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The Impreza is powered by a 2.0-liter DOHC aluminum-alloy 16-valve horizontally opposed SUBARU BOXER engine with Dual Active Valve Control System. It delivers 148 hp at 6,200 rpm and 145 lb-ft of torque at 4,200 rpm. Performance: 0-60 mpg, 8.0 seconds; 119 mph top speed (Car & Driver) (Subaru)<\/p>\n
Seriously? I\u2019m going to put the modest Subaru Impreza wagon up against the BMW 328xi uberwagon? The same 3-series that has made mincemeat of the luxury division? That has set the standard for sporty opulence? That has made Car & Driver\u2019s Top Ten list for the last decade? Yes, I am. Why would I do it? Not to embarrass the little \u2019Ru, but quite the contrary.<\/p>\n
If the all-wheel-drive 328xi is the gold standard, then at $20,000 less than King Bimmer, the AWD Impreza is simply the best bargain in all of Autodom.<\/p>\n
My Subaru versus Bimmer test is not really a buyer\u2019s guide, as shoppers for these cars will likely never step on the other\u2019s lot. Rather, like comparing a Timex and Rolex, this face-off weighs the value of brand name and engineering in two products that occupy opposite poles of the midsize, C-wagon segment. It\u2019s a diverse-price segment that, at its core, provides sporty, all-wheel-drive transportation to carry a family of four over the river, and through the woods (and up a steep, snowy driveway) to grandmother\u2019s house.<\/p>\n
First, a few comments on station wagons. I\u2019m a supersized, 6-foot 5-inch Yankee, yet I\u2019ve resisted America\u2019s love affair with sport utes over wagons. I prefer low and fast. Our low speed limits and high seating preference has bred a car culture in which light trucks own over 50 percent of the market. In Germany, by contrast, sky-high gas prices and unlimited Autobahn speeds have favored smaller vehicles with a lower center of gravity. As a result, the American wagon has all but disappeared but for the luxury segment which is, naturally, dominated by European imports.<\/p>\n
Hit the American motor mall in search of a wagon and you better pack gold bricks in your purse as most vehicles start north of $30,000, including non-German entries from Volvo and Cadillac. Enter the remarkable Japanese entry, Impreza wagon, which adheres to Subaru\u2019s cult of four-wheel locomotion while sporting a base sticker price of $23K. With a nav system and sports trim, the 2.0i Sport Limited model tops out at just $26,600.<\/p>\n
The \u2019Ru achieves this miracle even as it matches the luxury, $46,575 BMW 328xi on all-wheel drive,\u00a0electronic stability control Behind the wheel, the low-slung Impreza combines Bimmer-like agility with all-wheel grip that could climb the face of Mount Rushmore. But step hard on the pedal and the BMW comparisons slow down. That\u2019s because the Subaru\u2019s 2.0 liter, 4-cylinder power plant shares the same displacement as the BMW \u2014 and not much else.<\/p>\n Possessed with almost 100 more horsepower than Subaru\u2019s noisy boxer four, the gutsy Bavarian turbo blows the doors off the Impreza\u2019s 148 horsepower on its way to 60 mph in just 6 seconds. It feels even faster than that thanks to the BMW\u2019s smooth, 8-speed automatic while the Subaru\u2019s continuously variable transmission (CVT) feels like its stuck in molasses, ponderously compelling the car forward.<\/p>\n So what? replies my long-suffering wife, pulling her motorhead husband back to earth. Her needs are more practical. Indeed, she celebrates the \u2018Ru\u2019s engine because it delivers better fuel economy (30 mpg) than the Bimmer (26). If it were up to me, we would have lugged the kids on family trips cramped in the backseat of a high-revving BMW M3 coupe. A typical car conversation in my family goes like this:<\/p>\n Me: It has a 330 horsepower and a Sport mode where you can override\u00a0electronic stability Her: Does it have cupholders?<\/p>\n The Impreza has common sense in spades. Where BMW has long resisted the American commuter culture\u2019s demand for cup holders, Subaru (from a country that also features a train-bound commuter culture. One Japanese correspondent tells me he has never seen a drive-thru restaurant in Japan) provides two in the center console and one at the ankle of both driver and passenger. Rear passengers also get cup holders in the doors. BMW grudgingly succumbed to cup holders only with this year\u2019s model, finally providing center-console\/door holders after years of offering a single, flimsy, fold-out, dash cupholder that only Mayor Bloomberg could have loved. It barely held a Styrofoam cup much less a 32-ounce Big Gulp.<\/p>\n The Impreza also offers better rear headroom (I can sit up in the Impreza\u2019s rear seat, a rare C-segment accomplishment) and cargo space than the Bimmer. And the instrument cluster is intuitive and aesthetically refined, even as the Impreza can\u2019t compete with the German car\u2019s beautifully trimmed, wood and silver design. Included in the Impreza\u2019s bargain-basement price is a very competentnavigation system But where it lacks electronic wow, the Impreza achieves its biggest victory in curb appeal.<\/p>\n Where BMW boasts the head-turning appeal of Heidi Klum, Subaru long turned off the uninitiated with its lumpy designs. If BMW has been tardy in recognizing the necessity of cup holders, Subaru has been late to recognize the importance of looks. But the current model is a huge step forward.<\/p>\n Like Elisa Doolittle in Pygmalian, the Impreza has learned the BMW\u2019s aggressive stance and forward lines that converge in a front end with a pleasant, chrome accented grill and sculpted headlamps.<\/p>\n No one will mistake the poised duckling for the swan \u2014 and that difference is crucial to the German car\u2019s luxury premium \u2014 but neither is the Subaru second class. Where \u2019Ru owners once hustled their passengers inside to show off the car\u2019s road-hugging practicality, they can now proudly linger on its exterior.<\/p>\n Overall, the BMW is better looking and better equipped. Is it worth $20K more than the Impreza? That is the beauty of marketing and technology, and BMW is king because it sells automobiles as symbols of social status and athleticism. But the Impreza is a testament to the fact that you don\u2019t need a luxury badge to drive an attractive and extremely capable sport wagon.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Impreza is powered by a 2.0-liter DOHC aluminum-alloy 16-valve horizontally opposed SUBARU BOXER engine with Dual Active Valve Control System. It delivers 148 hp at 6,200 rpm and 145 lb-ft of torque at 4,200 rpm. Performance: 0-60 mpg, 8.0 seconds; 119 mph top speed (Car & Driver) (Subaru) Seriously? I\u2019m going to put the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14033"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14033"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14035,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14033\/revisions\/14035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"http:\/\/images.intellitxt.com\/ast\/adTypes\/icon1.png\")
<\/a>, heated seats, all-wheel disc brakes, anti-lock braking, an automatic tranny with steering-wheel mounted paddles, and a four-cylinder engine.<\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0control and really test the limits.<\/p>\n<\/a>. BMW\u2019s iDrive system takes the multimedia experience to another level, allowing coordination of phone, nav system, and car settings with a single dial located aft of the gearshift. Where its complexity once drove grown men to the nut farm, it has evolved into an impressive piece of digital equipment. That sophistication extends to a heads up driver display and a rear hatch where you merely need wave your foot under the bumper to open it.<\/p>\n