Subaru Impreza hatchback (2014-2017) - Interior & comfort
At first glance the Subaru Impreza’s interior looks upmarket, but on closer inspection the cheaper plastics aren't very tactile
The Subaru Impreza’s interior falls short of its European rivals, both in terms of quality and durability. The plastics used throughout feel cheap to touch, and the small central screen looks outdated and cannot be fitted with sat nav.
Subaru Impreza dashboard
The Subaru Impreza’s dashboard is reasonably well designed, with all the frequently used controls within easy reach of the driver. However, interior quality and annoying niggles let the car down when compared to rivals such as the Volkswagen Golf or even the Nissan Pulsar.
For example, the volume controls on the stereo are on the opposite side to normal, and the pixelated display is similar to that found on aftermarket stereos from the nineties. There’s no DAB radio or sat nav, either – you’ll have to pay extra for those. Furthermore, the plastics surrounding the stereo are cheap to touch and don’t feel as high quality as those in a SEAT Leon.
Equipment
While quality might be questionable, equipment isn’t bad for a car costing less than £18,000.
All Imprezas come with electric windows, a Bluetooth phone connection, automatic rain-sensing wipers and alloy wheels. A leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated seats, dual-zone climate control and cruise control are also included as standard. You’ll have to pay extra for leather and sat nav, but you’d expect that on a car in this price range. In fact, you’ll pay about the same amount for a similarly equipped Ford Focus.
Options
Take a look at Subaru’s website and you’ll be pleasantly surprised that the list of optional extras is actually rather short. You can specify an aftermarket-style Pioneer sat nav and leather seats, but everything else is either standard or not available.
