The new Subaru Impreza has arrived on the Czech market with an ambitious price list, but compared to the previous one it offers a large number of improvements. The chassis is perhaps even better and the car is quieter inside. However, it is not for tall people and does not have the power to reveal itself.
The Impreza is a model that, in the hands of Colin McRae, Richard Burns and Petter Solberg, made the Subaru brand famous throughout the world. I also became a fan thanks to these three motoring legends. And since the fifth-generation Impreza drove so well, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to at least take a short drive with the sixth-generation.
The younger sister of the Crosstrek crossover was presented to the world at the end of 2022, but in Europe it arrived much later, and the price list appeared on the site of the Czech representative of the brand in the last days of 2023. spirit of the entire automotive market , its base price of 845 thousand crowns is truly ambitious, especially in a situation where the only engine offered – the two-liter e-Boxer – has weakened from generation to generation due to the tightening of emissions regulations and it will only offer 136 horsepower.
However, this is the only place where the sixth generation was worse than the fifth, the automaker assures at the presentation of the new Impreza and Crosstrek near Říčany near Prague. I’m going to try it in a few moments, so I’m really curious.
Subaru Impreza
The technical innovations are the same for both cars and we have already covered them, so in a nutshell: thanks to changes in the body structure, the already excellent torsional rigidity has improved by 10%. At the same time, however, it was possible to widen the entrance opening to the luggage compartment. Furthermore, there should be 50% less noise in the passenger compartment while driving.
The interior has received new controls on the steering wheel and the center console, which is mainly composed of a display, but there are still the classic buttons for things like the temperature in the car or the radio volume. The seats are designed in collaboration with doctors to limit head sway, and according to the automaker, the amount of body and head sway over transverse bumps is actually less, by 15 or 44 percent.
Then there are the small details, such as the 45 mm longer rear wiper blade, and other big innovations, such as the doubling of the functions of the EyeSight suite of safety and assistance systems, which also features redesigned cameras for a wider field of vision. ample. In addition to the normal assistants and adaptive cruise control, EyeSight adds autonomous driving in emergency situations, driving the car in the middle of the lane, the recognition of road signs already in the basic equipment, or perhaps a “euro report” of the maximum speed allowed.
The hybrid system under the hood should also be improved for a smoother transition between the electric and combustion engine. This is very important especially for start-ups; The e-Boxer has a very weak electric motor and every time you press the accelerator, whether when starting from a standstill or when you need to accelerate after cruising, the internal combustion engine starts. And with the subtlety of this transition, in the past, especially the Forester e-Boxer had a problem.
The air intake to the radiator and the engine intake have also been improved and, last but not least, the standard torque split has gone from 50:50 to 60:40 in favor of the front axle. The car manufacturer claims that in this way the car has a more precise response when entering corners and behaves better when driving in a straight line.
The frame par excellence
Since you may already be reading our first impressions with the Crosstrek, I pick up the key to the red Impreza. I only have a few minutes and I hope that the Czech representation of the automaker has chosen a location nearby that can highlight the advantages.
Immediately after getting in, I notice the soft upholstery of the seats with relatively wide electrical adjustment possibilities – I am sitting in the highest Executive trim, which starts at 950 thousand crowns – but the range of such adjustment is not sufficient in terms of height adjustment. Due to the larger box of EyeSight technology, the interior rearview mirror has moved a few millimeters lower and, conversely, the seat is anchored a few millimeters higher than in the previous generation.
The result is that I cannot see through the bottom edge of the interior mirror. It’s a sad blip on an otherwise excellent view from the vehicle; A-pillars on Subaru cars cost much less in the long run than other brands, which I regularly praise them for.
Subaru Impreza
Immediately after the start the first turns appear. At first I drive more slowly because the road is not very clear, and it’s quite boring to drive like that, the car turns inconspicuously and continues to move forward. But when I accelerate, the Impreza comes to life. Suddenly the front end is pleasantly agile, the car feels light despite the unfortunate positioning of the engine longitudinally in front of the front axle.
The chassis manages to hold the trail beautifully and at the same time comfortably filters out the irregularities of the Central Bohemian neighborhoods. While it may not give the impression that the car is turning on the rear wheels, its agility and handling are truly enjoyable. It gives the impression that you can “launch” it into some corners very quickly, “cut” the gravel shoulder and continue into the next corner. I can easily maintain speed through a series of corners.
Subaru Impreza
That’s a good thing, because it takes a while for the Impreza to get up to speed. The two-liter is quite agile at low city speeds thanks to the electric assistance, but with the speedometer needle rising I would expect something more than the 136 horsepower can offer. Entering a large district, where everyone drives at least 90, requires the most.
Despite this, I really like the new Impreza and I’m a bit sorry that it is such an outsider on the Czech market. Last year only five units of the previous generation were sold in our country, this year the car company hopes for sales five times higher. If I can judge from the short but dynamic ride, customers don’t really miss a beat.
Subaru Impreza 2.0 e-Boxer Executive
The engine
flat four-cylinder petrol engine
Volume
1,995 cc
The highest performance
100 kW (136 HP) at 5,600 rpm
Maximum torque
182 Nm at 4,000 rpm
Maximum torque power/rev of the electric motor
12.3 kW (16.7 hp)/66 Nm
Drums
Lithium Ion, 118.4 V, 4.8 Ah
Transmission
continuous with liquid converter
Driving wheel
4×4, variable torque distribution
Acceleration 0-100 km/h
10.6 seconds
Full speed
199 kilometers per hour
Combined fuel consumption (WLTP)
7.3 l/100 km
Empty/gross weight
1,649-1,674/2,100 kg
Length x width x height
4,490×1,780×1,515 millimeters
Wheelbase
2,670 mm
Front/rear track
1,540/1,545 mm
Trunk volume
315/1,314 l
Base price of the model
845,000 Czech crowns
Base price of the tested version
950,000 Czech crowns
2024-01-25 17:56:00
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