2010 Subaru Impreza

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Interior - What the Auto Press Says

The 2010 Subaru Impreza has an interior that is generally well received by the automotive press. They love its easy-to-read gauges, simple layout and reasonably comfortable rear seat. Still, for the Impreza’s high price, reviewers expect more standard features and more comfortable rear seats.

• "Inside, the Impreza is nicely appointed, with a look and feel that would be appropriate for a car costing thousands more. The gauges are easy to read, and there is plenty of storage space for small items." -- New Car Test Drive
• "The interior design is pleasant enough and materials quality is about what you'd expect for the compact class" -- Edmunds
• "The interior has a businesslike austerity to it." -- Cars.com
• "I love the easy-to-read gauges and simple layout. Take the climate controls -- most automatic systems are controlled by a forest of indistinguishable buttons, but the Impreza uses three simple dials with "auto" detents for fan and airflow." -- About.com

Front Seats

Reviewers agree that while there is plenty of head and legroom in the Impreza’s front seats, the lack of a tilt and telescoping steering wheel on most models makes finding an ideal driving position difficult. Also, the seats themselves seem a bit stiff. If you want the ultimate in driver’s seat comfort, check out the Volkswagen Jetta. It’s in the same general price range as the Impreza and boasts one of the cushiest interiors in the class while also offering one of the smoothest rides.

• "The front seat has enough head room and leg room for tall drivers, and visibility is good to all corners." -- New Car Test Drive
• "Six-footers have good headroom and legroom." -- Consumer Guide
• "Seat comfort in the 2.5i models is only so-so, and the driving position suffers from the lack of a telescoping steering wheel (it only comes on the 2.5GT trim level and higher). The seats are also much better on the performance-oriented models." -- Edmunds
• "The seats, too, feel a bit low-rent on the keister. We'd have liked a few cents more padding and bolstering, especially since the starting price for the Impreza 2.5GT is just shy of $27,000." -- Autoblog

Rear Seats

Those in the rear seat of the 2010 Subaru Impreza should have more than enough room, although reviewers say the seats themselves are a bit stiff. If genuine rear comfort is important to you, be sure to take the Hyundai Elantra for a test drive. Not only does it cost over $3,000 less than the Impreza, but it comes with one of the most spacious and comfortable cabins in its class.

• "Overall room is decent for the class. Six-footers will fit in back, but they'll have barely adequate legroom and knee space. Foot space is good, though. Entry and exit are fine for a compact car." -- Consumer Guide
• "The back seat is quite impressive. It has good leg room with all but the tallest occupants up front and toe space under the seats is good if those front seats need to be set farther back. Rear head room is excellent. The only minor complaint is the fact that the seat bottoms are fairly flat, meaning long trip comfort may suffer." -- New Car Test Drive

Interior Features

For the Impreza’s price, its standard features list is a bit short. It does offer amenities like air conditioning, an audio system with MP3/WMA capability, power windows and mirrors and a tilt steering column as standard, but there are much less expensive cars that offer these and more. Furthermore, while the controls in the base model are simple to read and use, adding navigation absorbs the stereo controls, which complicates things. Some reviewers also complain about the stereo’s sound quality regardless of the trim.

Reviewers say that the navigation system itself is relatively easy to use -- especially when it’s compared to the navigation systems of other cars. It is only available as part of the Power Moonroof and Navigation Package, however, which will cost you $3,000, so it may make more sense to buy a portable model. Moreover, even though that package also comes with Sirius Satellite Radio and Bluetooth, it’s only available on the 2.5i Premium -- which means you’ll already be shelling out an extra $1,000 over the base model before you can even consider buying the package.

The Suzuki SX4 Crossover model costs over $1,500,  less than the Impreza, also offers All Wheel Drive and comes with a similar lineup of interior features. If you upgrade to the SX4 Crossover Technology model (about $17,700) you’ll get a built-in pop-up navigation system standard for only $200 more than you would pay for a base Impreza.

• "The climate controls are within easy reach and are clearly marked. The audio system is mounted high on the center of the dashboard, and it puts some controls just out of easy reach. The available navigation system absorbs most audio functions. This slightly complicates their use, but redundant steering-wheel controls help. The navigation system itself is easy to negotiate." -- Consumer Guide
• "Opting for the navigation system increases the complexity of the stereo, as its menus and graphics aren't the cleanest around. Sound quality, regardless of stereo, is notably poor." -- Edmunds
• "With the optional navigation system, the radio controls are integrated along the sides of the nav screen. This makes some of the controls small and a bit hard to find, but it shouldn't be a problem after a few weeks. We found the screen hard to read with polarized sunglasses on and hard to read during the day with the headlights on." -- New Car Test Drive
• "While there's little to want for equipment-wise, the interior materials could be better. The dashboard has a delightful silver swoop reminiscent of the stylish Tribeca's interior, and the innards present well if you ignore the door panels. Scuff-prone and shiny, they feel cheap, which is unbecoming for a vehicle that's otherwise well turned out and comprehensively equipped." -- Autoblog

Cargo

The Impreza’s cargo space varies depending on whether you buy a sedan or hatchback model. The sedan offers only 11.3 cubic feet of cargo space, which isn’t bad for the class but isn’t particularly impressive either. On the other hand, the hatchback models have a split folding rear seatback that offers an impressive 19 cubic feet of space with all seats in use and 44.4 cubic feet with the rear seat folded -- which is a lot  for a small car. 

• "The Impreza sedan has a decent trunk, but buyers looking for more utility will want to choose the hatchback. The hatchback's rear seats are split 60/40 and fold flat to open up a useful cargo area with a flat load floor." -- New Car Test Drive
• "Hatchbacks are versatile little haulers with good space behind the rear seats. The rear seatbacks don't fold flat with the cargo floor, and the headrests may have to be removed if the front seats are set far back. Interior storage is poor with a small center console and just average glovebox and door map pockets." -- Consumer Guide
• "The trunk, with its inclined floor, leaves something to be desired." -- About.com