This might not come as news to Subaru enthusiasts, but there’s an all-new Impreza on sale. The fifth-generation model isn’t veering off too much from the original recipe, albeit it’s better in every single way compared to its precursor from the 2016 MY.
Subaru, in its infinite wisdom, would like for prospective buyers to know that the fifth-generation Impreza is more than that. The “Rewind” and “Moving Out” commercials lay down the automaker’s ambition in this segment and, to point out the obvious, the Japanese automaker is getting ahead of itself.
“Nobody beats the Subaru Impreza,” we’re told in one of those ads, referring to IIHS safety rating for front crash prevention. “Not Toyota, not Honda, not Ford,” concludes the narrator, which begs a pretty tangible question. Why hasn’t Subaru managed to sell more Imprezas in the U.S. on a yearly basis than Toyota sells Corollas, Honda sells Civics, and Ford sells Focuses?
As for the second advert, it ends with the following line: “Subaru Impreza. Longest-lasting vehicle in its class.” The fine print, however, puts forth how arbitrary this braggadocio actually is: “Based on IHS Markit U.S. total new light-vehicle registrations vs. vehicles in operations in the MY 2006 - 2015 models which have been on the U.S. market for the entire ten-year period in the Non-Luxury Traditional Compact segment for non-turbo cars.”
Half-witted boasting is never beneficial, especially when an automaker tries to sell a product to a customer pool bombarded with choices. Competitive advantage, on the other hand, is an effective way to put one’s product in a better light. Having said these, Subaru can do better in terms of marketing.
The compact model kicks off from $18,395 for the 2.0i Sedan. The five-door hatchback in the same trim costs $18,895 before destination and, as expected from a Subaru, it comes with Symmetrical AWD from the get-go.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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