Impreza vs Crosstrek

[murphysf]

2.5 engine or bust, so the Crossdrek. Those 2.0 Impressme's, don't do it ... unless you can live with high revving high pitch motorcycle engine scream when accelerating from 0 to whatever, starting, merging and passing.

I drove a 2021 Crosstrek Base 2.0 yesterday. It seemed to have plenty of pickup, I didn't hear any engine scream. I am going to drive it again on Saturday and take it on the freeway up a long grade so will see how it does there.

 

[neonorchid]

^ you were babying it, try stepping on it to get it to go like an uncastrated vehicle.

 

[Pequenita]

The Crosstrek is light, which means that the engine doesn't need to be as beefy to get it moving (I have the limited, though). But, I get pushed around when it is windy and am usually the only person in the vehicle. You know that uphill stretch on 80E that got widened in the last 2 years? I'm often the only car on the far left lane passing everyone.

 

[wooglin]

I went with the 2.5. Noticeable difference between it and the 2.0 in my wife’s car.

 

[mdf]

@mdf is switching I believe from Impreza to Crosstrek.

Yep. I never actually got stuck in my Impreza, but I've been worried plenty of times (and also waited till the driveway was finished to leave the garage). But the main reason I'm switching is for the 6 speed manual transmission. I'm under no illusion that manuals are "better" but they are more fun to drive.

It depends what you plan on doing with it. The extra clearance is quite nice if you have to get through the berm left by the plows at the end of your driveway or pull out of a parking spot after getting buried in a storm. If you're going to start playing around in the deep stuff because you have more clearance you could end up getting yourself in trouble. I've never managed to get any Subaru stuck badly enough that it couldn't get out under it's own power even when I was doing something stupid.

I got a Suburban stuck in the parking lot at Big Sky. I managed to rock it out eventually, but it took many tries.

 

[RobSN]

Suburban

Ok, it's an anagram of Subaru BN whatever BN means, but not the same animal surely?

 

[surfsnowgirl]

I love my crosstrek limited. Pretty plush for me and i call it my cadillac disguised as a subaru. I think the base models are nice too. I personally prefer the look of the crosstrek over the impreza, I also like the height difference. My friend and her parents each have base models impreza's and love them. When I first bought my crosstrek i had friends tell me they were underpowered and I should look at the forester. I didn't like the forester look nearly as much and I figured since I wasn't towing anything the corosstrek would fine for me. I've been more than fine, it's got plenty of pickup and I love every second I'm in mine, even 3 years later.

 

[luliski]

If your concern with the Impreza is driving it in the snow, you'll be fine. I had a 2014 Impreza Sport model. I always worried about clearance, but I drove it from the Sacramento Valley to South Lake Tahoe in a storm, and it was fine. That was in the evening, so not that much plowing or other traffic to pack down the snow on 50. I drove it through multiple storms in the 2016-2017 season, again fine. I managed to drive it through an incident on I-80 where cars were fishtailing in front and behind me in a storm, and the road was closed behind me. The car was great. Once I skied all day in a storm, kind of worried about getting out of the lot at the end of the day, but no problem. My daughter has the Impreza in Salt Lake City now, and has had no issues driving it up to ski. If the car will be for mostly commuting and some ski driving, an Impreza would be better: more economical, both in purchasing and fuel efficiency.

 

[Eric@ict]

I’ve never driven an Impreza, but did own a 13 Crosstrek. For me, I felt it was puky when I wanted to come off the line at a stop light, but it wasn’t designed for that. I was coming out of 02 Outback with a 3.0. I felt like the 2liter with the CVT was a better match in the mountains. The secret was to drive it like a 2stroke motorcycle. The shift paddles made the car. Yep it would rev high, but it was never very loud, but aviation has damaged my hearing according to wife. We did a lot of car camping in the Crosstrek so we wanted the clearance.

 

[martyg]

I drive a '15 Imprezza to Mt. Baker regularly. It does really well on the state highway in snow but when I turn into the parking lot the potholes sometimes are a concern. I drive really carefully until I'm parked. I have to use my 4wd Tacoma when I go to my cabin because the snow is not regularly plowed and I never know what I'll get.

I read that people think the Imprezza is under powered, but I have no problem with it, and I have the smaller engine. I guess it depends on how you like to drive. When I need acceleration to merge it gives me everything I need.

Spot on with the pothole comment - and the lower lodge's parking lot has always been a shit show. I purchased an Impreza for my wife (her decision, not mine). Potholes in anything from the supermarket parking lot in most mtn towns, to pulling off the road for a BC ski tour, require diligence. It is why I rock an SUV in winter. I'm also guessing that the Impreza comes with a lower profile tire than the Crosstrek. That tire profile is an important piece of your suspension equation (same as on a road or mtn bike). A higher profile tire won't handle as well - but in an Impreza platform (unless STI), who cares? Might as well go for the tire profile and ground clearance that will provide the best utility. And I am assuming that you also participate in many other outdoor sports, ram around FS roads, etc. My sense is, based oin the roads in the North Cascades and SW CO, you will be limited.

Re power.... Sure. Going up 542... Ramming around Glacier Creek Rd... Merging onto flat I5... no prob. Merging onto I70, eastbound to Loveland from Silverthorne, my wife's Impreza and my 4Runner are not at speed limit by the end of the ramp. Effin' scary with semis and all other traffic going 10 or 15 over the speed limit.

As a side note, and this may have changed, my wife's Impreza is whatever the top trim package was. My biggest gripe, besides power, is that the stereo sounds like they dropped a 1970's transistor radio in there.

If I wanted a Subaru branded transportation appliance for ski use, I'd go at least Crosstrek.

 

[luliski]

The shift paddles made the car.

I enjoyed those in my Impreza too.

If I wanted a Subaru branded transportation appliance for ski use, I'd go at least Crosstrek.

IIRC, the OP is talking about using the Impreza mostly for commuting, and only for an occasional drive to ski car for his wife. He posted that he's looking at buying two cars, the other being a RAV4. I believe he lives in the Bay Are, and goes to the North Tahoe ski areas (which means merging onto 80). The Bay Area is hilly, and there might be some uphill merges, but you can actually push the Impreza more than seems possible at first.

My Impreza did end up with various dings on the front bumper from taking it camping and hitting rocks in the parking area. I also blew out a tire hitting a pothole in SLT (storm conditions, did not see it). But as far as a lower cost car to use for commuting and skiing, I think the Impreza is fine.

 

[martyg]

I enjoyed those in my Impreza too.


IIRC, the OP is talking about using the Impreza mostly for commuting, and only for an occasional drive to ski car for his wife. He posted that he's looking at buying two cars, the other being a RAV4. I believe he lives in the Bay Are, and goes to the North Tahoe ski areas (which means merging onto 80). The Bay Area is hilly, and there might be some uphill merges, but you can actually push the Impreza more than seems possible at first.

My Impreza did end up with various dings on the front bumper from taking it camping and hitting rocks in the parking area. I also blew out a tire hitting a pothole in SLT (storm conditions, did not see it). But as far as a lower cost car to use for commuting and skiing, I think the Impreza is fine.

I guess it depends on where you live, what you want from your driving experience, and if you base decisions on quality of life, or cost. With the freeze / thaw cycles in the Intermountain West, every parking lot from the super market to the ski hill is riddled with potholes by April. With altitude, the Impreza is gutless.

Is the money saved worth his wife blowing a tire in a parking lot in a storm? Bottoming out on a soft shoulder and being stuck on a dark night? Or do you want to provide a robust tool for your loved ones? Only the purchaser can decide.

 

[luliski]

Is the money saved worth his wife blowing a tire in a parking lot in a storm? Bottoming out on a soft shoulder and being stuck on a dark night? Or do you want to provide a robust tool for your loved ones? Only the purchaser can decide.

Exactly. I gave my daughter my 2014 Impreza, and I don't worry about the car letting her down. And she drives in SLC and up to Solitude, Alta, Snowbird and Park City, where the base altitudes are higher than those in Tahoe.

 

[mdf]

The Impreza I'm trading out of is the "Sport" trim level, which mostly just looks sportier. Though it did come with keyless entry/start, heated seats, and a few other minor nice-to-haves. The biggest plus was that it came with a manual, which was not supposed to exist in that trim level.

The big downside of the "Sport" trime is that it came with those stupid low-profile tires, and sure enough, I blew a tire once on a pothole.

 

[Ogg]

The Impreza I'm trading out of is the "Sport" trim level, which mostly just looks sportier. Though it did come with keyless entry/start, heated seats, and a few other minor nice-to-haves. The biggest plus was that it came with a manual, which was not supposed to exist in that trim level.

The big downside of the "Sport" trime is that it came with those stupid low-profile tires, and sure enough, I blew a tire once on a pothole.

When my wife went from an Outback to a Legacy 2.5GT she was always worried about bending her wheels with the 45 series tires. She said they felt like rubber bands. One more reason she replaced it with a Crosstrek. I notice a lot of Crosstreks around with -1" or -2" wheels and bigger AT tires.

 

[Lebowski]

Wildcard to throw in: they're rare, but if you can find one, check out a 2015-2016 Volvo V60 or, better yet, V60 Cross Country, but only with the 5-cylinder/6-speed auto drivetrain (skip the newer 4-cylinder/8-speeds). Excellent used car value, very well-made, last of the tried-and-true Volvo's before they got overly complicated, post-Geely takeover.

Excellent power, excellent seats, runs on Regular. If I were shopping something the size of a Crosstrek, I would skip it and go straight to used V60. It's simply a ton of car for the money and a heckuva ski car. (Full disclosure: I own a V60 T6 R-design, which is wonderful, but if i had to do it over again, i'd have gone with a T5 Cross Country!)

 

[Wendy]

Wildcard to throw in: they're rare, but if you can find one, check out a 2015-2016 Volvo V60 or, better yet, V60 Cross Country, but only with the 5-cylinder/6-speed auto drivetrain (skip the newer 4-cylinder/8-speeds). Excellent used car value, very well-made, last of the tried-and-true Volvo's before they got overly complicated, post-Geely takeover.

Excellent power, excellent seats, runs on Regular. If I were shopping something the size of a Crosstrek, I would skip it and go straight to used V60. It's simply a ton of car for the money and a heckuva ski car. (Full disclosure: I own a V60 T6 R-design, which is wonderful, but if i had to do it over again, i'd have gone with a T5 Cross Country!)

Maaaaybe the OP can find a used one for a price comparable to the Impreza/Crosstrek, but I’d wager the maintenance costs would be higher, plus higher mileage, plus, if he’s financing the car, it’s easier to do that for a new car. He asked about 2 Subarus.

I’ve had 2 Imprezas….a 2007 and a 2012. I really liked both cars; don’t recall the trim level. I ran snow tires on both, and never had problems in snow, and I drove through quite a few bad storms here in the East. My 2007 had manual transmission. Isn’t the Impreza available with a manual anymore? If not, too bad!

I used my 2007 for a TON of whitewater kayaking trips….driving down “roads” to river put-ins that were riddled with potholes, etc. Never had a problem.

I really think that if the OP is satisfied with the 2.0 engine, then the Impreza is the way to go. I’ve driven both the new Impreza and Crosstrek, and I think the Impreza handles better….it feels more sporty.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

I like the used idea. I bet you could find something that meets your needs on the used market. Maybe even in a higher trim level. The crosstrek was redesigned in 2018. My 2018 limited gets great gas mileage and has had zero maintenence other than brakes and standard oil changes. I run snows and the extra clearance on the crosstrek has been great. It handles awesome, gets great gas mileage, has great pickup and has an supremely comfy ride

 

[Ogg]

I like the used idea. I bet you could find something that meets your needs on the used market. Maybe even in a higher trim level. The crosstrek was redesigned in 2018. My 2018 limited gets great gas mileage and has had zero maintenence other than brakes and standard oil changes. I run snows and the extra clearance on the crosstrek has been great. It handles awesome, gets great gas mileage, has great pickup and has an supremely comfy ride

I would usually agree but used cars are way overpriced right now and many of the safety features have only become available, or have been improved in the last few years.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

I would usually agree but used cars are way overpriced right now and many of the safety features have only become available, or have been improved in the last few years.

Agreed. That's why I wouldn't go any older than 2018 for the crosstrek because that's when the redesign and all things awesome happened. Looks like a used 2018 limited is around $20k.

It is a rough market for everything, hell I hear kayaks and bikes are even sold out in places.