2008 Subaru Impreza User Reviews

Pros

Great performance for its class, roomy, lots of cargo space, lots of standard features, safe

Cons

Considerable amount of rattles coming from various parts of the car, premium stereo could be better

Purchased As New

First of let me say that this car is a great all around car. I've had it for over a year and have about 15,000 miles on it (lots of long distance trips). I have the premium package with the 5-speed manual and sport grille.

It's performance is very good for its class. The engine is responsive with a good power and torque curve. It's great fun to drive. Handling wise, with its stock suspension setup there's a good deal of body roll which worsens the handling and can make for an uncomfortable ride when cornering. However, I was able to easily remedy this by installing a rear sway bar from a WRX. The car is much more flat on the road now and is much more responsive and predictable. The ride of the car is soft, but not too soft; a good balance of performance and comfort. Unfortunately, the stock Bridgestone RE92A tires are just awful. Their dry weather handling on paved surfaces is adequate, but on anything other than that their performance is dismal at best. Overall though, the car handles well and the AWD adds that extra grip and piece of mind. The interior is roomy and very comfortable. I can get out of it after 11 hour straight drives and don't feel sore or achy at all. The premium package stereo is good but leaves me feeling like it should be better. One thing that seems to be lacking in this car is interior build quality. Rattles appeared almost from the start and seem to be multiplying. The driverside door rattles, the center console rattles, something behind the instrument cluster rattles, the clock rattles when it's hot, the front A-pillars rattle when it's cold, the rear seat mounts rattle, and the trunk lid rattles. And those are just the ones I've positively identified so far. I had a 12 year old BMW 3-series before this that had a couple rattles, but a car that old is supposed to do that, new cars shouldn't. It bothers me a little and that brings the comfort down slightly. The paint quality is not the best and will chip easily so be careful.

Honestly, all of the negative things I've listed above are minuscule compared to everything that is good about the car, and there is a lot to like about this car. Reliability for one. I've had zero problems with the car so far and I expect it to stay that way for a long time with Subaru's good reputation. Fuel economy is better than expected. I get about 26 city and 33 highway most of the time even with my aggressive driving style (I've had it as high as 48mpg cruising at 75mph on a level highway with a tailwind). The car looks very sharp in my opinion and the sport grille definitely helps its looks. You can definitely see many rally inspired features throughout the car too. The headlights, highbeams, fog lights, and tail lights are very effective and bright and the offroad handling is great even in the mud and at speed (even with the stock tires). The engine is quiet while cruising, but deals out that great boxer rumble when you want it to.

I could say more about this car, but I'm running out of space. I'm very happy overall with the car so far and its value. It's excellent for what I need it for (I'm a college student, so I need a car that can carry a lot long distances comfortably, economically, and reliably, and the car does exactly that). And hopefully I never need to test out the car's five star crash test rating.

I hope this review has helped you. And sorry about the long rambling review, it would be a lot easier to read if yahoo allowed any sort of formatting.