2016 Subaru Impreza Overview, Reviews, Ratings & Specs

Devin on December 15, 2024

I love my car. 5 speed with 20k miles. Ive put on another 100k. I have taken this little AWD car places most people dont drive their 4x4’s. But I am meticulous about maintenance. I’ve never had a single issue with anything other than a thermostat replacement and A/C recharge. With the manual I don’t have to worry about a crap cvt. The first clutch lasted 118,000 miles. The only issue was the trust bearing, the clutch was still good. You cant beat a manual AWD that gets 30+ mpg IMO. Take care of the car and it will take care of you.

Jr on October 21, 2022

I can highly recommend this car. I bought it because I felt AWD was essential for me in the winters, but mostly because I wanted a wagon or hatchback with a manual transmission and AWD. Turns out the options are limited but I found a decent used 2016 Sport Limited at the second dealership I stopped at, and took it for a test drive on the spot. I have been more than satisfied. In my opinion the handling is amazing, it handles like a go cart in corners, i can throw it into corners at much higher speeds than I ever expected. It never hiccups. I have barely ever been able to even get the thing to the edge of the traction, when it does start to break loose it is very neutral, with a slight tendency to oversteer, never a hint of losing control. I have never had the brakes overheat or fade, even on 20 miles blasts down winding country roads at 70-90mph. It really amazes me. I never guessed the steering was electric either. The shift is nice and feels solid, but easy to use, I have never missed a gear yet. I r the sound of the boxer engine to, nice and throaty. Lots of room inside, seats are comfy and you can adjust drivers ride height. It has a timing chain instead of a belt, so no worries about that. The only complaints I have are that it lacks power and it needs a 6th gear. You can reach high enough speeds, and maintain them, but if you let it slow down, it really lacks the power to get it back up again. It is fine at low speeds, quite peppy, but for passing on highways it can be very difficult to find safe spaces to pass, and you have to downshift on hills. It also is geared quite low, so at 80mph the tach is sitting above 3,000rpm, which made me uncomfortable until I got used to it, and doesn't help fuel economy at all. It also struggles to get over about 110mph, although as always, it tracks straight and smooth and feels perfectly safe and comfortable at triple digits, even in the hill country (around here even the interstate is not straight). Except the engine up to about 4500 or 5000 rpm at those speeds. At a mere 80 it just eats it up without a murmur. The road noise is also quite loud and it seems harsh on bumps compared to some cars, though that seems to be mostly c in the 17inch wheels and relatively low profile tires. The speakers are only decent. The only other thing that comes to mind is the engine temp light that comes on to warn you that the engine is not up to operating temp yet(I guess they understand that most Subarus are bought for winter drivers). It is a bright blue light the exact same color as a high beam indicator light, which is very distracting when you start out driving at night, because you constantly think your high beams are on. I am very tempted to mask it off entirely. Oh and it has hill start assist which is nice and works pretty well, but you can disable it with only minor annoyance (if you don't mind an orange warning light being on permanently). I shut mine off because I was more used to not having one, and the first couple times I stopped at a light and took my foot off the brake thinking I was on level ground, only to have the car start rolling slowly after the hill stop disengaged after 2 seconds turned me off on it. I would rather know instantly if my car is going to roll, before I get distracted changing the song.

Tracy k on June 6, 2021

great car especially in the winter . All wheel drive is a must here in Buffalo. This car is the best overall. Would hughly recommend

MrJRN91 on February 2, 2021

After SURVIVING a few Midwest winters in my '05 Crossfire, I decided it was time to get serious and look for a practical option. I knew right away that I wanted a Subie after researching various AWD systems(and idolizing Colin McRae). I'll be honest, my first choice would have been a fourth or fifth generation Legacy but I couldn't find one anywhere. After playing around with Subaru's "build your own" car link on their website, I found the Impreza Sport wagon package which had pretty much everything I wanted. Let me tell you, after 4 years with this thing, and multiple road trips to various parts of the US and Canada, I know I made the right decision. Besides regular maintenance, I haven't had to do anything and have had no issues! Subaru also made this car super easy for the DIY'er to work on. With a Fumoto drain plug installed, oil changes take me about 10 minutes or less because the oil filter is right on top of the block. How about that? Everything else you need to access for maintenance is easy. No need to be a contortionist. Besides this, I have to admit I have added quite a few modifications with more to come like a full XV suspension conversion for increased ride height. I have also done what I can to squeeze more power out of the little 2.0 NA FB20 boxer. Fuel economy is great especially with the CVT, but you definitely can't play Speed Racer on the highway. As for interior, it's your typical black and plastic but that's whatever to me. The "touch sensitive" head unit...isn't, and the Pandora app is cool...when you can get it to work. With that said, fold down the rear seats and the amount cargo space you get with the wagon make going to the drive in or car camping a breeze! I am also pretty fond of the heated cloth seats which I found purely by accident one day after my salesman neglected to point them out initially. Overall, not much more to say about the Impreza. It's a reliable ride. Trust that you can get into this car in the middle of a blizzard, and you'll be able to safely get to where you want to go. What else can you ask for?

Suburbs of NYC on April 26, 2020

One of the most reliable cars I've ever owned. It also has bluetooth and back-up camera which was a surprise given the cost was so low.

aj5150143 on March 10, 2020

One of the best cars I've owned. Had a 2013 for years, drive it across country, and back a few times. Only maintenance, never anything major, and handled amazing in the snow. It saved my life in a bad front end collision. So, I knew I had to buy it again. The '16 model has been designed with a little more room and performance. A great vehicle all the way around and most of all safe for you or your family.

Dolores on December 10, 2019

I drove a Legacy Outback for 18 years. Why would I buy anything else? This is somewhat of a down size to an Impreza wagon but it is amazing how many things are the same. I love my car.

Regretfulsubie on November 29, 2019

It has a ton of interior space for such a compact car. Decent gas mileage. Awesome in the snow. My 2016s transmission began having problems in 2018. Got stuck in reverse around 40k miles. Repeatedly popped out of 3rd while driving. Not my first manual so it's not my driving. The infotainment is terrible too

Green Dragon on November 21, 2019

I traded a 19 year old outback for an 2016 Impreza wagon. At 70 I'm sure this will be the last car I will drive.

ScoobyDu2 on September 21, 2019

The only reason I did not give the 2016 Impreza hatchback a 5-star rating is due to lack of power under the hood. It could be a bit faster. As far as hugging the road, no complaints. It handles well. Has adequate room inside for 4, possibly 5, and a surprisingly roomy trunk. High safety ratings. Like the interior layout, especially having so many controls on steering wheel. Body style is a mix of conservative/sporty. Wish there had been more color choices. Black complements body well. Love the great gas mileage and dependability of a Subaru.