Impreza in the Market

The improved Impreza stands to steal buyers away from brands that have taken their eyes off the ball. Its interior quality has jumped, right when some class leaders have foolishly allowed their interiors and feature sets to decay. By upping the mileage, Subaru has addressed one of the shortcomings of having standard all-wheel drive, but the Impreza doesn't improve much on the pricing. Say what you will of the dumbed-down Volkswagen Jetta; at least it came with a price decrease.

To truly excel in the compact-car market, the Impreza needs to convince buyers that the all-wheel drive for which they'll pay a premium has advantages beyond foul-weather traction. While all-wheel drive can provide this advantage in sporty cars, I fear the 2012's body roll and modest power keep it from doing so.

    See also:

    Trailer towing
    Your vehicle is designed and intended to be used primarily as a passenger-carrying vehicle. Towing a trailer puts additional loads on your vehicle’s engine, drivetrain, brakes, tires and suspe ...

    Vanity mirror
    Keep the vanity mirror cover closed while the car is being driven to avoid being temporarily blinded by the glare of bright light. Vanity mirror To use the vanity mirror, swing down th ...

    Locking and unlocking from the outside
    NOTE If you unlock the driver’s door with a key and open the door while the alarm system is armed, the alarm system is triggered and the vehicle’s horn sounds. In this case, perform any of ...