The new fifth-generation Subaru Impreza will arrive in Finland in mid-April.

Named Japan’s Car of the Year, the Impreza is a sister model to the Subaru XV and the first car built on the Global platform under Subaru’s Prominence 2020 strategy.

In all honesty, the Impreza surprised during its short test drive. We were able to drive a good 50 kilometres on hard-surfaced roads around Malmö, and the car left us feeling good. During the test drive, no gravel roads were used and the entire test drive was done on studless winter tyres. The ride could have been even more pleasant with summer tyres.

The Subaru Impreza is now in its fifth generation. The first Impreza was launched in 1992 and the second in 2000. The third generation came in 2007 and the fourth in 2011.

The new global platform, together with the 1.6- and 2.0-litre petrol boxer engines, symmetrical all-wheel drive, continuously variable automatic transmission and collision avoidance system, form the core technologies of the new Impreza.

The new chassis has made the Impreza bigger inside and out: the redesigned body is 45 mm longer, 37 mm wider and 10 mm lower than its predecessor. The wheelbase has increased by 25 mm compared to the previous model.

The car has good space for both front and rear seats. The driver’s mate was a six-foot-tall journalist, and when he sat in the front seat there was still room to sit in the back.

New interior

The interior has been completely overhauled. The cab is 29 mm wider at the front and 34 mm wider at the rear. In the rear seat, legroom has increased by 26 mm and headroom has also increased (9 mm).

The boot is 29 mm wider at the front and 34 mm wider and 41 mm longer at the rear. In terms of litres, the basic space has increased by five litres (385 litres).

The test car had a more powerful two-litre engine and the journey was smooth. The gearbox is a CVT, a continuously variable transmission.

During acceleration, the sound of the engine could be heard clearly inside the car, but with a pleasant sound coming from the footwell. This is probably because the car’s boxer engine is lower than usual in the engine compartment.
However, the engine noise was not disturbing in any way. The road noise from outside was also moderate.

Acceleration was good for overtaking, and the ride was smooth and the steering precise.

The lane-keeper was set a little too abruptly, and during the short test drive there was no time to adjust any of its settings.

The abruptness of the lane-keeper means that when approaching the kerb the steering wheel was perhaps a little too fast. One would rather drive with the car just following the lane line with minor corrections.

Subaru says the new chassis improves ride stability and comfort, reduces body noise and vibration, and increases body and suspension stiffness by up to 70-100% compared to current models. The new chassis also absorbs impact energy 40% more effectively than the previous chassis, according to Subaru,

The wheel is full of clutches, but you get used to them pretty quickly. The dashboard has a large screen, but sadly no sat nav. There is a reversing camera, though.

The seats provided enough support even on very twisty roads and there’s enough boot space for a basic family.

Info screen on the dashboard

The controls are clearly visible in the cabin. The steering wheel, which is 5 mm narrower in diameter, has been redesigned, along with a new information display on the dashboard and a touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard, which is 6.5″ on the base model and 8″ on other trim levels.

The multi-function display controls the player, radio, phone, navigation system, various apps and in-car information.

Apple Carplay and Android Auto smartphone functions can be connected via a usb port, and the Subaru Starlink system can be used to access familiar apps downloaded to your smartphone.

In the event of a collision, every Impreza model is equipped with front airbags, front side airbags, air curtains and a driver’s knee airbag.

Two engines, one powertrain

The Impreza is powered by the same range of engines as the XV interior model. There is a choice of two further developed four-cylinder petrol 16-valve boxer engines.

The 1.6-litre engine with multi-point fuel injection has a peak power output of 84 kW (114 hp)/6 200 rpm and a combined average fuel consumption of 6.2 l/100 km.

The 2.0-litre boxer engine, which has been almost 80% redesigned, is equipped with direct fuel injection and has a peak power output of 115 kW (156 hp)/6 000 rpm. The revised engine is lighter and more economical than its predecessor, with an average fuel consumption of 7.0 l/100 km.

Both engine options and all trim levels of the continuously variable four-wheel-drive Impreza are available with Lineartronic continuously variable automatic transmission.

Emergency braking still works at 70 km/h

Standard equipment on the new Impreza at all levels includes a comprehensive range of driver assistance safety systems, including Eyesight collision avoidance technology.

According to Subaru, Eyesight anticipates traffic situations and prevents collisions and rear-end collisions. The system uses colour vision to detect, among other things, a brake light coming on and can distinguish between pedestrians, cyclists and cars.

Subaru’s adaptive cruise control and Eyesight work together to maintain a safe distance to the vehicle ahead at all times and keep the car in its lane.

According to Subaru, Eyesight can prevent rear-end collisions from 50 km/h and perform an emergency braking function from 70 km/h.

The Impreza’s standard equipment also includes Subaru’s Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) anti-skid and stability control system, which Subaru says ensures that the Impreza behaves according to the driver’s commands.

If the car approaches the limits of stability, the stability control system adjusts the four-wheel drive’s power distribution, engine output and braking of each wheel to help the driver keep the car on the desired course.

Fortunately, there was no need to test the emergency braking function during the test drive, but the adaptive cruise control worked well.

Two equipment levels

The equipment levels of the Impreza 1.6i are Base and Active, and Active for the 2.0i.

In addition to four-wheel drive, automatic transmission, Eyesight anti-collision technology and VDC cruise control, equipment on the Base model includes automatic climate control, Apple Carplay and Android Auto compatibility, lane departure warning, LED rear lights, rain sensing, electric handbrake, hill start assist and bluetooth hands-free.

In addition to the above equipment, the Active level adds twin LED headlights, steering wheel-mounted low and high beam headlights, dual-zone automatic climate control, an 8-inch touchscreen, six speakers, a reversing camera, a heated steering wheel and rear-mounted gear selectors.

The new Subaru Impreza will be launched in Finland in mid-April. Pre-sales of the car have already started at Subaru dealers.

Subaru Impreza price list

• Impreza 1.6i Base CVT EUR 26 937
• Impreza 1.6i Active CVT 29 954 euros
• Impreza 2.0i Active CVT 31 962 euros

Technology 1.6i Base/Active

• Engine: Boxer engine, 4-cylinder, DOCH, 16-valve
• Fuel: petrol
• Cylinder capacity (cm3): 1600
• Fuel system: multi-injection direct injection
• Power kW (hp) r/min: 84 (114)/6200
• Torque Nm/r/min: 150/3600
• Top speed km/h: 180
• 0-100 km/h (s): 12.4
• Fuel consumption, combined l/100 km: 6.2
• CO2 emissions, combined (g/km): 140
• Long/wide/cork (mm): 4460/1775/1480
• Wheelbase: 2670
• Track width e/t (mm): 1540/1545
• Ground clearance (mm): 130
• Luggage compartment (l): 385-1310
• Tractive weight (braked/kg): 1200
• Steering: electric power steering
• Transmission: Lineartronic automatic continuously variable transmission
• Transmission:Continuous four-wheel drive, 60/40 front/rear split
• Suspension front: independent suspension, MacPherson struts
• Rear suspension: multi-link suspension
• Brakes e/t: Cooled disc brakes
• Tyres: 205/55 R16
• Unladen weight (kg): 1358 (Base) 1376 (Active)

Technology 2.0i Active

• Engine: Boxer engine, 4-cylinder, DOCH, 16-valve
• Fuel: petrol
• Cylinder capacity (cm3): 1995
• Fuel system: multi-injection direct injection
• Power kW (hp) r/min: 115 (156)/6000
• Torque Nm/r/min: 196/4000
• Top speed km/h: 205
• 0-100 km/h (s): 9.8
• Fuel consumption, combined l/100 km: 7.0
• CO2 emissions, combined (g/km): 159
• Long/wide/cork (mm): 4460/1775/1480
• Wheelbase: 2670
• Track width e/t (mm): 1540/1545
• Ground clearance (mm): 130
• Luggage compartment (l): 385-1310
• Tractive weight (braked/kg): 1200
• Steering: electric power steering
• Transmission: Lineartronic automatic continuously variable transmission
• Transmission:Continuous four-wheel drive, 60/40 front/rear split
• Suspension front: independent suspension, MacPherson struts
• Rear suspension: multi-link suspension
• Brakes e/t: Cooled disc brakes
• Tyres: 205/50 R17
• Unladen weight (kg): 1379 (Active)