Topic: Test Drive: 2010 Subaru Impreza 2.5i sedan

[Alex]

for the thin skins out there a car is a hunk of metal with an engine it it , sure i love my car , but no car is perfect . i don't feel threatened ,attacked , put down because some one else doesn't like my car , i picked it for my own reasons, for something i'm happy with
i don't base its worth or my worth on someone elses opinion of it . so get a grip , its only a car
 your self esteem is not related to your car unless you want it to be
and for those who do -- well ,to each his own - maybe get some counselling  ha,ha

Chill, buddy. Nobody's attacked anyone yet. This is completely impersonal. To each his / her own.

[bikenut]

have you met our group yet ? we are a devirsified group- some even spell well

 welcome aboard , don't you like dramatic affect alex ? when you get to know me better ,you will be able to tell the difference - i like using action words , do you ?

i disagree with you , if you follow us much you will find it is anything but impersonnal for some people here
  you defineately are new here
people here are touchy on a few things , but you'll find that out as you go along -- but its a good group overall , i enjoy it , the reviews too

 you would find my comment, that you decided to comment on , actually is appropriate for some people here and needed to be said
, despite your mis reading "attacking ", the rest simply makes sense , i was chilled when i wrote it so you misunderstood what i was trying to get across , but thats easy to understand , type can't show tone of voice can it .
simply as i could misinterpret you saying " attacked yet "
- but i'll give you the benefit of the doubt - because that can be read 2 ways too -- see what i mean ,
to me , you could be well meaning  or a jerk -- it could be read 2 ways . so until you type more i won't know

[Leviathan]

mazda in general has always dropped the ball on engine performance and gas mileage compared to all the japanese brands in my opinion ,

I just got 8.4L/100km going from Kelowna -> Prince George -> Pemberton with the a/c on and passing trucks/campers. 8.0L/100km Pemberton -> Vancouver. Vancouver -> Kelowna was with 2 other people + their luggage + a/c over the Coq and that was 9.4L/100km. I don't see any ball dropped there.

[tortoise]

I just got 8.4L/100km going from Kelowna -> Prince George -> Pemberton with the a/c on and passing trucks/campers. 8.0L/100km Pemberton -> Vancouver. Vancouver -> Kelowna was with 2 other people + their luggage + a/c over the Coq and that was 9.4L/100km. I don't see any ball dropped there.

Agreed that's not bad, but a Toyota Corolla would have done much better.  Naturally it would be nowhere near as much fun to drive but it's well known that Mazda is not a fuel efficiency leader.

Does anyone know the sales of the Impreza hatch vs. sedan?  It seems like I see more than 10 hatches for every sedan.

[johngenx]

I just got 8.4L/100km going from Kelowna -> Prince George -> Pemberton with the a/c on and passing trucks/campers. 8.0L/100km Pemberton -> Vancouver. Vancouver -> Kelowna was with 2 other people + their luggage + a/c over the Coq and that was 9.4L/100km. I don't see any ball dropped there.

That's good for a CUV-class vehicle, the problem is that the 3 doesn't fare much better.  We drove back from the Kootenays with two cars, one our Corolla and the other a 3 sedan with the 2.0L.  The couple in the 3 were very happy to see high 6's as were plodding along at 90-100, but our Corolla was around 5 flat, with one 1/2 tank in the high 4's.  Sure, the Mazda has a larger engine and more power, but the 3's highway economy is not much better than we get in the city in the Corolla.

I don't know what Toyota is doing so different in terms of engine management, rolling resistance (I've never driven a car that "coasts" with the ease of our Corolla), aero management, gearing , or whatever, but they've brought gas engined compact cars ridiculously close to the fuel economy of hybrids and diesels.  The companies that need to pay closer attention are Mazda and Nissan.

[SJP]

mazda in general has always dropped the ball on engine performance and gas mileage compared to all the japanese brands in my opinion ,

That seems to be the general consensus amongst all the Mazda owners I know. The odd thing is, the only vehicle I have ever beat the claimed mileage with was my Mazda 5. under 7L/100km quite  regularly on the highway. Maybe I had a good one.

[bikenut]

leviathon

you did not make a bad pick for 4wd , their are ALOT of suvs that  faired much worse than yours for mileage in 2006 suvs
on the other hand their are 2.5 awd , 2.4 4wd and even a 3.5 as well as other 2.3 4wd suvs that got better gas mileage as well

[Ex-airbalancer]

I've never driven a car that "coasts" with the ease of our Corolla

You should try a Prius then

[dirtyjeffer]

I just got 8.4L/100km going from Kelowna -> Prince George -> Pemberton with the a/c on and passing trucks/campers. 8.0L/100km Pemberton -> Vancouver. Vancouver -> Kelowna was with 2 other people + their luggage + a/c over the Coq and that was 9.4L/100km. I don't see any ball dropped there.

yea, but your vehicle doesn't count...it's a Ford.

[dirtyjeffer]

I don't know what Toyota is doing so different in terms of engine management, rolling resistance (I've never driven a car that "coasts" with the ease of our Corolla), aero management, gearing , or whatever, but they've brought gas engined compact cars ridiculously close to the fuel economy of hybrids and diesels.  The companies that need to pay closer attention are Mazda and Nissan.

i agree...i wonder if highway gearing is the key...my friend's Mazda 5, in top gear, at about 100 km/hr is revving around 2500 RPM...at 120 km/hr, it's about 3200...its the trade off for being "sporty"...shorter gearing gives the feeling of faster accelleration with the penalty of a high revving engine on the highway (i think a lot of Honda's are like this too)...while my Taurus only has a 4sp auto (with lock up TC), at 100 km/hr its revving just over 2000 RPM...i actually get similar fuel economy with that car as i do my Focus (on the highway, and honestly, city isn't much worse).

[johngenx]

Our four speed AT equipped Corolla doesn't have low rpm on the highway.  It seems low enough that the fuel consumption is low, but high enough that the engine doesn't require downshifts at every grade.

The Gen 10 Corolla weighs more than the Gen 9 thanks to a bunch more safety gear, but achieves better fuel economy.  Sure, it has mouse fur upholstery and so-so interior materials, but cripes, I can't believe how inexpensive this car is to own.  And as for interior materials, they dropped the price significantly on the 2009 compared to the 2008 despite more standard equipment, so I wasn't complaining.

BUT, we're hijacking the thread!!!  Enough!
-----------------------------------------------------

I too don't see many Impreza sedans.  Legacy sedans seem rare too, which is why Subaru baffled me by dropping the Legacy wagon.  Probably the opposite in the US, though in Montana, hatches/wagons/CUVs dominated the landscape.

One problem with the sedan is resale if you do decide to move on.  A guy up the street from me had a 2006-ish sedan, and he had a bugger of a time selling it.  Yup, Subaru owners like hatches/wagons.  The nice thing about a Subaru is that you can buy a manual trans and still sell that easily.

[bikenut]

johnnygenx  i  just spotted this ,. thought you should be aware of it anyway , minor stuff but still
http://www.canadiandriver.com/2010/08/27/toyota-to-recall-corolla-matrix-for-engine-controller.htm

[bikenut]

liviathon , i forgot to give you this link ,
though in u.s. mpg , i find it a  good comparison tool 

when you purchase your next vehicle , you might find it useful as well
i put in 2006 suv's , since yours is a 2006
this is what they came up with
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/byclass.htm

( i still think in mpg not km per liter )

you don't need to tell me the u.s. has a smaller gallon ,i know

[Ex-airbalancer]

liviathon , i forgot to give you this link ,
though in u.s. mpg , i find it a  good comparison tool 

when you purchase your next vehicle , you might find it useful as well
i punched in 2006 suv's , since yours is a 2006
this is what they came up with
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/byclass.htm

( i still think in mpg not km per liter )

you don't need to tell me the u.s. has a smaller gallon ,i know

Better get up to speed or move where they use those measurements

[bikenut]

Better get up to speed or move where they use those measurements ?

ha,ha,ha , took me a few seconds to figure that one out  , ha,ha,ha,ha,
cracked me up

i just realized that message was meant for johngenx , not you

[Snowman]

Our four speed AT equipped Corolla doesn't have low rpm on the highway.  It seems low enough that the fuel consumption is low, but high enough that the engine doesn't require downshifts at every grade.

The Gen 10 Corolla weighs more than the Gen 9 thanks to a bunch more safety gear, but achieves better fuel economy.  Sure, it has mouse fur upholstery and so-so interior materials, but cripes, I can't believe how inexpensive this car is to own.  And as for interior materials, they dropped the price significantly on the 2009 compared to the 2008 despite more standard equipment, so I wasn't complaining.

BUT, we're hijacking the thread!!!  Enough!
-----------------------------------------------------

I too don't see many Impreza sedans.  Legacy sedans seem rare too, which is why Subaru baffled me by dropping the Legacy wagon.  Probably the opposite in the US, though in Montana, hatches/wagons/CUVs dominated the landscape.

One problem with the sedan is resale if you do decide to move on.  A guy up the street from me had a 2006-ish sedan, and he had a bugger of a time selling it.  Yup, Subaru owners like hatches/wagons.  The nice thing about a Subaru is that you can buy a manual trans and still sell that easily.

I agree John with the Subaru Hatch comment. My biggest mistake was getting a 20002 WRX Sedan but at the time no Wagons were available in the fall when I got mine. I will never drive anything else other that a hatch unless economics allow me to have more that one personal car.

[johngenx]

bikenut: stop PM'ing me copies of your posts in this thread.  And no more PM's about recalls on cars that I don't own. (the Corolla recall is for up to 2008 models, as per a thread already started)

[Triple Bob]

I looked at the 2.5 as I didn't want to spend as much as the WRX, but compared to the GC it fell well short. I'm glad I went with the GC instead. The WRX is special, the 2.5 not so much.

[johngenx]

It's Subaru of Canada's pricing that kills the value.  How can Hyundai sell the 2.0T in Canada for $25K undiscounted) and $22K in the US (a 13% premium) and Subaru Canada bends us over for a 27% premium?

A base Impreza should be $20K, the "Sport" trim $23K and the WRX $28K.

We've owned a number of Scoobs, not one of them new.  Doubtful we'd buy a new one with current pricing.

[bikenut]

gee ,sorry about that johnygenx , my mistake

was trying to be helpful but screwed it up