2001 Subaru Impreza

I know I'm treading on some traditional male territory but... I love this car! It's been a fantastic mommy car and a great family car!
Late December 2000, I took my 1992 Subaru Legacy wagon in for routine 120,000-mile maintenance. After hearing that, in addition to the schedule service, I needed to add a new water pump, I decided to look around the lot.
My husband drove a '96 Legacy Outback and I was hankering for that curb-taking, mogul-jumping chassis prowess he took for granted. We looked around and, on my husband's suggestion, had the young salesman show us an Impreza.

A silver, 2001 automatic, hatchback with 17 miles on the odometer was the only Impreza on the lot. The test drive was a testament to the Subaru genre since the brand new vehicle drove just like my nine-year-old car.

But this car... safety reinforced doors, airbags... did I mention I was six months pregnant at the time?? Okay, so it was the new car smell and 21 miles (after my test drive) on the odometer that sold me but after nine months, I wouldn't trade it!

The Subaru goes from stop and go city driving, to long arduous road trips, to high altitude mountain climbing with nary a hiccup. The hatchback is the perfect home for the baby stroller, my rollerblades and some extra clothing! There is a LOT of room in there. Get the rubber/plastic trunk mat if you plan on using the trunk frequently, it keeps your upholstery clean and makes spills/mud/debris easy to spot and eradicate.
The backseats lay flat and we've been able to transport an unassembled oak crib and changing table inside. The gray interior is easy to clean with a wet rag and durable for transporting strollers/carseats/groceries. The bug guard is a great novelty that works well in city driving but doesn't make much of a difference on those long, bug-smashing road trips. The automatic doors that don't require you to hold up the handle when you lock them closed, make for an easy one-handed job while you are carting an infant (or groceries!).

Originally, we had surmised that this little car would not work for road trips but we've taken it on several weekend-long trips, the last of which was a 2-day, almost 20-hour drive from Texas to Colorado when the FAA suspended all flights. I actually appreciated the compact nature of the car on this trip, I could reach my daughter's toys (the ones she chunked out of her carseat) and pacifier in the backseat without having to unbuckle my seatbelt or strain significantly.

From previous experience with Subaru all-wheel drive vehicles, I can assure you that even without ABS, this car is fantastic in the rain and snow. You can feel the other wheels begin to lock in if you start to slide! Scary at first but don't overreact and you'll be just fine.

This car still struggles with the whole Subaru cup-holder efficiency/usefulness problem. There is a cup holder on the dash, above the air controls (instead of in front of the stereo controls) but the other cup holder is in the flip up box on the console... if you use it for tapes/sunglasses/barrettes, you cannot use it as a cup holder without emptying out your little box. Since I'm usually the only adult in my vehicle, this is not an issue.

If you are an incredibly tall person, this car may not work for you. I am 5'4" (with shoes) and my husband is 5'11". With a rear-facing infant carseat, the backseat is a bit jammed. Our trips are usually just my daughter and I, or the three of us, so this in not a big deal. Adults would not fit very comfortably in the backseat in my opinion. We have taken four adults and my daughter in the carseat (5'11", 5'4" in the front and 5'6", 6'1" in the back with the carseat) on several short trips (fewer than 50 miles) and there were no complaints.

If you're planning on making many long drives... get the cruise control! We don't have cruise and that is the one regret I have. We've put about 9,000 miles on the car since December 30, 2000 and the majority of those miles have come in the form of one of three road trips.

One more issue that is worth mentioning, this car can be loud. This is not a luxury car, nor does it purport to be. Cruising at 70 miles an hour, you'll have to turn up the radio to continue to hear the music that was just perfect at 45 mph. But, to put this in perspective, my husband is an acoustical engineer and very sensitive to the whole noise issue... he says that the levels are acceptable, even for his tastes.

As I said in my introduction, I realize I am treading on someone else's knowledge base by posting a car review. I cannot tell you too much about the engine (2.1 Liter - PLENTY of pickup for my lead foot and on high grade Colorado roads!) or about the nuts and bolts of this machine. But I can tell you that if you are looking for a reliable, comfortable, fuel efficient kid and family car (and you're not too tall!), the 2001 Subaru Impreza is worth checking out.