2012 Subaru Impreza User Reviews

Pros

gas mileage

Cons

road noise

Purchased As New

my wife loves this little car. handleing / steering is excellant Gas mileage at times is much better than advertised

Pros

Responsive, very good gas milage, very smooth ride on hwy

Cons

Minor visability issue, not so comfy driver seat

Purchased As New

Mine is with CVT and I like it. 6th gear makes all the difference when it comes to mpg rating. In city, I get close to 30 mpg; on highway, it's almost 40. That's crazy, given the fact that this is a true all-wheel drive car. The time between changing gears (i.e. fwd to reverse or other way around) is rediculesly long. I mean it takes long time for CVT to register that I just switched the gear. It has been 6+ mths now and no complain so far. I hope it will stay that way....read morehide

Pros

Amazing safety, good fuel economy,

Purchased As New

I was recently in a head on collision where the driver in the opposite lane lost control of their vehicle going 90+ km/h and hit me in my Subaru Impreza going 80km/h. I walked away with a few bruises and sore but otherwise completely fine. I loved this car before, great fuel economy, smooth ride and affordable, now I wouldn't go with anything other than subaru. I really do credit their safety features with saving my life, at the very least saving me from horrendous injuries....read morehide

Pros

Good fuel econ, awesome handling in snow

Cons

It sits too low, no clearance underneath

Purchased As New

It is great in snow. I love the CVT even though it is not the sport shift. I average 37 MPG driving back & forth to work, but that is misleading because it is 55 mph the whole way and I don't drive aggressively. Only problem is low clearance when the roads have not been cleared here. the wheels handle the snow great, but I will bottom out a lot....read morehide

Pros

Great fuel economy, Plenty of room, Trusty in the SNOW!

Cons

Small annoying rattles, speakers could be better,

Purchased As New

First new car I've ever had. Had a 2WD S-10 before and loved that thing for camping/biking. Was in the market after the milage started adding up on the truck and decided to go with the Subaru based on the AWD (living in MN you need that sometimes!) and with the 5-door option I figured that would give me enough room for all my camping gear. This car was the perfect choice for me, I've had the car for a year now and have taken many trips camping and everything I could fit in the back of my truck (with topper) can easily fit in the car with the back seats folded down. Just made a trip up north for a friends wedding and on the way back home (4 hr drive) we dealt with 10-14" of fresh wet/heavy snow and saw over 30 cars in the ditch, never once did the car hesitate on a hill or slippery turn. If you deal with snow often, this would be the car to go with. Who can complain about an AWD vehicle that gets great gas milage!...read morehide

Pros

All wheel drive, traction stability and fuel economy

Cons

Loud engine and minor visibilty issues

Purchased As New

This is the first foreign car I have ever bought. I have primarily owned SUV's living in snow country. However, for the value, all wheel drive and fuel economy, I had to take a look. Exceeded my expectations. Put a good pair of winter tires on this thing in the snow and its a veritable snowmobile. Stopping, starting, turning...its solid and drive with confidence. Switch to all season tires when the snow is off and its a 36mpg fun commuter! Give it a test drive, especially if there is snow on the ground!...read morehide

Pros

Fuel economy, interior fit/finish, AWD, overall value

Cons

road noise

Purchased As New

I have 27k miles in first 8 months and have averaged 33mpg. in 30/70% city/highway driving. No issues with reliability. Interior is well laid out and easy to use-though the red dash lights take a few days to get used to. The CVT acts predictably once you learn its quirks-it won't be an issue after you get used to it if you are used to a normal auto. If you really must have more power-they do sell a turbocharged WRX model-I still pass everyone I want to-not sure what the complaints about that are about-it's not a sports car. Overall the Impreza is a nice package of reliability, economy and value....read morehide

Pros

5 spd manual 31 mpg combined. Exc. handling. Heated seats. Good rear leg room. Good looking.

Cons

Radio doesn't sound good on F.M.. A little short on horsepower. No temp or pressure gauges.

Purchased As New

I bought his car to have a good handling small car for winter weather when I need it. I live in Phoenix, so it would only be in the winter up north, or if I decide to travel else where, which I do. I also wanted to have a good handling car in normal weather conditions, which this car provides. I have the 5 speed which is fun, especially considering the lack of horse-power. I love this car, I would recommend this car to anyone who needs or wants a small car....read morehide

Pros

Fuel economy, fun to drive

Cons

Visibility when backing up

Purchased As New

I'm averaging over 32mpg with the base model & CVT.
No complaints here. Surprisingly roomy interior, especially for backseat. Can't be beat for an AWD model for under $20k.

Pros

Confortable seats; Good handling.

Cons

BASE Model Auto CVT is terrible!!!

Purchased As New

Be aware ... the Auto CVT transmission in the BASE 2.0i Models uses a different shifter mechanism than those in the Premium or Limited. Do not be tempted to purchase this transmission. You will regret it. Overall, this can be a great car -- just not with this particular transmission option. Avoid it!

This is my 7th Subaru. I love them. But, not this one. Read on for more details.

This transmission does not have any driver controls for shifting up or down. (Unlike the other models) You have no control over how this transmission functions in order to match your driving conditions. It tends to get stuck in lower gears and rev very high. This makes for a very frustrating drive in hilly rural areas. (where you might want AWD!) It also drags down the car's MPG tremendously. In some conditions it is even dangerous. (Think of a transmission engine breaking going down hill on a snowy road. Not good!)

Subaru should STOP using the stripped down version of the CVT transmission in the 2.0i Base model. Instead substitute the one in the rest of the Impreza line. It has a "real" manual sport shift mode.

Also, Subaru should use a little "truth in advertising" regarding its MPG ratings. They cite 36 MPG highway. This is not realistic for the Base model with this CVT transmission. The best I have gotten is 27 MPG. (The same as we got with our previous Impreza model.)

By the way, Subaru of America has done nothing to help us out of this situation. They are ignoring the problem and us. It is clear that our 30 years of customer loyalty has no meaning to them. It's sad to say, but, it feels like Subaru of America has convinced us to buy another brand....read morehide