CD Article: 2006 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Sport Wagon

[CD_Editor]

You may discuss our cover story of the day in this thread....
Test Drive:

One of the few compact hatchbacks offered with all-wheel drive, the Subaru Impreza Sport Wagon is "practical", "affordable", and "safe", reports Editor Greg Wilson.  Despite higher fuel consumption than comparable front-wheel drive cars, "it's an ideal vehicle for Canada's diverse climate and road conditions," he says.     More...

[84im]

We seriously looked at the 2006 2.5i sedan,  but ended up buying the Mini.  In the end my wife wanted the Mini, and she drives it more than I do......

 

[Iso Octane]

Back in the bug-eye days, the Impreza 2.5 TS wagon was $23k while the 2.5 RS sedan was $27k!   

At the time, almost all non-Wrx Imprezas were in wagon form.  Now that Subaru has finally come to their senses and is pricing the 2.5 sedan the same as the 2.5 wagon, I'm seeing a lot more sedans than wagons.

[jww]

We seriously looked at the 2006 2.5i sedan,  but ended up buying the Mini.  In the end my wife wanted the Mini, and she drives it more than I do......

Wow - what a treasure of a wife you have - she is definitely a keeper!! 

I am not a fan of the new Subie front grill styling. I thought it looked ugly on the Tribeca, and think it looks uglier still on the Impreza of any trim level. What were they thinking???

[airbalancer]

Wow - what a treasure of a wife you have - she is definitely a keeper!! 

I am not a fan of the new Subie front grill styling. I thought it looked ugly on the Tribeca, and think it looks uglier still on the Impreza of any trim level. What were they thinking???

ALso apperars there no arm rest between the front seats

[jphoto]

In Canada, the Subaru Impreza is one of only two cars under $25,000 offered with all-wheel drive (the other is the Dodge Caliber R/T - the Toyota Matrix AWD and Pontiac Vibe AWD have been discontinued for 2007).

Hmm.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but was the Suzuki Aerio forgotten here?  An SX with AWD should be listed at 23k

[ScoobyDriver]

I'm currently driving a 2.5i Sport Wagon.  The car is GREAT!  I'm looking forward to some winter driving.  My last car was a 99 Impreza sedan.  It had ~144 Hp I believe, the 173 in this model is a huge improvement!  Both were 5 speed manuals and I don't know too much about gearing but the 06 seems to be a little more flexible.  I can keep the car in first a little longer and 4th gear also seems to be capable of a wider range of speeds too.  In the 99 I'd get a third of the way through an intersection and have to shift.  It did seem to have a bit more ground clearance though.  I have to watch the front for high curbs when parking the 06. 

As far as gripes - I'd agree with those mentioned in the article.  The stero buttons are tiny and it would be nice to see that change, maybe have MP3 capability.  I know I could replace it but I shouldn't have to I don't think.  I do find rear visibility more difficult than my sedan.  The inability of the back seats to fold in my 99 sedan was a key factor in my getting the Sport Wagon.

The 06 Aerio SX is actually a holdover from 2005 and is being replaced by the Suzuki SX4 in 2007 I believe.  (http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=116341)

[The Mighty Duck]

I actually rather like the new grill on the Impreza.  It might suite the colour or the wagon, but I think it looks very clean and quite different from what everyone else seems to be doing.  Everbody else seems to be doing mesh or horizontal bars - it's nice to see a change, and one that speaks to Subaru's heritage, too.

As for the car...  I would take one any day of the week.  Though I'd prefer the WRX wagon, naturally. 

[mdxtasy]

I actually rather like the new grill on the Impreza.  It might suite the colour or the wagon, but I think it looks very clean and quite different from what everyone else seems to be doing.  Everbody else seems to be doing mesh or horizontal bars - it's nice to see a change, and one that speaks to Subaru's heritage, too.

As for the car...  I would take one any day of the week.  Though I'd prefer the WRX wagon, naturally. 

I like the new front design.  Quite edgy and mean.  My buddy has the exact same wagon...same colour...but in WRX trim and with mods. 

[AVToller]

Photos lead me to believe that the new front treatment would be ugly, but I find it very acceptable "in the flesh".

[Bullet Blue]

Wow - what a treasure of a wife you have - she is definitely a keeper!! 

I am not a fan of the new Subie front grill styling. I thought it looked ugly on the Tribeca, and think it looks uglier still on the Impreza of any trim level. What were they thinking???

Subaru - Driven by what's inside...not outside 

[jww]

Subaru - Driven by what's inside...not outside 

OK - I get it. There is no question that once you get past the grill design - which I admit is a small thing - this is an excellent priced AWD vehicle with great reliability. What's in a face anyway? I guess I could live with it when I see the total package. We are looking into a second vehicle in another year - and this would be a mighty contender for that available spot in our driveway. And I could get it with a manual transmission too (I really do miss shifting with a clutch somedays).

[AVToller]

Subaru - Driven by what's inside...not outside 

  and that's the way all cars should be IMO. 

[ScoobyDriver]

They're fun to drive in the winter I can tell you that   Hello four wheel drift!  Now that I own a Subaru snowstorms only cause problems when there's whiteout conditions.  I actually look forward to big snowfalls to see if I can get get stuck!  Knock on wood - it hasn't happened yet.  It's not just snow that AWD is better in though.  It makes a very big difference in rain and dry pavement too.  The car just feels really planted

It's fun passing 4wd trucks going up hills in the snow though.  Subaru's have a much better weight distribution than a truck. 

The manual transmission is a blast!  No hill-holder clutch on this model though - you have to upgrade to a Forrester for that.

Many of my friends tease me about this being a "family car".  I always say it's a big hatchback that gets me to the ski-hill whatever the conditions with room for all my stuff.  It's a cool car in my opinion!  The WRX definitely has more cool factor but it also is a lot more expensive AND requires premium fuel.  The 2.5i gets by on good ol'87 octane.

I also don't kind the nose - I like the aviation history and the fact that it looks different than most of the other cars on the road. 

[mdxtasy]

With a good set of winter tires, the AWD cars are tough to beat in slippery conditions.

[Giant Dwarf]

Add me to the list of fans of this car.  Came very, very close to working a deal on an '06 sport wagon to replace wiffy's Civic earlier this year.  Just couldn't get the numbers out of the Civic trade we needed and then couldn't sell it privately.  Too many kms I guess.  IN the long run, we're saving money by keeping the snooze-mobile -- I sure would love to have the added torque and cargo space of that little sport wagon though.  And having enjoyed AWD with my Audi, I agree with ScoobyDriver that big snowfalls are something to cherish when you've got it. 

[Wolfe]

Photos lead me to believe that the new front treatment would be ugly, but I find it very acceptable "in the flesh".

  And I think the new front treatment looks much better than the old grill with the plain headlights that Subaru put on the car after they got rid of the googly eyed headlights. 

[sirAQUAMAN64]

I was a fan of the bug eyes but next to this front end they look dated. I really like the new aggressive treatment (mind you, I like the B9 Tribeca as well), and it's - again - very unique.

Made a point of looking at this car a few weeks ago and I have to admit the base models of all Subarus really offer high value. The Legacies with the nice alloys and exhausts... optional SE with roof... also these new Imprezas with their alloys, front schnozz, etc... it's really hard to tell a 2.5 and WRX apart. And the seats! I couldn't believe they stuck those bolstered two-toned seats in the mainstream model. Bravo!

Add in the AWD traction, roomy trunk, spunky power, and you have yourself a weiner. Yeah, the radio buttons are small and those swinging outside/recirculation HVAC controls are dated, but it's fundamentally one solid machine.

[tortoise]

"Subarus with automatic transmissions have an electronically-controlled multi-plate transfer clutch attached to the rear of the transmission which splits torque approximately 60/40 front/rear and also varies it front to rear based on acceleration, deceleration and traction. For example, under hard acceleration more torque will be sent to the front wheels. "

I'm prety sure he meant to say rear wheels.

I really like the impreza.  If they hadn't been out of my price range it would have been serious competition for the P5.

[ghost]

I used to vehemently despised the bug eyed Imprezas. Now with this new front end from the Tribeca and improved interior materials, I find myself really liking it alot. And I hate the Tribeca's snout. Somehow, it works with the Impreza and the headlights lend an edgy aggresive facade to it. In gun metal grey, this little wagon is sweet. I'm seriously considering a used version of this down the road.
Been a fan of Subaru's AWD since I bought my first Outback Sport back in 99. Flat-4, AWD, reliability, top safety pick and plenty of standard equipment...whats not to like. They are so easy to work with too!