Used 2023 Subaru Impreza

Wherever snow is a regular visitor, there are Subarus aplenty. In places like these, there’s a lot to be said for a basic 2023 Subaru Impreza. Owners may prefer the cheap steel wheels instead of alloys as the set that wears the winter tires. The right rubber and an all-wheel-drive system can handle many rough conditions.

When the sun comes out, though, and dry roads bring the potential for more fun, the Impreza loses some of its luster compared with newer, faster, and more refined contenders like the Honda Civic and Mazda3. If you have trouble deciding, let the amount of thermal underwear you own be one of your guides.

It’s really saying something when a generally unliked continuously variable transmission (CVT) is more recommendable than a manual transmission. If the 5-speed stick-shift in some versions of the 2023 Impreza was pleasant to use, we might think more highly of it. But it’s primitive and clunky, and makes the car thirstier.

Just because one of the trim levels is called Sport doesn’t mean it will be an exciting drive. Excitement is not an Impreza specialty, with only 152 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque simmering in the engine bay.

However, the Sport model does have a slightly firmer suspension than the rest of the range and employs its all-wheel-drive system to create active torque vectoring. By adjusting the amount of power going to certain wheels, torque vectoring can help the car track through a corner with optimum precision and reduce understeer — where the front tires begin to lose grip, pushing the nose wide, and the only other way to conquer it is to ease off the throttle.

Some might consider design flair inside the 2023 Impreza lacking. But that’s really not important with a cabin so well thought out from the standpoint of user-friendliness. Materials and build quality are also good for the class and the car’s age.

Those sitting up front have plenty of space. Rear passengers will also be fairly happy, with 37.2 inches of headroom and 36.5 inches of legroom. Both the sedan and hatch versions have 60/40 split/folding rear seats.

The sedan’s trunk space measures 12.3 cubic feet — the Honda Civic does better. The Impreza hatchback offers greater practicality. There’s a luggage area of 20.8 cubic feet behind the rear seats, opening to 55.3 cubic feet when folded down.

Anyone looking to buy a new Impreza can choose a sedan with a trunk, or a hatchback. They might want to look past the base trim with its 16-inch steel wheels and check out the next-up Premium model for alloy rims. The Premium hatchback gains roof rails as well.

The one exception to this sedan-or-hatch arrangement is the top Limited trim, which comes only as a hatchback. This variant is also fitted with full LED headlights and LED daytime running lights.

1. All-Wheel Drive
As with most other Subarus, all-wheel drive is standard in the 2023 Impreza. Yet it doesn’t cost more than its front-drive rivals and still achieves decent fuel economy.

2. Automatic Transmission
The base model has a manual transmission, but most buyers will spend the extra cash and go for the automatic. As a bonus, driver aids like forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking also come on board.

3. EyeSight
This is Subaru’s array of driver assistance features that come standard in every new Impreza with an automatic transmission. As well as forward collision warning, it includes lane-keeping assistance/lane-departure warning and a rear-seat reminder.

4. Infotainment System
Although the standard touchscreen size is a disappointingly small 6.5 inches, this system comes with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration as standard and is quite easy to use. Satellite radio comes in at the Premium level. Sport and Limited trims gain an 8-inch touchscreen.

5. Steering-Responsive Headlights
These come in the top Limited trim and follow the steering angle. They shine into corners and can give drivers an extra bit of reaction time if a bend obscures a hazard.

6. Harman Kardon Audio System
Only optional in the Sport and Limited versions of the 2023 Impreza, sadly, but this sweet-sounding 8-speaker/432-watt setup can make long trips or long traffic jams feel much shorter.

A 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine provides the 2023 Impreza compact car with 152 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque.

Both the base sedan and hatchback models have a 5-speed manual transmission as standard — so does the hatchback in Sport trim. The rest of the lineup comes with an automatic transmission. In every iteration, power goes to all four wheels.

These fuel economy estimates from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) relate to 2022, but there shouldn’t be any changes for 2023.

2.0-liter flat-4
152 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
145 lb-ft of torque @ 4,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 23/31 mpg (manual, sedan), 24/31 mpg (manual, hatchback), 28/36 mpg (automatic, sedan/hatchback), 27/36 mpg (Sport sedan, automatic), 22/30 mpg (Sport hatchback, manual), 27/35 mpg (Sport hatchback, automatic)