2004 Subaru Impreza Outback
To start this review off I really need to make it clear, since I have heard this misconception many, many times, Subaru, despite selling cars that are badged “Outback,” is a Japanese car manufacturer and not Australian. I have even heard people who said “well Subaru sounds Australian” as well, but Subaru is actually the Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster, which is why Subaru cars have a bunch of stars for a badge. I will concede that Subaru’s are not very Japanese in styling. Japanese cars are generally conservative in the styling department, but the Impreza in particular has been very bold, and in some cases a bit ghastly. The only real selling point Subaru’s ever had is the fact that every car comes with all wheel drive. This helped them to shift enough cars to survive over the years, especially in the North where snow can be an issue. With the appearance of the WRX and the STi in the U.S. Subaru has gained loads of popularity, especially amongst the hooded youths, and are now common sights on the road. The question I’m here to answer though is if the normal non-mental Impreza is any good.
The Impreza I have gotten my hands on is by far the least exciting. The “Outback” trim means a two tone paint scheme that looks at home on a camp ground, raised suspension for extra ground clearance for when you go to the camp grounds, and a few extra toughened up bits in case the path to the campground is a bit rough. All of this plus the fact that the Outback trim only comes as a wagon, makes this Impreza look more park ranger than street racer.
Positives with a few negatives in between: Not many people realize this but Subaru makes cars as reliable, if not more reliable than
The core of the Impreza’s reliability is the engine, which isn’t an engineering marvel by any standard, but the SOHC flat four is incredibly simple in design and is unlikely to ever go wrong. The engine has 165 hp on tap, which is more than what the similarly sized Mazda 3 produces, but this car is much slower. Some of it is down to the all-wheel drive system adding weight, but most of it is because the engine doesn’t like to be rushed and refuses to rev quickly. The needle on the tachometer climbs about as quickly as the second hand of a clock. On the upside, the engine is relentless and accelerating from 20-40 mph feels just as quick as going from 40-60 mph which means that you never feel the car is struggling to move under its own power, but you will desire a bit more oomph.
This car’s party piece naturally lies with the all-wheel drive system. The only adjective to describe how this car feels, and everyone says this, is planted. No matter the road conditions, the Impreza’s all-wheel drive system makes the car feel as if it is glued to the road surface at all times. Around tight bends or twisty mountain roads you can really feel the car’s massive grip and it will grant you extra bravery through the corners; but, when I say that you can feel the car gripping the road, you feel it with your senses and not through the steering wheel. The steering wheel is nice and heavy, but it is completely devoid of feel, which reduces the fun factor of the car.
Making up for the lack of steering feel in the Impreza is the pedal response, which is top class. The accelerator is very weighty and responds to the slightest change in your foot’s weight. The brake feel is amongst the best I have ever come across; it doesn’t bite with a feather touch nor does it require five feet of travel before the brakes decide to do anything (cough Camry) and as you press harder you get a very linear response which makes it easy to have smooth stops.
Being an “Outback” model, this car has a softish suspension designed to make the rigors of driving to your camp site more comfortable; surprisingly though, the softness of the suspension does not seem to compromise the handling at all. The Impreza doesn’t roll too much in the bends and everything feels stable. All in all, the drive and handling is quite good, but it feels very adult like and mature rather than sporty and exciting.
The Interior of this car is a little cheap looking, but if you look closely the materials used to make the interior are very tough and robust. Quality is not a word that comes to mind when thinking about the interior accomodations, but you can tell nothing is going to fall off or break. The steering wheel is an example of this. At first it looks like a cheap slab of plastic like you would find on a cheap American car, but it just isn’t. The steering wheel is actually soft to the touch and feels like it would survive a Tornado.
Fortunately, the wagon part of this car isn’t just for looks. If you fold the back seats down, you can cram a whole lot of stuff into the car, and you can even help your friends move. The Outback will easily carry more than the Mazda 3 wagon and if you can’t cram everything you need into the car, the roof racks are a permanent fixture on the car, so you can just tack on what didn’t fit into the car onto the roof. If you’re not moving furniture, the trunk is quite large with the seats up as well, and the back seats themselves will be able to fit some friends without some NGO complaining about inhumane practices.
Actual Negatives: The all-wheel drive system on this car does put on quite a bit of weight and that does spoil the gas mileage a bit. So compared to other cars in its class the Impreza is going to be a gas guzzler. Also the price of the car is a bit more than the competition again because of the all-wheel drive system; however, if you want all-wheel drive to get you through those tough winter months then the price difference is easily justified, in fact there’s no other car in its class with all-wheel drive!
If you are capable of driving stick, I would suggest you get the manual gearbox and avoid the automatic. The automatic gearbox is smooth, but if you need to speed up a bit the gearbox refuses to give you the gear you want. So if you need to pass someone on the highway you’ll either get barely any acceleration at all since the gearbox decided not to shift down, or it will kick down too many gears and startle your passengers. One more gripe about the auto box lies within the shifter design itself. The Impreza has one of those key cut shift gate designs which seems pretty cool, but Drive isn’t on one of the corners, so it’s easy to accidentally knock the car into neutral or a lower gear if you’re not paying attention. Just remember all of this can be avoided by driving the manual version.
Another downside to owning an Impreza becomes apparent when you hit the highway... This car is pretty loud when you build up some speed. If you do an in class comparison it’s not the worst in this respect, but it's certainly not far from the bottom. Just be sure to turn up the stereo once you get up to highway speeds.
Conclusion: The Impreza Outback is in my opinion a good little car. It’s very practical in the sense that it can hold lots of cargo, and in the sense that it can be used in all types of weather. The driving experience is pleasant and the only real issues the car has lie with the automatic gearbox. However, this car is more of a specialty vehicle. If you want all-wheel drive, or if you go camping, or if you want the practicality of a wagon, this is the car to get; otherwise, I would suggest looking at other cars in the same price range.
Summary:
The Good: Grips harder than duct tape
The Bad: The automatic gearbox and engine combination will leave you yelling “Why won’t you rev?”
Verdict: If this is your cup of tea… then drink it
Random Stats:
Engine: 2.5 liter H4, 165 hp, 166 lb-ft torque
EPA mileage estimates: 22/28
