2012 Subaru Impreza

Rating from tc

(3)
Comfort:		3 out of 5
Performance:		2 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		3 out of 5
Interior Design:		2 out of 5
Value for the Money:		2 out of 5
Reliability:		3 out of 5

"Within one year, major rattles on dashboard, front pillar trim also rattles, cvt transmission like a rubber band swings wildly, not smooth. Using the paddle shifters is essential for better control at times. The engine braking is excessive; why shld i have to give it gas when coasting downhill to do 55mph? While mpg is 34 for some driving, if you want a highway cruiser, dont expect to get over 30mpg or be very comfy. ipod does connect, but it doesnt charge & cant control through stereo. Traded it in!"

I would recommend this car to a friend: No

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: Just getting around

Rating from Pete

(2)
Comfort:		2 out of 5
Performance:		4 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		3 out of 5
Interior Design:		3 out of 5
Value for the Money:		1 out of 5
Reliability:		1 out of 5

"14 months and 18,000 miles of ownership, this car has left serious doubts as to its long term dependability and it seems as though this car is a bad investment. At start-up, the engine would curiously rev up over 3,000 RPM and back down to under 1000 RPM for the first 4 minutes. After it's warmed up, it idles normally. The interior is quite cheap and damages easily. The seat's fabric have already separated at the seams, and the weaving pattern is coming undone. The molding by the seat belt return is very damaged from the seat belt retracting. But not as damaged as the exterior paint... The paint and clear coating on this car is laughable. With quality paint application, its actually difficult to "key a car" and leave scratches (due to the effective clear coating). You'd really need a sharp key to create damage. The car's exterior paint scratches almost on command. (major scuffs from full reusable grocery bags being placed on top of the trunk and hood). In addition, it has major gouges in the hood from salt trucks. 4 cm craters visible from far away. The next step is rust and all of which isn't covered under the warranty. This is a huge out of pocket expense that will be needed on a yearly basis in regions that experience snow. I've never driven a car with worse exterior paint performance in winter weather, and each car I've driven hasn't been as heavily advertised for being built for driving in winter conditions. Major fail bomb, Subaru. You're lack of effort is showing."

I would recommend this car to a friend: No

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: Commuting

Rating from Poppa Pump

(5)
Comfort:		5 out of 5
Performance:		5 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		5 out of 5
Interior Design:		5 out of 5
Value for the Money:		5 out of 5
Reliability:		5 out of 5

"Groove Subaru is the BEST dealership I have ever done business with in buying a car. Dan Cassin and his Manager Dean Harrison were the most knowledgable and understanding professionals I,ve ever met. They listen to what exactly I wanted and they delivered at a timely matter. Let me tell that Groove Subaru is the only place too buy a Subaru in Denver they are GREAT."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: Used

Primary use for this car: Work

Rating from Yeah

(5)
Comfort:		5 out of 5
Performance:		5 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		5 out of 5
Interior Design:		5 out of 5
Value for the Money:		5 out of 5
Reliability:		5 out of 5

"I've put about 15,000 miles on my impreza and I love it. After reading these reviews I can relate with each person. There have been times where I got about 18 mpg... but I was hammering on the accelorator at every stop light and freeway entrance. There were other times where I got 38mpg. I drove it like I imagined my grandma would drive it. My best tank of gas ever was 45 mpg on a road trip. When I drive like me I get about 30mpg, which for awd all the time is frikin fantastic. I have zero complaints about this car. Sure, it has a little road noise when compared to a larger car like the camry, legacy, and accord but compare it to a civic, corrolla, or sentra and its as quite as a dream. Long story short, if you want awd for $20,000 you cannot find a better car period! Actually, If you want any new car for $20,000 at all, you cannot find a better car!"

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: Commuting

Rating from A 2-Subaru Owner

(2)
Comfort:		5 out of 5
Performance:		3 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		4 out of 5
Interior Design:		2 out of 5
Value for the Money:		2 out of 5
Reliability:		5 out of 5

"Pros Sharp looking Good visibility Like the CVT, works better than expected. Good dry weather handling Effective seat heaters Reasonable acceleration as long as you don't expect a WRX. Cons: Very poor mileage - 19/26 independent of weather Study of mileage data from 200+ owners agree on above Inaccurate trip mileage computer (annoying) Horrid cold weather tires More horrid in snow and ice. Makes a great sled Windows freeze shut in Minnesota winters Read spoiler only spoils the car wash. The back hatch is perpetually dirty. Rusting is inevitable even with frequent washing. See windows freezing shut above. No interior floor lighting option, and it needs one. Center console is set too far back to use without turning around to open it. My other Subaru, a 2011 Forester 2.5X Premium, is absolutely superb. Wish I had bought a 2nd one. No, the windows do not freeze shut. May be good in a city, but DEFINITELY not for the country."

I would recommend this car to a friend: No

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: Just getting around

Rating from Dmitriy

(3)
Comfort:		3 out of 5
Performance:		3 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		4 out of 5
Interior Design:		3 out of 5
Value for the Money:		3 out of 5
Reliability:		3 out of 5

"Pros: comfortable seats, controls are placed in easy to reach places, roomy. standard AWD Cons: too loud on the highway, bad blue tooth connectivity, advertised mileage are higher than the mileage you really get. squeaky noise in the dashboard. Can not talk about reliability yet since I had a car for only 5000 miles. Bottom line there are better car for the same money out there."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: Commuting

Rating from Scotsman

(5)
Comfort:		5 out of 5
Performance:		3 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		3 out of 5
Interior Design:		4 out of 5
Value for the Money:		5 out of 5
Reliability:		5 out of 5

"I've been looking for an economical AWD for awhile, and it was a tossup between the Audi A4 and the Impreza. With the 2012 posting good EPA mileage, I decided to take the plunge. Very happy with this car. Not gutless, and getting 30+ mpg, plus it's king in the snow and ice. I got the Premium, which has all the features you'd expect from a luxury car- heated seats, bluetooth, ipod connectivity, everything controlled from steering wheel - for under 20K. Very comfortable ride and handles great."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: Commuting

Rating from First-time Subie Owner

(5)
Comfort:		4 out of 5
Performance:		5 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		4 out of 5
Interior Design:		5 out of 5
Value for the Money:		5 out of 5
Reliability:		5 out of 5

"My wife and I did a lot of research before deciding our next car would be a Subie. Several of our friends have had excellent experiences with Foresters so that was our original choice to replace her trusty but aging Volvo, with me eventually buying an Impreza. Then a fool on a cell phone t-boned my car so the Impreza came first. A fully-outfitted Limited model turned out to be a better value than a "build it yourself" Premium with the options we wanted - moonroof, HD radio, Bluetooth, etc. So far the car has been everything I've expected and a bit more. We live in an area with many winding roads; the permanent AWD and wide tires hold the road firmly and predictably. After years of driving MTs it took me a while to adjust to a CVT but now it feels completely natural. In spite of its relatively small size the engine has plenty of power, especially at the low end. Mileage has been a bit lower than claimed around town (~24 versus 27) but trips have come in higher than the advertised 36 so it all evens out. The inside layout is very good. There's a lot of storage space and cupholders seem to be everywhere. Climate control is simple and straightforward: major functions are separately controlled by large circular knobs with a toggle pushbutton in the middle. The headlight and wiper stalks are a bit complicated at first but again have separate controls for each function which makes them easy to use once you get used to the layout. Subaru made several changes to improve visibility over the 2011 edition. Side mirrors are larger and are attached below the window line rather than taking up part of the glass area. They also bucked the odious trend to ever-higher beltlines and actually increased window heights, which is a welcome relief from the shrunken glass area found on so many new cars. Seating is very comfortable; maybe not luxurious but you have to remember this is a sub-$28K vehicle. We're both average in height and have no difficulty with clearances. Cargo space in the hatchback is very good. I'm a cyclist and there's still plenty of space after loading a fully-assembled bike and equipment for a day on the trail. OK, now for the quibbles: > Electric seat adjustment isn't available, even as an extra-cost option. We have 3 drivers so seat memory would be really nice ... > As others noted, seat-heater switches are inconveniently positioned to the rear of the center console. They're difficult to reach while driving and easy to forget when exiting the car. > The steeply-curved rear gate cuts into available cargo area. > Finally, and yes this is just personal taste, to me the immense black accent panels surrounding the car's ditch lights come across as giant splotches on an otherwise cleanly-styled front end."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: Transporting family

Rating from TownshipSupervisor

(3)
Comfort:		5 out of 5
Performance:		3 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		5 out of 5
Interior Design:		3 out of 5
Value for the Money:		3 out of 5
Reliability:		3 out of 5

"A Forester it is not. Sharp looking it is, particularly in the sage green/silver ice 2-tone paint. In the review that follows realize I live in rural Minnesota where paved roads are optional and street lighting non-existent. And I absolutely love my Forester. Pros: Looks great Good visibiity Plenty of leg room Easy-to-read instruments Wonderful heated seats Optional 120V outlet is positively handy. Kind of neutral on the CVT - its OK I suppose. Cons: Weak headlights - 150' max distance on low, adequate on high. I'm telling you now deer should run in fear - unfortunately they instead run in front of you, and you won't see them. Two close calls already. Very weak fog lights - do absolutely nothing in fog. The heated seat switches are very inconveniently located. Just leave them on so you don't notice how long it takes for the heater to take over. No option for footwell lighting. On a dark country road you have to stop and get out the flashlight to find something when you drop it. When you get out into the melting snow on that country road the lack of puddle lights become sorely missed. Horrid handling on gravel roads. Tends to fishtail at speeds over 40 mph. Oversteers on uphill gravel roads. Understeers on downhill gravel roads. The only thing worse is snow - bring s snow shovel. Blame all this on the tires if you will, but Subaru prides itself on rough weather. Not in this model! Rear spoiler should be called rear window shade. Back hatch is perpetually dusty. Dust collects on rear wiper blade where it meets the window. Using rear washer results in MUD. Rear window shade very effective in preventing an automatic car wash from washing the top quarter of the window - maybe that's why its called a spoiler! Radio reception in standard radio is astoundingly poor, astounding in that Subaru is touted as a rural car, and rural radio signals tend to be weak. Very disappointing. Fuel economy estimates are very optimistic. Rural road driving 21-23 mpg. Interstate highway driving 27-29 mpg. I have NEVER experienced anything over 32 mpg at 65 mph. I am underwhelmed. A Forester it is not. A city car is might well be, but not for rural Minnesota. It's a shame really. I dislike writing negative reviews. Buyers remorse I suppose. Should have bought another Forester. It was all about the fuel economy."

I would recommend this car to a friend: No

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: Just getting around

Rating from frugal driver

(4)
Comfort:		5 out of 5
Performance:		3 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		4 out of 5
Interior Design:		4 out of 5
Value for the Money:		4 out of 5
Reliability:		4 out of 5

"This is my first Subaru, my last car was a Mazda 3 - it was the best car I've owned. I've driven it for about 3500 miles, so far the mpg is comparable to the Mazda which is disappointing because it's rated 27/36 but I'm getting more like 25/31 which is what I got with the Mazda. The overall finish on the Subaru isn't as good as the Mazda. I like the exterior and interior styling of the Subaru. I'm hoping with bad weather coming that it performs well in the snow and ice."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: Just getting around