2012 Ford Focus Vs 2012 Subaru Impreza

[me.awesome]

So yesterday i was driving by a Subaru dealership and I saw the new Subaru Impreza. I had nothing to do that day so i decided to take it for a test drive. I drove the 5 door sport limited edition.

Wow what a difference it is between the two cars. One thing i will say is it is pretty amazing the MPG a 4wd Subaru can get. Its quite a bit bigger on the inside, trunk space, passenger space and especially rear legroom. The windows are also a lot bigger so its easier to see out of. However....

The CVT SUCKS!! It felt so lackluster to drive. I felt like the gas pedel wasent even connected to the car. When I tried to give it the beans, it really didnt accelerate like the Focus and really didnt have the noise i like to hear. It also didnt accelerate very well when at speed. I felt like if i was going to pass someone on the highway i would have to make sure i have a good mile ahead of me clear before I could safely pass. Also when it was really rough when i let up and then recatch the pedel, it would jerk the car pretty noticeably.

The difference in road noise it pretty substantial as well. At 45 the Subaru was as noisy as the Focus is at 70. The wind noise is the same as the road. I dont know if that is just attributed to the added size of the Impreza but when i headed home in my Focus it seemed so much quieter.

The material on the inside of the car was pretty interesting. The roof liner and the visor defiantly felt like what the focus should have used. Much softer and just felt higher quality. The seats felt squishier, not sure if that would be good or bad in the long run, but at the time felt a little more comfortable. However all of the other dash and door materials felt hard and looks pretty cheap compared to the Focus. There also wasent near as much tech in the car as the Focus.

Overall the Impreza is a pretty nice car if someone is looking for a basic, good gas milage 4wd vehicle. But as far as what car i think is a better value, the quality of components and the feel of the car is far better in the Focus than the Impreza. If I had a family i might go with the Impreza but for now I will stick with my Focus.

[Sponsor]

[Dialed]

Good review. Surprising, didn't expect that.

[dyn085]

This seems like an honest comparo. Thanks for giving your thoughts. I wish that many of the people who want to complain about how the car isn't set up to exactly what they would want would just go try some of the competition. Every car has some redeeming feature just as every car fails in some area (seriously Ford, no decent exhaust tips?), but the overall vehicle, bumper to bumper, should be their overall thought.

And just my .02, Ford really came through with this car

[oritpro]

Thanks for the review. I considered the Imprezza but never test drove one, it didn't have the same appeal as the 2012 Focus but would have been an option otherwise. I wonder if the Imprezza's CVT needs time to adapt like the DCT in the Focus?

Since I've traded in my awesome 4x4 truck, I am going to really start hating the work commute during the Winter months unless the wife doesn't need her Xterra that day.

[SterlingArcher]

It was really down to these two for me. Subaru has never been leaders in technology, but that wasnt really what I was basing my decision on. Bottom line for me was that the Focus was just more fun to drive. On paper, there's not a world of difference from 160hp to the scooby's 138, but when you factor the extra weight of awd and the additioal hp loss through an awd drivetrain, its night and day. I drove the manual and couldn't get it to move at all. A little sloppy in the corners, too.

The BRZ, however, had me up at night thinking about it. That car is the poster child for fun to drive. Deciding factor for me though: I didn't want to spend more than 20k, and I need some cargo space as my wife and I camp fairly often.

[RonMaiden]

The CVT sucks but their manuals are quite good and in the STI it's just a different car and while I love the STI IMO the Focus does look better and is a tad quieter.

[blank102]

IMO the CVT transmission belongs in ATV's, scooters, and nothing else. They don't belong in cars.

[me.awesome]

Forget to mentions that the suspension on the Impreza was also pretty cushy. A bit softer throughout the entire stroke of the strut. The Focus is kinda like soft and gel like then it stiffens near the bottom. I think thats probably due to the european suspension setup. But the Impreza handled general road bumps pretty well, but as SterlingArcher said its not so great in the corner, really rolley.

[scott7278]

Originally Posted by me.awesome

So yesterday i was driving by a Subaru dealership and I saw the new Subaru Impreza. I had nothing to do that day so i decided to take it for a test drive. I drove the 5 door sport limited edition.

Wow what a difference it is between the two cars. One thing i will say is it is pretty amazing the MPG a 4wd Subaru can get. Its quite a bit bigger on the inside, trunk space, passenger space and especially rear legroom. The windows are also a lot bigger so its easier to see out of. However....

The CVT SUCKS!! It felt so lackluster to drive. I felt like the gas pedel wasent even connected to the car. When I tried to give it the beans, it really didnt accelerate like the Focus and really didnt have the noise i like to hear. It also didnt accelerate very well when at speed. I felt like if i was going to pass someone on the highway i would have to make sure i have a good mile ahead of me clear before I could safely pass. Also when it was really rough when i let up and then recatch the pedel, it would jerk the car pretty noticeably.

The difference in road noise it pretty substantial as well. At 45 the Subaru was as noisy as the Focus is at 70. The wind noise is the same as the road. I dont know if that is just attributed to the added size of the Impreza but when i headed home in my Focus it seemed so much quieter.

The material on the inside of the car was pretty interesting. The roof liner and the visor defiantly felt like what the focus should have used. Much softer and just felt higher quality. The seats felt squishier, not sure if that would be good or bad in the long run, but at the time felt a little more comfortable. However all of the other dash and door materials felt hard and looks pretty cheap compared to the Focus. There also wasent near as much tech in the car as the Focus.

Overall the Impreza is a pretty nice car if someone is looking for a basic, good gas milage 4wd vehicle. But as far as what car i think is a better value, the quality of components and the feel of the car is far better in the Focus than the Impreza. If I had a family i might go with the Impreza but for now I will stick with my Focus.

I came very close to buying a Subaru Impreza hatchback, but only because of the AWD. The technological, handling and quality characteristics went to the Focus.

I think I would have regretted purchasing the Impreza. I think I'll switch my tires to Continental ExtremeContact DWS for the winter so that I don't regret my purchase at that time... :-)

[BrApple]

well I'll be able to give everyone a long term feedback between the two vehicles. We just got my wife a 2012 Impreza 2.0i Premium.

The big difference that I have noticed is the technology, its highly lacking in the Impreza. The bluetooth/phone interface sucks. however the drive is easier to hear then my father-in-law in his 2010 outback.

So the big difference in the price is the awd system of course. A SEL 302a Focus is the same is the Premium Impreza. I do have to agree that the seats are much nicer in the sport. However to get a Sport Limited one could get a Titanium Focus.

As of this time we are both getting ~33 mpg in our cars. So its very impressive that an awd hatch can get milage that good. Overall the interior space is alittle larger then the Focus also.

The CVT is very different but it isn't bad at all. The weight and power is pretty much on par with the Focus. I would say the Impreza has more then enough power, and accelerates very well. The big difference to me is that the Subaru feels neutral, I am assuming because of the awd. The Focus is just more fun to drive, to me.

So when we where looking it was betwen the Focus and the Impreza ... personally you can't go wrong with either one.


So like I said we got a 2.0i Premium with the all weather/moonroof/wheel package. The car also came with fog lamps, the tweeter kit and a few other things like cargo tray and locking lug nuts. The 17" wheels on the car are nice.