- Subaru arrived at this year’s LA Auto Show with the updated version of its Impreza hatchback.
- This time around, the model is only available as a hatch — the automaker dropped its entry-level Impreza sedan from the lineup.
- The base model and Impreza Sport get the same 2.0-liter boxer engine as before, but those seeking a bit more power can now get the 2.5-liter RS trim.
- After a two-decade hiatus, the RS offers up sportier styling and 182 horsepower.
- The sixth-generation 2024 Subaru Impreza should go on sale around Spring 2023.
The 2024 Subaru Impreza gives the brand’s entry-level model long-awaited update.
You can’t drive half a mile without seeing a Subaru in our neck of the woods, and the Impreza is among the most popular as the automaker’s most affordable car. While Impreza-based cars including the WRX and Crosstrek have recently gotten updates, the time has now come for the hatchback to get a host of updates.
If you’re asking, “Where’s the sedan?”, then I have some inconvenient news for you: This 2024 Subaru Impreza is hatchback-only. Even the sportier RS trim, which does return after a 20-year absence, only comes in five-door hatchback form. Three trim levels will be available, including the base model, Sport and RS. Every car gets standard all-wheel drive — outside the BRZ, that is a Subaru staple, after all — and a continuously variable transmission.
And yes, if you were keeping track, that means there’s no 5-speed manual option available for the 2024 models either. So, if you’re keen on rowing your own gears, you’ll have to stick with the current generation (the 2023 model is available to build and buy now).
The 2024 Subaru Impreza Sport and RS models bring sportier suspension tuning (naturally), as well as larger 18-inch alloy wheels and Subaru’s SI-Drive performance management system to sharpen up throttle response and transmission mapping. The new Subaru Global Platform on which the Impreza rides is also 10% stiffer than before, promising better dynamic performance and a smoother ride.
The RS gets a larger engine, like the Crosstrek’s upper trims
Stick with the base 2024 Subaru Impreza or pick the Sport trim, and you’ll get the same 2.0-liter boxer engine as the outgoing car. That means 152 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque — reasonably efficient, but by no means “quick”. Fortunately, the RS’ revival does redress that balance somewhat.
The sportiest model of the bunch uses an updated version of the Crosstrek‘s larger 2.5-liter mill, good for 182 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque. While you’re still stuck with the Lineartronic CVT, it does imitate an 8-speed ‘box when you kick it over into manual mode.
Other notable updates for the 2024 Subaru Impreza
The RS we’re looking at here as well as the Sport (shown in blue below) get an updated version of Subaru’s 11.6-inch, portrait-oriented Starlink infotainment system. The rest of the interior design isn’t radically different from the old car, but you do get a host of tech features on the RS as well as a leather-wrapped steering wheel. RS models also get alloy pedal covers, heated black and red cloth sport seats (that’s power adjustable on the driver’s side), a sunroof, blind-spot monitoring and a 10-speaker Harman Kardon audio system.
Standard fare on the new Impreza, of course, is Subaru’s EyeSight driver assistance suite. This time around, though, the cameras get an enhanced field of view as well as updated software. Subaru says that the updates should help the system work “smoother, faster and under a greater range of conditions”. The EyeSight system can now also identify bicycles and pedestrians sooner. That said, we’ll have to see whether independent testing (such as through the IIHS) can corroborate the automaker’s claims there.
In terms of physical dimensions, the 2024 Subaru Impreza is virtually identical to the outgoing car. That’s no major loss, though, since the Impreza and Crosstrek are decently roomy considering the class they compete in. Subaru did not share exact figures on overall space, but you should expect somewhere close to the old hatchback’s 20.8 cubic feet of cargo volume (55.3 cubic feet with the seats folded).
Fuel economy is also a question mark, though the 2.0-liter Impreza managed up to 32 Combined mpg before. I’d expect similar figures for the base and Sport model, and perhaps closer to the Crosstrek’s 29 Combined mpg for the larger 2.5-liter RS.
Subaru did not announce an exact on-sale date, but the 2024 Impreza should hit showrooms sometime in the spring. Pricing will also be available a bit closer to launch.
