# Test drove a Honda Civic and Subaru Impreza



## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

The Impreza is nice - my best friend just bought one and traded in her 2004 Civic for it. But I do not like the CVT one bit. Drives nicely though, and the engine is WAY less thrashy than older Subarus. Decent gas mileage for an AWD, too.

Honda got their game together with the 2013 Accord, but I still hate the Civic. Interior's nice(r) than it was for sure from 2006-2011 and the 2012, but it still drives like a piece of junk.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

I like the Impreza hatch when I test-drove one a few months ago looking to advise some family members wanting AWD cars. The lower-level trim I tested rode well, but leaned a lot in the turns. Most of that was due to the suspension and tires on it. Swap out those two, and it'll handle better. The Impreza I drove was not a quick car. It was fast enough to merge safely into highway traffic, but wasn't quick by any definition. I did like the airy feeling of the cabin. 

If I lived in a snowier place or didn't have to drive so much, I'd consider one. For the amount I drive, though, 6 mpg really affects my fuel bill.


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## Smurfenstein (Nov 16, 2011)

I also took a look at the Impreza before buying my Cruze, and the only reason why I chose Chevy was(mainly) loyalty to the Chevy dealer(we've been going to since 2000, and they've had our back in the past), and the fact that it would cost more to get all the add-ons to make the Impreza equal to my Cruze stock(ipod plug in, creature comfort stuff).

I will say though, that my Cousin had a civic (10 model I believe), and it was a complete POS. She had nothing but problems with it and was glad to get rid of it after only owning it for a year (bought a 12 Passat to replace it late last year). On a side note, I drove a 2012 passat in the summer while my Cruze was in the shop after I was swiped by a caravan, and I must say I was impressed with the car. If it fits your budget I would give it a look. I believe I drove the base trim, and it was quite roomy inside, had decent pick up(more power than our Cruze, especially on the highway), and was decent handling wise. I absolutely loved the Passat, but I'd prefer my baby any day(just wish she had more power ._.).


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

I was considering the Impreza when I was buying my Cruze. The salesman walked me right up to it. I looked inside, looked around it, and said "nope, let's get out of here." 

I didn't even bother sitting inside. Reasons?

1. Price. For the options you have, these are consistently $2000-$3000 more than the Cruze. A base as can be Impreza with steelies is listed for $19,600 at the same dealer where I bought my Cruze Eco. This was a big reason I quickly turned away. 
2. Warranty. Compared to the Cruze, it just sucks. 
3. Fuel economy. Nevermind what the EPA ratings are, let's look at Fuelly.com. The Impreza averages 27-28mpg. The Cruze averages 33-34mpg.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

$2-3000 buys you a kickass AWD system though. That's usually a $1500-2000 option on most cars that offer it. 

Passat is also very nice. They need to redesign the Jetta again. VW has a terrible reliability record though. 


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## steve333 (Oct 23, 2010)

The Impreza Premium I drove was around $21000 but it comes with everything except leather seats. To get leather you have to move up to the Limited Model which is almost 23 grand but the salesman said he could get me one with leather for around 22 grand.
They are pricier than most Compacts but the Cruze 2LT is around the same price. Those GM Card Points though......


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## Starks8 (Jul 20, 2011)

I too like the look of the 2012/2013 Subaru Impreza sedans and was giving it a thought but as I'm not particularly fond of the boring interior as seen from internet pictures as well as it's lack of technology features like those of the 2013 Cruze. I do really like the wheels on the Impreza and the fact that it's AWD but the Cruze is still my dream car for now and that what I plan on buying here soon. I might just go test drive the Impreza and a few other cars just for the **** of it too.


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

Are Subarus even in the same price range as our cruzes

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## giantsnation (Oct 11, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> $2-3000 buys you a kickass AWD system though. That's usually a $1500-2000 option on most cars that offer it.
> 
> Passat is also very nice. They need to redesign the Jetta again. VW has a terrible reliability record though.
> 
> ...


Careful with this opinion. Do a little research and you'll find many people have noticed 2 big problems that a salesman would never tell you. 1) Gas Mileage - this will be consistently lower than most compacts because of the AWD system. 2) Tire costs - after ~5K miles, you better not get a busted tire or you have to replace all 4 tires! That's right, I have read the Subaru memo and due to the AWD system all the tires need to be at or close to the same tread depth or you void your warranty.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

giantsnation said:


> Careful with this opinion. Do a little research and you'll find many people have noticed 2 big problems that a salesman would never tell you. 1) Gas Mileage - this will be consistently lower than most compacts because of the AWD system. 2) Tire costs - after ~5K miles, you better not get a busted tire or you have to replace all 4 tires! That's right, I have read the Subaru memo and due to the AWD system all the tires need to be at or close to the same tread depth or you void your warranty.


Yeah, same with any AWD car - Volvos, Hondas, etc. If you can find a shop that does it, you can have a new tire shaved down to fit the diameters of the others.

But at the same time, if you need it for such purposes, a Subaru is great in mud, snow, etc. 

Like I tell people that want an AWD Volvo, if you need the AWD, get it. If you don't, get a 2WD.


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

giantsnation said:


> Careful with this opinion. Do a little research and you'll find many people have noticed 2 big problems that a salesman would never tell you. 1) Gas Mileage - this will be consistently lower than most compacts because of the AWD system. 2) Tire costs - after ~5K miles, you better not get a busted tire or you have to replace all 4 tires! That's right, I have read the Subaru memo and due to the AWD system all the tires need to be at or close to the same tread depth or you void your warranty.


My roommate last year totaled his '07 WRX wagon from hitting a deer, and since he didn't like any of the newer ones, he got a bugeye '02 Impreza TS AWD wagon and a '94 turbo Miata to replace it. Like three weeks after he got the TS, he was heading back to school one Sunday night and had a flat tire on the rear. He was going to put winter tires on his spare set of WRX rims and put them on, but he hadn't done that yet. He pulled off the road, jacked it up, put the spare on, and went on his merry way. Something seemed a little funny about a mile or so down the road, so he pulled off again to have a look. He didn't see anything wrong, so he just kept on going. He's pretty competent too, because he did extensive mods to his WRX. He pulls back out onto the highway and about a mile or two down the road, another car flags him down that his car is on fire. He pulled off at the exit right there and went to the back of a gas station and asked for a fire extinguisher. The station didn't want to give it up, so he had to call the fire dept as well as move the car (which was apparently sitting over the gasoline tanks!) and the fire dept put out the small fire. He called me because I was at home too and would be heading that same direction, so I met him and his girlfriend at the gas station and we all went on to school. The TS was towed to the local Subaru dealer in Ann Arbor, and a few days later, the results came. The different sized tire (donut spare) on the rear caused the rear diff not to turn somewhat equally, so it completely fried the clutch in there and got the fluid so hot that it spewed out and caught insulation on fire. He did get the car fixed and is still driving it today with no issues, and he even autocrosses it and the Miata like he did with the WRX. I seem to remember it was like $3k worth of repairs and it was there for about a month, during which time he ended up finding and buying the Miata to drive until that was done/winter came. He later read in the manual that apparently you aren't supposed to put the donut spare on the rear, only on the front, so you'd have to change out a good front tire and move it back if you had a flat on the rear. You also aren't supposed to do more than like 40 mph for 10-20 miles, and he was easily doing 70. Granted flat tires aren't real common, but when you do have one, that car is quite a PIA to deal with. You basically have to have roadside service or carry two jacks with you.


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## steve333 (Oct 23, 2010)

Interesting info, something to think about


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## silverls (Nov 12, 2011)

My cruze has lumbar controls....... 

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## silverls (Nov 12, 2011)

Sunline Fan said:


> My roommate last year totaled his '07 WRX wagon from hitting a deer, and since he didn't like any of the newer ones, he got a bugeye '02 Impreza TS AWD wagon and a '94 turbo Miata to replace it. Like three weeks after he got the TS, he was heading back to school one Sunday night and had a flat tire on the rear. He was going to put winter tires on his spare set of WRX rims and put them on, but he hadn't done that yet. He pulled off the road, jacked it up, put the spare on, and went on his merry way. Something seemed a little funny about a mile or so down the road, so he pulled off again to have a look. He didn't see anything wrong, so he just kept on going. He's pretty competent too, because he did extensive mods to his WRX. He pulls back out onto the highway and about a mile or two down the road, another car flags him down that his car is on fire. He pulled off at the exit right there and went to the back of a gas station and asked for a fire extinguisher. The station didn't want to give it up, so he had to call the fire dept as well as move the car (which was apparently sitting over the gasoline tanks!) and the fire dept put out the small fire. He called me because I was at home too and would be heading that same direction, so I met him and his girlfriend at the gas station and we all went on to school. The TS was towed to the local Subaru dealer in Ann Arbor, and a few days later, the results came. The different sized tire (donut spare) on the rear caused the rear diff not to turn somewhat equally, so it completely fried the clutch in there and got the fluid so hot that it spewed out and caught insulation on fire. He did get the car fixed and is still driving it today with no issues, and he even autocrosses it and the Miata like he did with the WRX. I seem to remember it was like $3k worth of repairs and it was there for about a month, during which time he ended up finding and buying the Miata to drive until that was done/winter came. He later read in the manual that apparently you aren't supposed to put the donut spare on the rear, only on the front, so you'd have to change out a good front tire and move it back if you had a flat on the rear. You also aren't supposed to do more than like 40 mph for 10-20 miles, and he was easily doing 70. Granted flat tires aren't real common, but when you do have one, that car is quite a PIA to deal with. You basically have to have roadside service or carry two jacks with you.


I just had to explain this to my wife yesterday. She has two tires with slow leaks due to nails (can't be fixed). I'm sorry dear but you have an awd. You have to buy 4 new tires. You can't buy 2. 

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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> Yeah, same with any AWD car - Volvos, Hondas, etc. If you can find a shop that does it, you can have a new tire shaved down to fit the diameters of the others.
> 
> But at the same time, if you need it for such purposes, a Subaru is great in mud, snow, etc.
> 
> Like I tell people that want an AWD Volvo, if you need the AWD, get it. If you don't, get a 2WD.


I question the "need" for all wheel drive anyway. Most of the people who use AWD on all-season tires would do just as well with FWD on snow tires. The only time I could see you needing both AWD and snow tires is if you lived up in the mountains, and even then, people seem to get by just fine with only snow tires. 

The problem is that AWD does nothing for you when you need to stop, turn without accelerating, or swerve to avoid something. Too many people think they can just get AWD for their cars and automatically get better handling in the snow.


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> The problem is that AWD does nothing for you when you need to stop, turn without accelerating, or swerve to avoid something. Too many people think they can just get AWD for their cars and automatically get better handling in the snow.


Exactly. One of my coworkers bought an Acura MDX like last year or something and and said to me the other day that she didn't trust that the automatic AWD worked because shortly after she got it, she almost slid into her garage door...

:eusa_clap:


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Sunline Fan said:


> Exactly. One of my coworkers bought an Acura MDX like last year or something and and said to me the other day that she didn't trust that the automatic AWD worked because shortly after she got it, she almost slid into her garage door...
> 
> :eusa_clap:


To be completely truthful, my Cruze does have AWD with snow tires on. Awesome wheel drive.


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## steve333 (Oct 23, 2010)

silverls said:


> My cruze has lumbar controls.......
> 
> Sent from my XT912 using AutoGuide.Com Free App


No it doesn't, unless you have custom seats


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

I've been hunting/fishing/hiking up in areas where you'd need an AWD to get up there. To be honest, I'm not sure a Subaru would have the ground clearance for it - I scraped the trailer hitch on a stock Jeep Cherokee a few times. I never had problems in less than a foot of snow with my FWD Volvo (an Accord was a different story entirely), but stopping, as you said, was always the dicey part in snow/ice, and that's where most people over-estimate their AWD cars. As my dad would say, "some people just ain't got no common sense."

But I agree, for MOST drivers, you do not need AWD. For those that *do* want that feature (my friend goes to school in Michigan, and the 2500-lb Civic was terrible even with snow tires and chains), the Subaru is actually a decent price, and gets decent MPG for being an AWD. Plus, it will go just about anywhere and they've historically been very reliable.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> I've been hunting/fishing/hiking up in areas where you'd need an AWD to get up there. To be honest, I'm not sure a Subaru would have the ground clearance for it - I scraped the trailer hitch on a stock Jeep Cherokee a few times. I never had problems in less than a foot of snow with my FWD Volvo (an Accord was a different story entirely), but stopping, as you said, was always the dicey part in snow/ice, and that's where most people over-estimate their AWD cars. As my dad would say, "some people just ain't got no common sense."
> 
> But I agree, for MOST drivers, you do not need AWD. For those that *do* want that feature (my friend goes to school in Michigan, and the 2500-lb Civic was terrible even with snow tires and chains), the Subaru is actually a decent price, and gets decent MPG for being an AWD. Plus, it will go just about anywhere and they've historically been very reliable.


Well, don't confuse AWD with 4x4, lol. There's a difference between wanting AWD for city driving in hazardous conditions and wanting 4WD or 4x4 for going off-road where anything short of 4 planted wheels will not do. Some of these 4x4 vehicles also have locking differentials.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Well, don't confuse AWD with 4x4, lol. There's a difference between wanting AWD for city driving in hazardous conditions and wanting 4WD or 4x4 for going off-road where anything short of 4 planted wheels will not do. Some of these 4x4 vehicles also have locking differentials.


Unless you're rock climbing, an AWD vehicle with ground clearance will do just fine. We took an Acura MDX up there several times as well, and while it wasn't as sure-footed as the Jeep was in the mud, it did a good job of transferring power to wheels with traction, and it also wasn't a true off-road car with aggressive tires.


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## silverls (Nov 12, 2011)

steve333 said:


> No it doesn't, unless you have custom seats


I can feel the lumbar change in my power seat. 

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## steve333 (Oct 23, 2010)

silverls said:


> I can feel the lumbar change in my power seat.
> 
> Sent from my XT912 using AutoGuide.Com Free App


Then something is wrong somewhere because the lumbar isn't changeable in the Cruze. Are you changing seat height? That might make the lumbar support hit your back in a different spot


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

giantsnation said:


> Careful with this opinion. Do a little research and you'll find many people have noticed 2 big problems that a salesman would never tell you. 1) Gas Mileage - this will be consistently lower than most compacts because of the AWD system. 2) Tire costs - after ~5K miles, you better not get a busted tire or you have to replace all 4 tires! That's right, I have read the Subaru memo and due to the AWD system all the tires need to be at or close to the same tread depth or you void your warranty.


Any AWD system requires matched tires. No purchasing tires in pairs. If you have a need for AWD the extra price for the Subaru is well worth it. The price differential for my Montana AWD was almost $4,000 and it was definitely worth the money.


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## silverls (Nov 12, 2011)

steve333 said:


> Then something is wrong somewhere because the lumbar isn't changeable in the Cruze. Are you changing seat height? That might make the lumbar support hit your back in a different spot


Maybe. But its comfy

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## silverls (Nov 12, 2011)

obermd said:


> Any AWD system requires matched tires. No purchasing tires in pairs. If you have a need for AWD the extra price for the Subaru is well worth it. The price differential for my Montana AWD was almost $4,000 and it was definitely worth the money.


Not all. Some do have a little give and will allow you some leeway front to back. But never left to right. My explorer had different tires. On the front than the back its whole life in vary forms of new and used. Just have to keep the axles the same left to right. Subaru however, do not have this leeway.

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## Ru5ty (Jun 20, 2012)

i once threw up in a civic , it actually made they car look nicer!, i would have bought a wrx but the price was just to much and the cost of maintenance is stupid .


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Subarus do need some extra maintenance and care relating to the AWD system, yes. Even a stock turbo Subie doesn't need insane levels of maintenance, though. Use good quality oil of the right viscosity on the recommended change interval and that's about it. From what I've read it's a 5w-30 full synthetic changed every 7500 miles, or what we recommend for the Cruze!


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## steve333 (Oct 23, 2010)

I'm still hoping GM makes some positive changes in the 2014 Cruze so I can use my GM Card Points. I would be shocked if they made no improevements other than a new front end but I guess at this point I shouldn't be surprised at anything GM does or doesn't do.


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## cruzers (Dec 13, 2010)

I also sat in a Hyundai Elantra (dual dealer) and found the seats comfortable but the dash cheap looking and the interior smelled like a chemical factory, which I find to be true of all Korean makes (including the old Aveo). Never was on my list and never will be.


...Cruze is also Korean.


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## steve333 (Oct 23, 2010)

cruzers said:


> I also sat in a Hyundai Elantra (dual dealer) and found the seats comfortable but the dash cheap looking and the interior smelled like a chemical factory, which I find to be true of all Korean makes (including the old Aveo). Never was on my list and never will be.
> 
> 
> ...Cruze is also Korean.


Designed by a Korean but the materials are good ole USA. I did detect some chemical smell but not like in the Aveo and Hyundai. The Civic and Subaru are probably the least toxic interiors out there. Interestingly enough my Cobalt was rated as having the least toxic interior that year and one of the lowest scores ever. Mainly because of all the hard plastics people moan about-soft plastics give off more odors, at least initially.


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