2025 Subaru Impreza

In this world of dwindling affordable car choices, the 2025 Subaru Impreza stands out as an accessible pick with plenty of passenger and cargo space, a comprehensive array of advanced safety features, a user-friendly infotainment system, and standard all-wheel drive for getting around in even the worst sort of weather. Oh, and when it comes time to sell it or trade it in, the Impreza’s capacity for retaining its value will put a smile on your face.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this collection of compact cars, including the Subaru Impreza.

Subaru launched the sixth generation of Impreza with a fully redesigned 2024 model; consequently, it let the Impreza steam into 2025 without any notable changes.

The most popular Impreza with buyers is actually a tie between the Impreza Base and the Impreza Sport.

For comparison, the Toyota Corolla Hatchback has about the same starting price as the Impreza, while the Honda Civic hatchback starts at just over $25,000. The Mazda3 hatchback is just over $26,000, while the Kia K4 and Hyundai Elantra sedans start in the low $20,000 range. This is all based on 2025 pricing. Also, keep in mind that, unlike the named rivals, only the Impreza pricing includes standard all-wheel drive.

Before buying a new Subaru Impreza, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should be paying.

Great Resale Values

Traditionally, the Subaru Impreza has come second only to the Honda Civic in the resale values stakes. Strong resale value can mean more money for your next down payment.

Based on a recent drive, we can state the current Subaru Impreza has taken a big step forward in refinement, thanks largely to a stronger new chassis, a significantly quieter cabin, and a more supple ride that doesn’t come at the expense of handling agility.

The more popular 4-cylinder engine in the Impreza is the 152-horsepower 2.0-liter unit found in the two lower trims. A familiar staple of Subaru models, it produces sufficient thrust to make piloting an Impreza an enjoyable enough experience. A bit courser than the 2.5-liter 4-cylinder upgrade, it performs credibly. Both engines use an automatic transmission of the continuously variable (CVT) kind to divvy out power to all four wheels. By the way, the CVT can take much of the credit for the Impreza’s reasonable mpg.

We first sampled the Subaru Impreza with the 2.5-liter upgrade on the winding roads surrounding Paso Robles in California and came away impressed. This Impreza is significantly more refined than earlier generations. In previous Impreza models, you could tell they were powered by a flat-4 thanks to a slightly grumbly character, endearing to the Subaru faithful by alerting you that something different lurked under the hood.

But in the current Impreza, thanks in part to improved sound deadening, an insulated windshield, and revised engine mounts, it’s tough to tell what’s actually powering this all-wheel-drive 5-door — it’s just a smooth engine under the hood. And while this 2.5-liter has respectable power and a pleasingly broad powerband, don’t think it’s in the same performance league as the potent turbocharged engine in the Subaru WRX.

That stated, the naturally aspirated 2.5 in the 2024 Subaru Impreza RS works well. It’s smooth and totally relaxed on the highway, and the CVT, aided by shifter paddles behind the steering wheel, does a good job of replicating the shift feel of a conventional automatic. In sport mode, the response is especially sharp.

Perhaps more significant, the refined Impreza boasts outstanding ride quality. Subaru stiffened the chassis a bit in the 2024 redesign, which allowed the use of softer springs and firmer shock absorbers. The result? We find the Impreza a practical compact hatchback that’s remarkably comfortable on long trips but quite capable on twisty pavement.

One final point: Although the 2.5-liter engine has 30 more horsepower than the base 2-liter, it’s nearly as fuel efficient as the 2.0-liter in the Base and Sport trims.

Fuel Economy

While the EPA reports that the Impreza 2.0-liter can achieve an estimated 30 mpg in mixed city-and-highway driving (27 city/34 highway), the 2.5-liter Impreza RS comes in at a very respectable 29 mpg (26 city/33 highway). As such, we’d opt for the Impreza RS, especially if your budget can support it. We argue that the impressive Impreza chassis deserves the added power. For context, the Impreza’s mpg is at the lower end of its segment; however, it’s the only model in its class with standard all-wheel drive. Even at that, it comes within 1 or 2 mpg  of most of its rivals.

Beyond the big, vertically oriented touchscreen mounted front and center, we find the Impreza cabin very Subaru-ish.

While there’s nothing particularly sexy about the design or materials, there aren’t any notable shortcomings, either. It’s a roomy, functional passenger cabin designed to get the job done. Quality is high.  Headroom, front and rear, is excellent, and the front seats are engineered for greater comfort.

The Impreza provides 36.5 inches of rear-seat legroom. This is measurably more than the Corolla Hatchback, or the Corolla sedan, for that matter. It’s also more than the Nissan Sentra and the Mazda3. However, the Civic, Elantra, and K4 have notably more. As for cargo space, the Impreza has 20.4 cubic feet behind the backseat and 56 cubic feet with that seat folded. This is above average for the segment.

Hatchbacks have a styling edge over their more stuffy sedan competitors, and the Impreza enjoys that advantage. Beyond the basic hatchback profile, however, the Impreza’s sheet metal is a pleasing blend of creases and curves. We might even stick out our neck to claim the nose of this hatchback is somewhat aggressive.

All-wheel drive
A Subaru hallmark and with active torque vectoring to deliver the right amount of drive to each wheel for optimum grip and stability, all-wheel drive is standard in every new Impreza.

EyeSight
The Impreza’s standard EyeSight driver assist includes forward collision warning with pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, and advanced adaptive cruise control with lane centering.

Infotainment system
Starting in the Sport trim, Subaru fits an 11.6-inch touchscreen into an Impreza. It’s accompanied by wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration.

Keyless entry
Standard in the Sport trim and above, this is accompanied by a push-button start. Sure, a lot of cars have this feature nowadays, but we argue that it’s always a thrill to press that button and fire up the engine.

RS model
Rolling on 18-inch alloy wheels and a sport suspension, wearing unique exterior treatments, and producing 182 horsepower, we think the RS is the most entertaining Impreza iteration.

Harman Kardon audio
Harman Kardon is a high-quality audio company supplying companies like BMW. Subaru offers a 10-speaker HK system in the Impreza RS.

Two of the three Impreza models have a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine making 152 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque. This is about the same horsepower as the Civic and Sentra; however, it’s less then the Corolla and the class-leading Mazda3.

The RS has a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine generating a more spirited 182 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque. For both, an automatic transmission sends power to all four wheels.

3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty

The current new-car warranty from Subaru lasts for three years or 36,000 miles, whichever happens first. The powertrains are covered for five years or 60,000 miles. This is all typical for the class. Subaru also offers free maintenance for the first two years or 24,000 miles.

Safety

The IIHS named the Impreza to its top Safety Pick list for 2024, while NHTSA gave it the highest overall safety rating: 5-Stars. The Subaru Impreza is well-equipped with standard safety features. The standard EyeSight safety tech suite comes with automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, and lane-keep assist.