You’ve decided on a 2017 Subaru Impreza, and you’re now in the process of picking body styles and trim levels. Both sedan and hatch are spacious and practical, but what gives you the most value? Is the hatch worth the extra $500 over the sedan? What about the Sport trim? Does ride and handling differ much from the other trims? After putting a 2017 Impreza 2.0i Sport sedan and a 2.0i Limited hatch through our testing regime, we got some answers. Here are seven reasons to ditch the trunk in favor of the hatch and to stick with the non-Sport grades.
Don’t miss our 2017 Subaru Impreza sedan and hatch First Test HERE.
More Expansive Visibility in the Hatch
Both body styles of the 2017 Subaru Impreza feature excellent outward visibility, thanks to it having a conservative exterior design and thin pillars. However, the hatch stands out as the one with the best visibility because of its large rear window, which is less angled. As a result the Impreza hatch feels less claustrophobic, and it’s easier to see out of it when you’re driving.
Chopping Off the Trunk Makes the Impreza Easier to Park
Usually hatchbacks are about the same length as their sedan counterparts, but in the case of the 2017 Subaru Impreza, the one with the hatch is 6.5 inches shorter in length. This means the more practical body style is easier to park, which makes it an ideal choice for urban dwellers looking for an all-weather compact car.
Crossoverlike Interior Capacity
Despite its smaller dimensions, the 2017 Impreza hatch is more spacious with 20.8 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, 8.5 cubic feet more than the sedan. If that’s not enough, fold down the split-folding second row for a maximum capacity of 55.3 cubic feet. That’s enough space to beat many small crossovers and nearly rival some compact ones.
Quieter Interior Makes for a More Serene Drive
One of the highlights on the 2017 Impreza is its quiet cabin, which comes courtesy of Subaru’s new and highly rigid global platform. However, the level of quietness does depend on the trim level. In the case of the Sport trim, you’ll hear more road noise because of its wider, lower-profile 225/40R18 tires. The rest of the lineup, on the other hand, wears narrower 205/50R17 or 205/55R16 rubber, which aren’t as noisy, especially on less-than-perfect pavement.
Ride Comfort
The wider, lower-profile tires in the Sport trim of the 2017 Impreza also make the car’s ride less compliant, especially when over rough surfaces. In comparison, the narrow tires on the other trim levels feature higher sidewalls and can absorb impacts better, allowing for a more comfortable ride than the Sport trim.
Handling Stays Mostly the Same
Sadly, the 2017 Subaru Impreza Sport doesn’t handle any better than the non-Sport variants. Despite having active torque vectoring and a sport-tuned suspension, the Impreza Sport doesn’t separate itself from the rest of the lineup.
A Fuel Economy Drop
Even though it has the same powertrain as the rest of the lineup, the 2017 Impreza Sport is less fuel efficient. It’s rated at 27/36 mpg city/highway in the sedan or 27/35 mpg in the hatch, a hit of 1 mpg in the city and 2 mpg in the highway. Take the available five-speed manual, and fuel economy drops even more to 23/31 mpg and 22/30 mpg for the sedan and hatch, respectively. Non-Sport Imprezas with the manual are rated at 23/31 mpg for the sedan or 24/31 mpg for the hatch. With the automatic, non-Sport Imprezas are rated at 28/38 mpg in sedan form and 28/37 mpg as a hatch.
The post 2017 Subaru Impreza: 7 Reasons to Get the Hatch and Skip the Sport Trim appeared first on Motor Trend.
from Motor Trend http://ift.tt/2nVmYZH
No comments:
Post a Comment