She drives the wheels off her Subaru's what? What part do the wheels come off of on her Subaru?

 

Sadly it's not the part of the wheels that is covered under warranty, so she has to run her butt off at a second job..to pay for the wheels. Don't ask me what part of her butt she runs off, that's personal

 

Sorry to bump this back up, but wanted to ask the OP how the Impreza has been thus far. Any problems?

I was looking at the '13's the other day. I am impressed. Plus, 36MPG on the freeway, which I believe, because my wife's Outback rated at 30MPG has been getting that or more on the freeway. This should pretty much negate the better MPG argument.

I'm really contemplating an Impreza due to the amount of snow we receive here. Snow tires are great, but they still have limits going up the canyon in a storm. I don't get caught in that situation a lot, but when I do, I sure feel better being in my wife's AWD wagon than watching my front end flail around on some of those steeper snowpacked roads.

 

I'd go with the Impreza, hands down. I love my Fit but she's going to be traded away for something more powerful. It's inevitable. Unless Honda brings an RS/Si version to the states.

 

2013 Subaru Impreza MPG Reports | Fuelly

No.

lol

Don't get a Subaru for gas mileage, get it because it's AWD and you drive in snow. Gas mileage isn't a reason to not get it. If I lived in the mountains and had to deal with snow in the winter I definitely wouldn't be driving a Fit.

Sadly, the base Impreza is no faster than the Fit so get a WRX if you think the Fit is too slow for you.

 

My racing days are mostly behind me. I do like the WRX's, but don't need all that power nor the premium price tag and maintenance. Fit's power is just fine with me, so no biggie.

The link you provided shows mixed driving MPG's. It's really hard to compare city and mixed figures, since the results will greatly differ based on how many stops, time idling, speed, etc. I usually just compare highway figures. Based on my experience with my 13 Outback, the Subaru/EPA's figures are spot on. Actually, my last trip returned 33MPG (all highway) in the Outback (compared to 30MPG EPA figure). I would assume Impreza would return the estimated 36MPG, but since I haven't actually driven one, I don't know.

Fit with snows aren't bad. It gets me to 90% of the places I want to go. AWD is definitely tempting.

EDIT: Fit's figures are slightly better, but not by much. I'm willing to bet MPG is a wash. There are a few outliers that are getting 38+, but I'm going to assume that there are more people "hypermiling" in Fits than Imprezas.

http://www.fuelly.com/car/honda/fit/2013

 

Subarus are definitely not for the mpg conscious, and to break the low 30's barrier is definitely a big plus. Snow or no snow, it's about the handling confidence factor that a Subaru gives. Just my take.

 

I honestly don't know how some people are getting below 30 with a Fit, even in city traffic

Subarus are the choice of Bay Area slope dopes everywhere, they can't all be wrong

 

Usually the only time of year I think of AWD is in the winter the rest of the year I do not mpg per Consumer Reports Fit 33 mpg Impreza 27 mpg combined. But if I was not concern about gas this is the Subaru I would buy.

 

Another option if you're really unhappy with the Fit. If it's luxury and a solid feel you're after, you should also check out the new Chevy Sonic (also comes in a special edition RS model). Seriously, my friend ask me to come by the dealership and look at it. I did but wasn't enthusiastic, that is, until I actually checked it out.

It is roughly around the same price as the Fit (the LTZ model -- top level Sonic build before going to the RS model), is seriously more sturdy, has better paint, better sheet metal, it's more significant inside, almost silent inside compared to the Fit, and if you want more luxury feel than the Fit doesn't stand a chance in comparison.

I do truly like my Fit. But I seriously dislike my friend now for showing me the loaded Sonic model! If I had it to do all over again, the Sonic would be my first choice for a so-called "econo-ride". Almost makes me feel sorry for my little pal... my GE.

I'll put some more miles on it and make some more payments and see what Honda and others offer in 2014. The Fit is a fun little ride though. I just think Honda could have made it a little less "utilitarian" inside than they did.

The Fit has it's saving graces... but I would like a ride a little better quality all the way around... instead of simply the quality we DO get with the Fit.

 

Buy what ever makes you happy. Period.

 

I think your math is wrong. When I was car shopping, I was debating buying new or used. Since going back to to 2.0 L injection and getting very good MPG, the impreza was #1 on my list. I think it's stylish too, I wasn't too crazy about the flying vagina grill so the cosmetic upgrade was well needed, IMO

The car is a tad big if like me, you live in the city and don't have rugrats to haul around. In my fit however, I often get stuck in snow after parking overnight when the snow is fresh and it has time to settle and get hard before the morning. I remember cursing and trying to get out of a spot and asking a middle aged mom to help me out. She seemed to have neither the know how nor the interest to help me but I saw her get in her subie and just slowly pull out of a snow bank with all four wheels spinning slowly and getting traction; it was a thing of beauty which made me want to get on my knees and cry. I have since bought metal traction aids, hope they'll work when I'm in a pinch.

About the math: a Fit sport is about 20k after taxes and such in Quebec (yep, good ole' Canadian pricing) however a base impreza clocks it at at least 23-24k with not really that many options so its not really the same price range, especially if you compare base to base. I decided to buy used so the Honda fit was a no brainer I had to dig in deep in my wallet because of the high resale value but I got a great car that was very well maintained.

 

Just based upon what is available from the dealers...
And I looked at both these vehicles since I was moving from CA to Missouri. I found that a nicely loaded Fit was approx. 18.6k and the similarly loaded Impreza was over 23k.
Also looking at the stripper models, the Fit was 15.3k and the Impreza was 19.6k. I say get what you want. I just got the fit mainly because it was nicely loaded and I didn't want to have super expensive fixes (had a 2010 Mini Cooper and the fixes were EXTREMELY expensive... like 600 for the front brakes).
Anyways good luck with your decision.
-bix

 

Another relevant factor that steered me away from an AWD Subaru, all the tires must be even tread wear. If you replace one, you either have to replace all, or have the new one shaved down to match the old ones. Sounds like more hassle and expense than it's worth imo.

 

I'm pretty sure that is BS, Subaru's use a "Viscus Goo" transfer case that allows 4WD all the time, therefore there is always some slip, otherwise Subaru could not do what Subaru does. Please post a link if you can, I have never heard of this before.

 

I have a 2013 Fit Sport AT, my wife has a 2012 Impreza Wagon Limited CVT. We both drive in city (Seattle, hilly) and she gets about a MPG more than I do. I'm about 24-25 MPG and she's about 25-26 MPG. Her car has more power, AWD, and a more solid feel. I love the design and usability of my Fit more, but probably would have gotten a Impreza Wagon if my wife didn't have one first.

 

Relevant factor, yes. But I don't think it's a must. More of on the "best practices" side as with any car IMO, if you like driving with confidence. Then again if you rotate your tires on a regular basis then uneven wear should not be an issue given your alignment, tire pressure, suspension, etc. are all within spec. I've had my Rex going on 11 yrs. in a few months and it still obliges when I ask...

 

Subaru's are great cars, especially if you live in the north and get use from the AWD. But as mentioned the price increase is more than the $2K stated so not apples to apples. I checked 2013 base to base pricing and an Impreza hatch is $2,970 more. Might not seem like that much at first but a full 20% more. Why not spend 30% more? Then you would be comparing a $20K car to the $15K Fit.

Also consider total cost of ownership for which the Fit comes out ahead. In 2010 the Impreza was also $3K more. Used prices now show the Impreza is worth only $2K more than the Fit.

_

 

I had an 09 Fit. Now have a 2012 WRX. Gas mileage sucks and I need 91-93, but the cost of fun every time I turn the key!

 

"For safe vehicle operation, SUBARU recommends replacing all four tires at the same time. WARNING: All four tires must be the same in terms of manufacturer, brand (tread pattern), construction, degree of wear, speed symbol, load index and size. Mixing tires of different types, sizes or degrees of wear can result in damage to the vehicle's power train."
source:
Subaru Car Care, Cleaning, Upkeep, Maintenance Tips


Some info about why this is.
Tire Replacement On All Wheel Drive Vehicles