Has anyone here driven a 17'+ Impreza stick?

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My VW was involved in a hit & run accident when it was parked unattended while my wife and I was in a movie theater a few weeks ago. I might be buying a new car and selling the VW privately?
My sister got a new Subaru Impreza with the CVT transmission last summer. It is a very nice small car. The one thing I don't like about it is that it seems to be slow, even compared to some other cars in its class.
I would opt for the manual transmission. So if anyone here has ever driven a 2017+ Impreza with a stick, what's your thoughts on it?
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Isn't this something you should try for yourself. After all, it's a big investment.


Trust me, I will.
There is a lot of online chatter of the 2017 Impreza being slow, but those are all from CVT equipped models.
 
the naturally aspirated 2.0 is SLOW, + the CVT is a good thing to stay away from IMO. the stick will help a bit because you can rev it + shift when you want. the AWD also slows it with added weight + parasitic drag, that said the stick has a better torque split for bad weather. for snow 4 snow tyres on a FWD car will get you thru most anything, + the ASR automatic slip regulation in VW's helps as well. my 2001 jetta did well for 200,000 smiles + 11 years!! just get another VW IMO!!
 
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I test drove a Sport earlier this year and was impressed with how it handled and drove. I was there to see a base or premium model that the internet team said they had plenty of, but got bait-and-switched - I was so mad that I took the guy on a long test drive, then simply said, "nope!", walked to my car and drove off when he asked me to walk back inside and talk numbers.

Around town, the 5-speed is just fine. When I wanted to get up and go, not so much. This thing is SLOOOOOOOW. I decided that if I'm going to drive slowly, I'd rather drive something a little more comfortable (and cheaper) so I got a '15 Legacy. I'm almost glad it's not a stick, because it's dog slow, too!
 
Yeah its slow with CVT but guess it depends..personally my car is as weak as they come but it works fine. Power is fun but is it necessary for normal driving? I doubt it.
 
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Yeah its slow with CVT but guess it depends..personally my car is as weak as they come but it works fine. Power is fun but is it necessary for normal driving? I doubt it.


How do you find passing? That's generally my excuse for getting the big mill: I like being able to overtake easily without having to plan for a kilometer long section of road with nothing oncoming.
 
Is there something different for the 2017+ models?

You may have caught some of my posts in the past in regards to the dislike I had for the 5spd manual in my 2014 XV Crosstrek. It was (for me) an unpleasant chore to drive compared to other 5spds I owned in the past. I would describe the 6spd manual in my SILs 2016 Forester premium to be better, but still not enjoyable.

IMO, if it's a 5 or 6spd manual you're after, I'd go for a Honda, Mazda, VW, etc. Those were always fun to drive IMO.
 
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If there's a choice between CVT (the worst possible transmission option; it's only done for fuel economy and no other reason) and a Manual Transmission, you wouldn't have to ask me twice. I'm not sure how asking in a forum could help you though, either you like a MT or you don't, and even when slower than an automatic (hydraulic) type or automated clutch manual, it's still the more responsive engine to actually have your foot in. You do give up a bit in fuel economy, although you can drive an MT in such a way to beat a CVT or Hydraulic, it's just no fun whatsoever to you or the other vehicles around you. But if you like to drive hard, it's probably better than either other option; keep your foot into it and the CVT and Hydraulic start gulping fuel pretty hard.

Drive one, if the clutch isn't too stupidly setup and can't be adjusted where you want it (in modern cars, that usually means closer to the floor as the OEMs tend to put the engagement high on the pedal) then I would think you are good to go.

Way better in winter, if that happens where you are, by the way.
 
152 Horse I believe in the 2017 Impreza and 2018 Crosstrek

Up from 149 heh

My 2016 Crosstrek with the CVT won't remind me of my 2014 Charger anytime soon..... commuting 100 miles per day roundtrip and I have no problems keeping up with traffic and passing comfortably. granted , yes you have to pick and choose your passes a little more carefully.....


If not buying for the AWD I'd look at a Honda Civic Hatchback Sport...
 
Do they still sell a MT in the US with that model?. If they do it is a 6 speed which with that engine will require lots of shifting. Too much for me, but others may like it.
 
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Originally Posted By: SeaJay
Do they still sell a MT in the US with that model?. If they do it is a 6 speed which with that engine will require lots of shifting. Too much for me, but others may like it.


5-speed
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Yeah its slow with CVT but guess it depends..personally my car is as weak as they come but it works fine. Power is fun but is it necessary for normal driving? I doubt it.


How do you find passing? That's generally my excuse for getting the big mill: I like being able to overtake easily without having to plan for a kilometer long section of road with nothing oncoming.


I have never had a problem passing, granted..the people I pass arent going fast to start with..I do punch it down to almost redline but it goes..not going to set any records or impress anyone, thats for sure. Friend of mine swore by the same as you..but he went from a 6 to a 4 cyl and is finally ok with it.

To be honest, my next car will have a bigger engine..mainly because im a big guy and going camping..the car is slammed full, thats when you notice how slow it is and when passing requires 1..or maybe even 2 kilometres of open stretch to pass ROFL
 
Originally Posted By: Rolla07


I have never had a problem passing, granted..the people I pass arent going fast to start with..I do punch it down to almost redline but it goes..not going to set any records or impress anyone, thats for sure. Friend of mine swore by the same as you..but he went from a 6 to a 4 cyl and is finally ok with it.

To be honest, my next car will have a bigger engine..mainly because im a big guy and going camping..the car is slammed full, thats when you notice how slow it is and when passing requires 1..or maybe even 2 kilometres of open stretch to pass ROFL


Is this in regards to the Corolla in your sig, or a late model Impreza?

I know my 2014 XV Crosstrek 5spd was too bad for passing due to the lowish gearing it had. Starting off was slow, but once you got up to speed it would accelerate decently.

My 2016 Forester 2.5i CVT accelerates and passes very well IMO. The 'non-performance' Subaru boxers just sound like they're going to come unglued when you push them to their limits. The fancy ones with the loud exhaust just mask it with the boxer exhaust burble.
 
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Just got the latest issue of Consumer Reports and the 2017 Impreza is not recommended. It fell from very highly rated to very lowly rated due seemingly-mostly to infotainment and rear-view camera issues. I didn't really play or use either during my 20 minute test drive.

Hopefully the issue will be fixed with an update.

Also, this is the first DI non-sport motor that Subaru has used here in the US. The FA20DIT is fine in our '14 Forester XT, but I had to take it in 3-5 times for actual no-joke issues with the engine, so early adoption was not the best choice.

Issues I had with my XT:

1. Long/hard starts: sometimes it would crank long enough to time itself out (push-button start). When it did start, it would sometimes run very poorly at first.

2. LSPI: only once; however, I had it in for a recall that checked leak-down and the condition of the spark plugs

I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting. This occured with '15 XT's, too. With that said, I really like our XT. It's very practical, pretty fast, and gets upper-20's for gas mileage. It used to get closer to 30 in the summer, but the ECM updates seemed to have taken away a couple of MPG's (my guess is that the updated tune dumps more fuel to keep LSPI in check)
 
UPDATE! My wife and I test drove a 2018 Impreza Sport sedan 5 speed.

The car has a spectacular ride for a small car and handles very, very good. Subaru really made an effort to reduce road noise in the new platform.
The bad? The engine is a pig. It's a serious pig. My wife said the acceleration reminded her of her 83' Toyota Starlet.

Because my car was in the body shop for nearly a month, I rented 3 different cars on the weekends. A Dodge Dart 2.4, a 2016 Corolla and a 2017 Nissan Versa sedan.
Its sad when when they all felt faster than the Impreza "Sport". I don't care if the Versa is slower on paper, it felt peppier than the Impreza. My sisters 2017 Impreza has a CVT and it feels better the tiny bit I've driven it, but not by much.
 
I like the idea of an impreza or even better crosstrek but like you say, they acceleration is weak. Its 2017, cars are fast. Slow cars today are really fast cars 15 years ago. I just need to have power on hand if requested.
 
I'm mostly past the days of needing the ability to get to 60 mph in 5 seconds, but having a vehicle that could have the HP to get me there in around 7-8 seconds would be appreciated. The nearly 10 seconds my Legacy takes was very close to a deal breaker. The fact is, though, that it is adequate 99.9% of the time, just as the Impreza's engine will be. The problem with the Impreza MT, is that it didn't feel particularly buttery or engaging. It wasn't as notchy as my previous STI, however. The imperfect MT, low power, short final gear and poorer fuel economy would make it hard for me to justify it over the CVT, which doesn't feel as much like a dog in practically every scenario.

A smaller-than-currently-available FA16DIT with economy low gearing and a tall cruising gear, with 180-200 ft-lbs of torque, particularly out of a twin-scroll turbo, would be very nice. Without the really sporty WRX suspension bits and power, I think it could sell for just over 20k, base, and not scavenge WRX sales. Make the Sport version of the Impreza more than just an aesthetic package. The current sport handles well enough for a slightly heavier and higher output engine to be dropped right in.
 
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