaru.com.au/impreza/specs
I'd check the service intervals as said above - you don't want service shock.
When considering any new or used vehicle check what the service schedule is and when the majors are as those are the biggest hitters on the wallet.
Particulary belts and timing chains.Considering Subaru are Japanese and quality, you have to pay for it somewhere along the line.
Avoid if has a tow ball.
Check type of fuel it needs too…if you put lower octane than recommended to save money it'll cost you.
Particulary belts and timing chains
Aren't timing chains for the life of the vehicle?
Avoid if has a tow ball.
Pretty sure it wouldn't have a history of pulling a van, boat etc. Probably just a garden trailer or a couple of dirt bikes. No biggie. Provides a little extra car park protection and saves you several hundred if you might need one occasionally in the future.
Aren't timing chains for the life of the vehicle?
No
I had one and it was bulletproof
My only complaint is the panels are too thin. Like a coke can
My mum has one from 1996 and it's still going strong. Interestingly the 1996 one feels better powered than my MY18 lol.
maybe because of constant variable transmission?
The paint isn't amazing even on later models but the safety rating is quite high.
Agree completely with this, you breathe on the bodywork and it dents on Subarus.
Cant complain I have three; WRX, XV and a STI. Get the one with eyesight, its a game changer.
I'm joining the discussion… Thinking on a second car (hatch) and the Impreza is definitely an option. My first option was a Volvo V40, but it seems that they are no longer importing the model, waiting for the 2019 version, and I can only find demos. I wouldn't mind buying a demo but the dealers are not offering a reasonable discount for a 3,000 km and 9-12 months old cars. Also, most of them are diesel, which I don't want. So, considering alternatives, the Impreza seems to be a great option with a lot of technology on-board for the price. Obviously, people like and prioritise different things, and I value technology and safety, and I also like what I see inside the Impreza. Unfortunately, that's not the case with Audi A3, BMW and other compatible models. In particular, if I'm paying the "premium", I want premium things. I went to Audi days ago, and it is so frustrating to be inside the A3… I just couldn't find any reason for the price (my VW Tiguan looks much better - again, my taste - and has more technology than the A3).
I want to spend around 35k, 40k maximum if the car is exactly what I want, but for this price I want technology, including all the "cool" things that my Tiguan has (and that some manufacturers seem to ignore). I haven't talked with a dealer yet but it seems that I can get a top Impreza for less than 35k, including sunroof and all the driving technology. I thought there was a catch, in addition to the petrol consumption, but it seems a pretty good deal.I have been thinking about technology on Impreza. I keep asking myself will the technology prevent any accidents for a conscious driver?? or are the extra few thousands of bucks you spent on those features just make you feel safer.
I went to check the Impreza and I was a bit disappointed. That's definitely not a premium hatch, didn't like. Moving on to something else…
didn't like the internal?
when i was looking to buy a car. i was choosing between, mazda 3, civic and Impreza . I ended up with civic due to fuel usage as I drive average 80km a day. Subaru interior definitely feels more premium than civic if you ask me and eyesight is more accurate than Honda sense (IMO). Things I don't like about Subaru Impreza ( it's ugly for me) and fuel usage, no alarm and no parking sensor and front sensor! and i love the Civic interior design and car design more than subaru.
i actually didn't know Honda has Honda Sense!
I wouldn’t - AWD in such a small car isn’t necessary and adds a lot of weight which means fuel economy is terrible and they feel sluggish. Unless you’re buying a wrx then AWD makes sense and you are not buying it to be economical.
Maybe compare to mazda3 and corolla and see how you find them in comparison?
Expect any wrx to be thrashed - pre purchase inspections no matter what you buy are a good idea.