opinions on Impreza 2.0R non-turbo

[bumblebee]

Hi,
They just started to sell Impreza 2.0R AWD in Turkey for a competitive price and I am thinking about
getting one. I am thinking about non turbo model (2 liter, 160 hp) with automatic transmission.
Got couple of questions. 1-Subaru is not well known in Turkey as much as Toyota or Honda and the
nearest service (dealer) is 150 miles away. Is this car as reliable as Toyotas or Hondas? I do not
want to make a 300 miles round trip for frequent problems to the service station.
2- Is this car good in snow or ice? Being an AWD it is supposed to be good but does not hurt to ask.
3- I have not gone to the dealer to see and drive one. Is this car comfortable to drive for a 6 feet
tall (1.82 cm) person during long trips? What about the trunk space? Is it adequate for a family (2
adults 2 small kids)? This one gonna be main family car replacing our Focus wagon.
4- Also, I gather from Subaru's web page that its fuel economy is slightly worse than my Focus 1.6
liter which is acceptable for me. What is the real world fuel economy of this car? I am a
light-footed man and don't drive aggressively.

To sum it up, we want a reliable family sedan and we don't want to deal with a car that is a money
pit. I do not know much about Subaru's boxer motor and AWD and these are what may prevent me from
buying one. However, 2 liter engine and AWD are very tempting for a good price..

Thanks in advance for your opinion.

Ahmet

Turkey

 

[Mark T.B. Carroll]

They just started to sell Impreza 2.0R AWD in Turkey for a competitive
price and I am thinking about getting one. I am thinking about non
turbo model (2 liter, 160 hp) with automatic transmission. Got couple
of questions. 1-Subaru is not well known in Turkey as much as Toyota
or Honda and the nearest service (dealer) is 150 miles away. Is this
car as reliable as Toyotas or Hondas? I do not want to make a 300
miles round trip for frequent problems to the service station.

I don't know how they stack up against Toyota or Honda as I think all
three are pretty reliable. You should find your Subaru pretty reliable
if you adhere to the service schedule.

2- Is this car good in snow or ice? Being an AWD it is supposed to be
good but does not hurt to ask.

Yes, the AWD is pretty good. Just make sure you have decent tires too,
if snow and ice is a big issue.

3- I have not gone to the dealer to see and drive one. Is this car
comfortable to drive for a 6 feet tall (1.82 cm) person during long
trips? What about the trunk space? Is it adequate for a family (2
adults 2 small kids)? This one gonna be main family car replacing our
Focus wagon.

I would guess it'd be comfortable, yes, but you should certainly test
that. The seats in particular are pretty nice, I think. Trunk space, it
depends - should be fine for normal trips but if you're getting the
sedan instead of the wagon, and you're putting in your trunk emergency
equipment, regular luggage, and hordes of large gifts for the family
you're visiting or whatever, then space might start getting tight. It's
a fair-sized trunk that'll normally do for a family of four, but if it's
anything like our family of four who sometimes lug around far too much
stuff then for some trips space might sometimes be tight.

4- Also, I gather from Subaru's web page that its fuel economy is
slightly worse than my Focus 1.6 liter which is acceptable for me.
What is the real world fuel economy of this car? I am a light-footed
man and don't drive aggressively.

Ah, that I haven't tested too carefully, and I have a manual
transmission turbo model so it'd be like apples and oranges. But, if
you're light-footed, I'd probably believe the fuel economy figures: I
drive mine quite aggressively and it doesn't do horrifyingly badly.

To sum it up, we want a reliable family sedan and we don't want to
deal with a car that is a money pit. I do not know much about Subaru's
boxer motor and AWD and these are what may prevent me from buying one.
However, 2 liter engine and AWD are very tempting for a good price..

The boxer motor and AWD are good. The Impreza's a solid car. Go look at
the trunk and see if you think it'll be big enough - probably it should
be, but your family might be as daft as ours, so if you routinely carry
around as much crap as I do (shovel, fire extinguisher, battery charger,
blanket, boots, spare oil, etc., etc.) as well the family's stuff then
consider the wagon if not - although my sedan's trunk will fit family
vacation stuff like large foldable shade canopies so you're probably
okay. (You could probably look up the cubic feet online for your current
car and the Impreza sedan to see the difference in storage space.)

-- Mark

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

Hi,
They just started to sell Impreza 2.0R AWD in Turkey for a competitive price and I am thinking about
getting one. I am thinking about non turbo model (2 liter, 160 hp) with automatic transmission.
Got couple of questions. 1-Subaru is not well known in Turkey as much as Toyota or Honda and the
nearest service (dealer) is 150 miles away. Is this car as reliable as Toyotas or Hondas? I do not
want to make a 300 miles round trip for frequent problems to the service station.
2- Is this car good in snow or ice? Being an AWD it is supposed to be good but does not hurt to ask.
3- I have not gone to the dealer to see and drive one. Is this car comfortable to drive for a 6 feet
tall (1.82 cm) person during long trips? What about the trunk space? Is it adequate for a family (2
adults 2 small kids)? This one gonna be main family car replacing our Focus wagon.
4- Also, I gather from Subaru's web page that its fuel economy is slightly worse than my Focus 1.6
liter which is acceptable for me. What is the real world fuel economy of this car? I am a
light-footed man and don't drive aggressively.

To sum it up, we want a reliable family sedan and we don't want to deal with a car that is a money
pit. I do not know much about Subaru's boxer motor and AWD and these are what may prevent me from
buying one. However, 2 liter engine and AWD are very tempting for a good price..

Thanks in advance for your opinion.

Ahmet

Turkey

I am a newcomer to subarus but am a 'fan' now('03 OBW and '06 WRX).
However, I think you should be wary. Even if, during its first 8
years/100,000 miles of life it is as reliable as a Honda - at some point
it will need service. And if Subaru is new to your country, there likely
will not be a lot of independent mechanics familiar with them. The AWD
is world class. The MT has a better reputation than the automatic - but
it is fine as well if tires and service are meticulously mainataned.
When you visit the dealership, take a look at the mainatnece schedule
too. If you or a local mechanic cannot perform it, you will be driving
back to the dealership. Personally, I would probably stick with Honda
unless I had a very frequent need for the AWD. As for storage, a roof
rack could be used under extreme circumstances on any car.

Carl
1 Lucky Texan

 

[GrannieAnnie]

Hi,
They just started to sell Impreza 2.0R AWD in Turkey for a competitive
price and I am thinking about
getting one. I am thinking about non turbo model (2 liter, 160 hp) with
automatic transmission.
Got couple of questions. 1-Subaru is not well known in Turkey as much as
Toyota or Honda and the
nearest service (dealer) is 150 miles away. Is this car as reliable as
Toyotas or Hondas? I do not
want to make a 300 miles round trip for frequent problems to the service
station.
2- Is this car good in snow or ice? Being an AWD it is supposed to be good
but does not hurt to ask.
3- I have not gone to the dealer to see and drive one. Is this car
comfortable to drive for a 6 feet
tall (1.82 cm) person during long trips? What about the trunk space? Is it
adequate for a family (2
adults 2 small kids)? This one gonna be main family car replacing our
Focus wagon.
4- Also, I gather from Subaru's web page that its fuel economy is slightly
worse than my Focus 1.6
liter which is acceptable for me. What is the real world fuel economy of
this car? I am a
light-footed man and don't drive aggressively.

To sum it up, we want a reliable family sedan and we don't want to deal
with a car that is a money
pit. I do not know much about Subaru's boxer motor and AWD and these are
what may prevent me from
buying one. However, 2 liter engine and AWD are very tempting for a good
price..

Thanks in advance for your opinion.

Ahmet

Turkey

I'm well pleased with my manual transmission Impreza Wagon. It is very
comfortable... but I'm not as tall as you, nor is my husband. The seats
wrap around you, they are great.
It drives well in the snow. I have fitted mud and snow tyres this year and
it got us out of difficulties this winter.
It can do 300 on a full tank of unleaded.
Oh and it pulls our heavy caravan easily with all our camping stuff in the
back of the car.
Hope this helps.
Annie

 

[Neville MADDEN]

Hi,I have the 2.0litre Impreszza GX Auto 2005 model(non turbo) which is
probably the same as you are offered (the 2006 just has a bit fancier
body). I can carry three teenagers (small) and their junk plus my wife in
our hatchback without problems. I get 10 km a litre on a long country
trip.

No snow here in this part of Australia so I can't comment on the snow
handling but in the wet it is good.

Neville
Brisbane
Australia

 

[RR]

You should be able to get service at a local mechanic - lots of the
components are not unique to Subaru - the transmissions are the same in some
Nissans and Mazdas. The engine is unique, but not the spark plugs and seals.
Nor are headlamps, brake pads, rotors unique. Subarus have been the largest
selling Japanese car in Israel for years because Honda and Toyota
participated in the Arab boycott and Sube didn't, so there are lots of
mechanics in your part of the world - and used Subes with small engines.

 

[bumblebee]

Hello,
Thank you all..I think we will go check out the car next Saturday. I hope we like it too.. We may
even look at the wagon version if the sedan's trunk does not seem large enough.
Thanks again.

Ahmet