2024 Subaru Impreza RS POV Drive! Is 182HP Enough?

@Subaru_Usa loaned me this 2024 Subaru Impreza RS, coming in around $31k, and I road-tripped it so you don’t have to… or maybe you may want to. Available in hatchback ONLY, the 2024 Impreza boasts new styling, a stiffer chassis, and the quick and sharp steering rack from the WRX. But what does this RS model offer other than red accents and sporty badges? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🏁 @Alllcarnews Spec Sheet: Base and Sport come with a 2.0L flat-4 making 152HP and 145 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels while the RS gets a 2.5L 4 cylinder making 182HP and 178 lb-ft of torque. All have torque vectoring and an even better lineartronic CVT with 8 speed simulation. 🏁 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Highs:
-Looks are good on the new Impreza, and the RS trim adds a sporty flair that makes me BEG for a new WRX hatch.
-The chassis, steering, and driving dynamics are shockingly: pretty good; even a match or better in some cases than the Mazda 3.
-Inside gets tons of visibility and standard Eyesight safety tech.
Lows:
-The 2.5L upgrade is welcome and the extra power makes a difference, but fuel economy takes a hit: I couldn’t get over 27MPG even after 500 miles.
-The interior is… cheap. No more leather options are offered, the tech feels old, outdated, and cluttered, and for the same price you can get a Mazda 3 Hatch AWD with a BMW level premium cabin.
It gets a 7.5/10 for me. There was a lot to like, but also a lot that bugged me the wrong way.
‪@Subaru‬ #Subaru #Impreza #RS
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[@garrettbarbosa4982]

Your review of this car is one of the best!!! So many people are craping all over this car! I just traded my 2024 Honda Civic sport which is a good car, in on this awd hatchback! For the money it blows the civic away and I’m a Honda guy have owned 8 Honda products including 2 SI civics ! This is not a WRX or a legacy sport,but it also doesn’t cost as much and it’s a sporty hatchback that if you drive it at its limits is fun and reliable in all weather and it’s not going to land you in jail or broke from speeding tickets and I also drove it against the gti which is one of my dream cars and when I got out of the bow my back was killing me and it is only front wheel drive,more money and very herky jerky compared to the RS! I’m going IMPRESA RS all the way and with a quad cat back and intake it’s going to take me back to my old FIST days! Miss that little go cart! Great realistic evaluation of the RS bro keep up the good work! I think to many of these car review guys are spending to much time in 500 horsepower super cars that none of us can afford! Wake up boys most of us common FOLK don’t live in your fantasy world!!!

[@frankolamar]

Yeah I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said, I don’t get why everyone is hating on this car, a civic sport touring is north of 34k after taxes and it’s pretty trash in snow, you get full time awd with this car and almost 500 miles on a tank of gas.

[@ryaiariot]

My only gripe with this car, even though I love it, infotainment is a giant tablet that feels like a distraction liability. 2 personal things I'd also wish they could do was to get this at 200-ish hp, or just stuff a turbo option in this car for folks who want the wrx hatchback to come back (which is basically what the levorg is in overseas markets that subaru doesn't care enough to bring to the US) I have a 13' Sport Limted Impreza, and kinda want this, but the Corolla and Civic are also swaying my feeling on it.

[@Allcarnews]

@ryaiariot it’s so easy for them to make a new WRX hatch it’s absurd they won’t. And I 100% agree on the screen the most annoying part is largely how cluttered the software is

[@anthonyng3014]

@@Allcarnews They already make a WRX hatch, it's called the Levorg. Take a look at it, it's a thing of perfection. They just don't sell it in North America.

[@TheBigNate505]

6:50 exactly! I feel like so many reviewers hate on this car for no reason saying that it should be way faster because it has the 2.5rs badge when the original RS was that moderate ground in between the base impreza and the wrx.

[@anthonyng3014]

And what would you say is "in between" about this gen's RS? The stitching? The RS badging? Surely not the 2.5 engine that's already in the Forester, Outback, Crosstrek? The only thing even remotely related to the WRX is the steering rack but that's like saying I've got something close to a Ferrari because I've put P Zero tires on my Toyota Corolla.

[@TheBigNate505]

@@anthonyng3014 30 more hp with a bigger engine, increased shock stiffness compared to the base model, appearance cosmetics, and the better feeling steering from the wrx

[@anthonyng3014]

@@TheBigNate505 Unfortunately the 30 more hp 2.5L is also found in basically every Subaru model. Other Impreza trims also include this 2.5L "upgraded" engine. So really it's the stiffer suspension and steering rack that are the differences in the RS model. Cosmetics are utter garbage. I just question the need for a special RS badge for such small differences. At this point, the differences are so small that the RS could just be another "sport" trim that Subaru seems to love so much. So why call it the RS?

[@sonny5068]

This looks like a solid car. I picked up a 2024 Jetta a few months ago (the top trim) and honestly I have major buyers remorse. Not a fan of how the transmission shifts, the creaks while driving and also the driving characteristics in general. I live in Montreal and it doesn't drive very well in winter. I'm looking to trade it in for a 2024 Impreza RS

[@someguygary7169]

I've had this car for 6 months and I have a blast in it. It's fun enough considering it's a daily and my first new car

[@jonb7597]

I drive a car with 185 hp it's good enough in the city 200 hp is where it's at

[@paulbk7810]

Thanks. Well done.

[@Charkatak]

Have a couple of questions: 1. How is the passing power on the freeway? 2. If you have driven the car for some time and in cooler and warmer days, were there any rattles, creaks from interior panels? Thanks!

[@Allcarnews]

Build quality is good, materials are typical Subaru though. Passing power is more than fine, definitely noticeable improvement with the power increase

[@anthonyng3014]

@@Allcarnews I'm not sure what you're comparing it to if you think the passing power on freeways is "more than fine" in this anemic 182hp cvt drivetrain. CVTs take forever to respond and the 182hp is a measly 9hp more than my 17 year old Impreza. I test drove the 2024 Impreza with the same engine as the RS and it felt slower than my 17 year old Impreza because the CVT was so slow to respond. Initial acceleration after the CVT lag was good but the engine would then lose all it's guts at the mid to top end. Basically, a passing maneouver would go like this: step on throttle -> CVT lag for 1s -> strong torque --> mediocre top end. After upgrading to the 260hp Outback XT, I would consider passing power on freeways now to be more than fine. As you can see, I love Subarus but the modern ones feel slower than the old ones because of the transmission. I actually like the CVT because of it's smoothness and fuel economy but the loss in response and direct drive needs to be made up by a significant increase in power, not 9 hp more over 17 years. Thus the RS was a huge disappointment to me. What makes it special? The 2.5L engine that's also in the Crosstrek, Outback, Forester, and basically every Subaru model? Or is it the chassis that's also found in every single Impreza? The only thing(s) that sets the RS apart are all cosmetic with special badging and interior highlights. Sure, you get the steering rack from the WRX..... okay.

[@Freecss44]

Thank you for a solid, to-the-point review that doesn't dwell on the RS badging so much. I understand most cars that use that trim labeling are high performance, and I'll never say no to some extra power, but I think the way Subaru handled this model of Impreza is great. An affordable daily that still has some pep in it's step with aggressive styling sounds like exactly what I'm in the market for right now.