All-wheel drive has become closely associated with utility vehicles and luxury cars, but Subaru remains the only full-line, budget-minded manufacturer to offer four-wheel traction as a standard feature across its line.
That includes the entry-level Impreza, which the company says once again earns the title of Canada's least-expensive AWD car, with a sub-$20,000 starting price Subaru has held over for the third year running.
Last redesigned in 2017, the 2019 Impreza is carried forward with minor changes: Touring trim gets a new wheel design; Convenience models can be had in Island Blue Pearl paint, a shade previously reserved for more expensive trims; and Touring, Sport and Sport-tech trims done in that colour are now offered with an ivory interior.
Subaru lets you choose from sedan and hatchback body styles, with the hatch commanding a $900 premium across the board. Power comes from a 2.0L four-cylinder engine good for 152 hp and 145 lb-ft of torque which, in lower trims, is paired with a five-speed manual transmission or an optional continuously variable automatic that is standard in higher trim levels.
This is one of the few cars that hasn't graduated to a six-speed manual as its base transmission, and the way the industry is going we figure the Impreza will lose the manual option altogether before Subaru adds a sixth ratio. In any event, the automatic is the way to go here, with gearing that makes for a quieter highway experience and thriftier fuel consumption: Subaru's estimates for the CVT-equipped Impreza are 8.3/6.4 L/100 km (city/highway) versus 10.0/7.5 with the stick.
Entry-level Convenience trim comes with niceties like air conditioning, cruise control and an infotainment system that supports the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration platforms.
Move up to Touring to add a 6.3-inch information display, six-speaker stereo, automatic climate control, heated front seats, leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear selector and a windshield wiper de-icer.
Sport gains a power driver's seat, LED steering-responsive headlights, LED daytime running lights, sunroof, 17-inch wheels, larger infotainment display and blind spot monitoring with lane change assist and rear cross traffic alert.
Sport-tech is a trim unique to Canada that gets a firmer suspension tuning, active torque vectoring, heated steering wheel, leather seating, dual-zone automatic climate control, eight-speaker stereo and navigation.
Sport and Sport-tech can be optioned with Subaru's Eyesight active safety suite.
