Live thread: One week with a 2024 Subaru Impreza RS

I wouldn’t call it lethargic but it definitely lacks the snap of a Civic Si. 

Sounds like a good car but having owned a 2016 and now a 2022 Outback, the CVT is a deal killer for me. Even if they managed to figure out durability.. a CVT still feels like a slug.

I've never even driven a DSG or PDK trans - this opinion is based purely on my 4cyl 2012 Highlander's six speed auto that is perfectly matched for that heavy beast.

A well programmed and ratio'd auto is just so much better than a CVT. Come on Subaru!

In reply to OHSCrifle :

Check out a twin-clutch transmission as they can be all kinds of awesome: crisp shifts with sport modes that actually perform as hoped. 

The Subaru goes away shortly, so a few more observations.

First, I can’t remember seeing a cold idle this high. (Also, I just noticed the double warning for the door ajar.)

And with 8200 miles on the odometer, do we care that the floor mats are already showing signs of wear? 

Or that the center console no longer looks new? The camera slightly exagerates the scratches, but they’re difinitely visable. 

Piano Black trim in cars is one of the worst design trends ever. It looks trashed after a few hundred miles. 

I hope my BRZ wears better than this...

My wife just bought this exact car, same color, trim, and packages. She had a 2014 Legacy since new and never fully jived with the large-car ergonomics as a small woman. After sitting in Crosstreks and other similar sized CUVs, she didn't see any interior space benefit over the Impreza hatch, which is actually quite spacious inside. And she didn't like being up so high.

We compared mostly to the Corolla, which felt cheaper and significantly smaller, and the Mazda 3 which felt very cramped inside but more luxurious, and you pay more for. Visibility and ergonomics were #1 for her, and she didn't feel like she could see as well out of other cars. In that way, the Impreza has an "old-school" hatchback shape compared to the now-normal amorphous blobs with their thick pillars blinding you to the outside world. It just feels like an honest, simple, intuitive "car", which is hard to find these days.

Then she saw the blue color and sat in those bolstered cloth RS seats, so she had to have it after a test drive. I will also mention car buying is possibly back to pre-2020 levels of price negotiation. We got ours for $3600 off MSRP. Even though I'm mechanically prejudiced against Subaru engines, and we have zero need for AWD in the South, I think I'll be pretty okay with looking at this thing in our driveway everyday.

Two meaningless marketing nameplates from the 90s Yes I still daily drive the X-90.

In reply to maschinenbau :

Nice score! I always wonder about MSRP discounts being a sleight of hand game. Was there a trade involved in that deal?

And which local dealer? I have an Outback coming to lease end in February. Exploring many options. 

In reply to OHSCrifle :

No trade in or financing deal, but we're probably just selling the Legacy to CarMax.

I tried to buy locally (Atlanta area) but the blue one we test drove got sold out from under us while negotiating. So I found one in Savannah and they offered to beat my local dealer by a few hundred, which helped offset the delivery cost. I never visited the Savannah dealership, just did it over the phone. They drove it to our house and we signed papers in our kitchen, and they left with a check. I bought my ND Miata the same way in 2021. Very pleasant experience, but a lot of phone calls (hard for a Millennial like me!)

In reply to maschinenbau :

Congrats on the new car. I recently saw an RS in public. 

In reply to maschinenbau :

"It just feels like an honest, simple, intuitive "car", which is hard to find these days."

Amen, Brother.

In reply to Coniglio Rampante :

I’d second that. It has an old school charm–like, it feels like car that I’d buy. 

In reply to maschinenbau :

Cool. Good to know the references MSRP discount isn't clouded by fuzzy trade math (which can still be beneficial since it can lower taxes).