Subaru Impreza 2.5i Wagon: Quiet Virtues, Goofy Face

With a new mortgage, a new baby on the way, and a wife due to quit her job soon, I was faced with a painful choice: Drain our savings account, or sell the Lexus and get a very, very cheap car. I chose the latter option.

This was the first car search where I was willing to consider a very wide range of vehicles (my last search was much more narrow: A reliable Japanese non-FWD sports sedan less than $30,000...hello IS300).

And although I normally purchase cars, this time around I wanted to lease.

So to sum up, my criteria were:

1. The lowest down and monthly payments
2. In a reliable car
3. That I could tolerate
4. That could fit a stroller comfortably in the back
5. That was very safe

Bonus points for character.

I first checked out the Honda dealership, as the new Civics had arrived and I am a certified Honda fanboy. The lowest lease rate I could find was almost $300 a month with $2000 down. By way of example, in the not-to-distant-past you could find Honda leases for almost half that rate. As disappointed as I was, I had to pass.

Next I checked out the Scion xB, a car I love for its anti-consumerist vibe and incredible utility and frugality. Yet again, despite a sticker under $15,000, the lease payments were outrageously high: $275/mo with nothing down. However, an even bigger obstacle emerged: Side-impact air bags are not available on the xB at any price. This was a total deal killer for me.

I then happened to see an ad for a 2006 Subaru Impreza base. I was familiar with the WRX, but I had never before given any thought to the base Impreza and knew little about it.

I went to White-Allen Subaru in downtown Dayton, Ohio and asked the salesman two genuine questions:

1. Is the Impreza's AWD part-time or all-time?
2. Does it have side-impact air bags?

After I got home and started doing more research, I learned the salesman had gotten both questions dead wrong. He told me the Impreza's AWD system is part-time; it's full-time. He told me it didn't have side air bags; in fact, they come standard. That was my last interaction with White-Allen Subaru.

Now to the nuts and bolts: the car. A stroller would fit only in the wagon, which is much less attractive than the sedan, in my opinion. Also, although I strongly prefer manual transmissions, my wife insisted on an auto.

THE DOWNSIDES

After 9 months with the car, several disappointments have been discovered, along with many quiet virtues.

First, the car was ugly at first sight, and still is. The new grille (I might as well call it a beak) represents an admirable attempt at corporate identity gone horribly wrong. Also, the wagon is narrower than the sedan and doesn't have the attractive wheel well flares the sedan can boast of.

The interior is outdated, despite having been refreshed for 2006. The radio is substandard, even when upgraded, and looks cheap. There are a lot of hard, lower-quality plastics to be found. The black plastics are particularly bleak. The silver-toned plastics brighten things up a bit, however. The HVAC controls are more outdated than those in a 1996 Civic, and I know this because my first real car was a 1996 Civic. They consist of three knobs and a couple buttons. I general I prefer this simple layout, but in execution the whole HVAC effect is just cheap. That having been said, although the materials are cheap and the design a bit outdated, it's still a clean, simple, dignified look. Ergonomically it's fine. There's nothing goofy going on inside. The seats are very supportive with very robust side bolstering, the kind of seat that you'd expect more in a WRX than the base model - and that's a good thing. Head room is very good, as is visibility.

The automatic transmission is not good. It's an outdated 4-speed unit that's sluggish and slow to respond, and sometimes gets confused.

To be fair, I knew this model was aging and due to be replaced soon when I bought it, so although I was disappointed, I wasn't completely surprised.

THE QUIET VIRTUES

Balancing out these disappointments were several quiet virtues that have earned my respect and even admiration for this budget runabout.

Standard Options

Most obvious on day one were the included options Subaru is including with the base model to enhance its diminishing appeal. It comes standard with 6-spoke 16" alloy wheels, colored trim (versus black), six airbags (a huge benefit), standard ABS and EBD, and standard disc brakes. Most of these options are not included free on other cars and many are not available at all on other cars in this price range. This full suite of important safety features was a major selling point for me.

The Beauty of All-Wheel Drive

I think Subaru describes its AWD systems as "beautiful" because its cars are so ugly (at least the Tribeca and Impreza are).

To me, before my purchase, "AWD" implied additional utility on muddy or snowy roads and lousy fuel economy. In fact, AWD is a significant benefit even on merely wet roads. The added traction is incredible. You can simply mash the throttle, even going uphill from a standstill on a slick road, and the car races to speed with no drama at all. I am now a huge fan of AWD, mainly for its advantages on wet roads (I have had only 2 opportunities to drive the car on snowy roads, but the benefits here are so obvious they hardly need mentioning).

While this car's 0-60 times are average for this class (7.9 manual, 8.6 auto), it's enormously entertaining to mash the throttle on wet roads. No spintouts as with RWD cars. No mile-long pealouts as with FWD cars. No nannying traction control. Just smooth, fast acceleration that beats the pants off of what a non-AWD car can do on a wet road. You will grin ear-to-ear. I can only imagine how much fun the WRX is on a wet road.

The Beauty of Flat Engines

Subarus pack horizontally opposed engines. This means the cylinders are horizontal to the ground, flat like a pancake. This lowers the center of gravity, greatly enhancing handling. Further, the base motor in the Impreza has a nice, throaty sound to it that, while not as quiet as a Honda, is actually very pleasant to my ears. It's a unique sound that's hard to describe, but I like it.

Finally, the car's suspension is the best entry-level non-sport-tuned suspension I've ever experienced, aside from the 4-generation Civic with its 4-wheel wishbone suspension. The car offers the solid, insulated, well-composed ride quality of a much bigger car. It's tuned softly, so it leans some in corners, but even here the flat-4 motor compensates with a low center of gravity. The result is an exceptionally comfortable and enjoyable compromise between handling prowess and comfort over uneven roads. I'd say the Impreza's suspension would be considered excellent in any car costing twice as much, it's that good.

SUMMARY

The Impreza's AWD results in accelerating characteristics best described as neutral. It doesn't lean back much under acceleration. It just goes. It's very neutral, in the best sense of the word.

The handling is as well. While the suspension is soft, this is appropriate for an entry-level car with a broad user base. The H-4 motor's low center of gravity means you get flat handling without harshness over rough roads. Again, the result is excellent neutrality.

The car's long list of quiet virtues more than compensate for its outdated interior, weak transmission, and questionable styling. For $199 a month, nothing down (plus taxes and a few options), I get a well-optioned all-wheel drive wagon that's comfortable, fun to drive, versatile, and extremely safe with its suite of airbags and superb traction in wet, snowy, and muddy roads. The car is a terrific bargain and makes a fantastic second car for small families or first car for young buyers or buyers on a budget.

It helps that there have been no reliability problems with our car and no warranty repairs needed.

Finally, the famous rallye exploits associated with Subarus that makes them stand out a bit from the crowd. I'm very happy with my purchase and highly recommend it.