2021 Subaru Impreza

Naturally aspirated 2.0L flat-four is the sole engine across the 2021 Impreza lineup (Base, Premium, Sport, Limited) in both sedan and 5-Door body styles; no turbo or hybrid option this year — 2021 is a minor-update carryover of the 2017-generation platform ahead of the 2022 redesign.

Same 2.0L FB20 engine and torque figure across every 2021 Impreza trim and both body styles.

Modest output and a CVT tuned for economy over speed put the Impreza near the bottom of the segment's acceleration range.

The FB20 boxer is smooth at low load but becomes coarse and vocal under hard acceleration, and the CVT lets revs flare during highway passing; adequate but unremarkable delivery for daily driving. 2021 adds an SI-DRIVE mode selector on Premium trim, giving slightly more control over throttle mapping without changing the underlying character.

Subaru's Lineartronic CVT uses stepped 'shift' logic to mimic a conventional automatic and avoids the worst of classic CVT drone, but still hunts and holds high revs under sustained acceleration; the optional 5-speed manual on base and Sport trims is precise but slow-shifting by segment standards.

Subaru's Symmetrical AWD is standard on every 2021 Impreza trim and both body styles and both transmissions — a segment differentiator versus FWD-only rivals like the Corolla and Civic hatchbacks — but it is a basic full-time system with no low-range, torque-vectoring, or terrain-mode hardware.

A single naturally aspirated 2.0L engine across the entire 2021 Impreza range, with only a manual-vs-CVT choice on lower trims — no turbo, hybrid, or PHEV variant (those live on other Subaru nameplates).

EPA combined rating for the volume 5-Door CVT trim; all trims run the same 2.0L engine with standard AWD, so the spread across trims/body styles is narrow.

EPA city figure for the volume 5-Door CVT trim.

EPA highway figure for the volume 5-Door CVT trim.

Standard-issue compact fuel tank limits range despite decent MPG; every AWD Impreza trim shares the same 13.2-gallon tank.

EPA's standard annual cost estimate for the volume 5-Door CVT trim at 31 MPG combined on regular gas.

The Impreza's 2.0L engine runs on regular unleaded across every trim, with no premium recommendation despite standard AWD.

NHTSA rates the 2021 Impreza 5-door (SW/wagon body) 5 stars overall with 5 stars in every sub-rating — driver and passenger frontal, side barrier and side pole, and rollover — and the car did not tip in the dynamic rollover test.

The 2021 Impreza 5-door carries a genuine IIHS Top Safety Pick award — one of nine Subaru earned for the 2021 lineup — good for real credit, but the underlying test picture is mixed: small overlap front (both sides), moderate overlap front, roof strength and head restraints are all Good, while the updated side-impact test (already run against this generation's structure) comes back Poor, with the note that the dummy's head moved down past the side curtain airbag and contacted the window sill. The award applied because 2021's TSP bar didn't yet gate on the updated side test the way later years did — by 2023 that same Poor result cost the Impreza its award entirely, so this is a car whose paper credential outruns its worst crash result.

Every CVT Impreza — the volume car, from the $20,595 Base 5-door CVT up — carries EyeSight as standard: pre-collision braking and throttle management, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and lane departure/sway warning. Two things hold it to the middle band: the 5-speed manual Base and Sport 5-door ship with no EyeSight at all (NHTSA lists forward collision warning as Optional on the line), and blind-spot detection with rear cross-traffic alert is a $1,970 package on Premium ($2,470 on Sport) rather than standard equipment below Limited.

EyeSight's stereo-camera braking earns Superior in both IIHS front crash prevention evaluations that were run — vehicle-to-vehicle and daytime vehicle-to-pedestrian — avoiding the collision outright with a crossing child at 12 mph and reducing impact speed by 24 mph against a crossing adult at 25 mph, plus large speed reductions against a parallel adult. It stops short of the top band because IIHS published no nighttime pedestrian result for this car and the system is optional rather than standard on the manual-transmission cars.

Blind-Spot Detection with Lane Change Assist and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert reaches three of the four trims but is standard only on the top Limited — on Premium and Sport it comes bundled into a ~$2,000 package, and the Base cannot be ordered with it at all. Everything on offer is alert-only: no blind-spot steering or braking intervention, no 360-degree camera, and the one active rear system, Reverse Automatic Braking, is Limited-exclusive.

Lane departure and sway warning with lane keep assist are standard on every CVT Impreza, so the coverage is there. The capability is not: this generation's EyeSight is a nudge-style keeping system that intervenes when the car drifts toward a marking, not the continuous lane centering the 2024 redesign later introduced, so it corrects a departure rather than tracking the lane.

EyeSight's adaptive cruise is standard on every CVT trim including the cheapest, has a long-standing reputation for smooth, unfussy gap-keeping, and is a lot of content for a $20,595 hatchback. It is not a highway assist, though: without lane centering on this generation the cruise handles only the pedals, so the driver steers throughout, and the manual-transmission cars have no adaptive cruise at all.

No hands-free highway mode is offered on any 2021 Impreza trim. EyeSight is a hands-on system, and the Impreza does not carry Subaru's DriverFocus driver-monitoring camera — the hardware any hands-off mode would require — which for 2021 was reserved for the Forester, Outback, Legacy and Ascent.

Good headlights exist on this car but only on the $26,395 Limited, whose steering-responsive LED projectors with high beam assist rate Good. Base, Premium and Sport — the volume of the range — use halogen reflectors that IIHS rates Marginal, with inadequate visibility on curves. Marginal units on most trims is squarely the bottom band, and it is the specific reason the award required 'specific headlights' rather than being unconditional.

Sightlines are a real strength of this generation: the boxer engine's low cowl, a tall upright greenhouse, slim pillars and large door glass give an unusually clear forward and three-quarter view for a compact hatchback, and the hatch's own rear window is deep. Electronic compensation is thin, though — a rear-vision camera is standard and that is all, with no surround-view camera offered on any trim and blind-spot detection a paid extra below Limited.

IIHS rates the Impreza's child-seat hardware Good with extra positions — two rear outboard seats with complete LATCH sets plus a centre position that has its own tether anchor and can borrow lower anchors from either side — which is better provision than most compact hatchbacks offer. The ceiling is the car's size: three seats across is a squeeze, and borrowing the inboard anchors for the centre takes the outboard positions out of play.

Standard 5-passenger seating across all 2021 Impreza 5-door trims (Base, Premium, Sport, Limited).

Class-competitive front headroom, reduced slightly on moonroof-equipped trims.

Roomy front seating position typical of the Impreza's global platform.

Mid-pack rear headroom for a compact hatchback.

Rear legroom trails larger compact-hatch rivals like the Civic Hatchback; adults fit but knee room is tight behind taller front occupants.

Solid cargo volume for a compact hatchback, expanding to over 55 cu ft with the 60/40-split rear seats folded.

Conventional but competitive storage: door pockets, center console bin, and a low, flat load floor with the seats folded via a molded ramp; nothing standout versus segment rivals.

Seats are supportive enough for long stints (owner report of an 800-mile day without undue discomfort) but reviewers describe them as merely adequate rather than segment-leading; heated seats only from Premium up.

Widely praised as a standout for the class — Car and Driver called it a "near-perfect balance between ride and handling," absorbing broken pavement well without excess float.

Average for the segment; the naturally aspirated flat-four and CVT drone under hard acceleration and road/wind noise is noticeable at highway speed on the base sound insulation.

Heated front seats arrive at Premium trim and up; no rear climate vents, no ventilated seats or heated wheel at any trim, and remote pre-conditioning is app-based (subscription) rather than built-in.

Base 5-door Impreza with 5-speed manual is the entry configuration; CVT base adds $1,300.

Premium is the best-selling Impreza trim, adding alloy wheels, heated seats, and (new for 2021) SI-DRIVE over Base.

RepairPal puts Impreza annual repair+maintenance slightly above the compact-class average ($653 vs $526), infrequent but somewhat costlier shop visits; CarEdge's lower 5-yr estimate ($1,998) suggests real-world spread.

Impreza depreciation runs well below the compact-car average, and KBB named it the segment's Best Resale Value winner for 2021.

Industry-standard 3/36 basic coverage, at the floor of the mainstream segment band.

Industry-standard 5/60 powertrain coverage, at the floor of the mainstream segment band — no extended-coverage advantage like Hyundai/Kia's 10-year terms.

No complimentary scheduled maintenance plan (unlike Toyota's 2-yr ToyotaCare or Hyundai's included service) — Subaru bundles only roadside assistance into the basic warranty term and a time-limited STARLINK connected-services trial.

$23,620 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (66% retained, or about $15,589) leaves about $8,031 in depreciation. Add the projected $3,265 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $11,296 in total.

Predicted reliability sits squarely in the average band from both major forecasters for MY2021 — not a standout, not a red flag.

Subaru's multi-year dependability standing was mid-to-below-average industry-wide around this period, despite the brand's outdoorsy reputation.

Two NHTSA recalls hit MY2021 Impreza specifically, one of them a rare 'Do Not Drive' notice for a front lower control arm weld defect that could cause loss of control — a severity outlier even though the affected population (802 units) was small; the second was a CVT shifter-cable nut recall shared with the Outback.

The naturally aspirated 2.0L FB20 four-cylinder is a proven, low-drama engine family with a long high-mileage track record; the Lineartronic CVT paired with it is a later-generation unit that has shed the shudder/hesitation problems that plagued Subaru's 2012-2017 CVTs, though CVT-specific caution remains part of the brand's reputation.

A handsome, well-built cabin with soft-touch surfaces on major touchpoints and cushy armrests, offset by scattered hard plastics lower in the cabin — competitive for the price but not class-leading against rivals reviewers cite as more refined.

Reviewers specifically called out tighter, quieter assembly than the pre-refresh model with impressive panel/trim fit and good cabin insulation — a genuine strength independent of the material-cost tier.

Subaru's dealer network is a consistent standout on service satisfaction studies, with a dense nationwide presence and Subaru of America repeatedly topping J.D. Power's Customer Service Index among mass-market brands in the years surrounding 2021.

Parts and service are widely available through Subaru's large dealer footprint and a normal aftermarket, but annual ownership repair costs run somewhat above the compact-class average and the share of severe/major repairs is notably higher than segment norms.

Base/Premium volume trims carry a 6.5-inch STARLINK touchscreen; the larger 8.0-inch STARLINK Multimedia Plus display is reserved for Sport and Limited.

Subaru's STARLINK software is simple and logically laid out but reviewers consistently flag sluggish response and a dated-feeling interface compared with segment leaders.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard across the lineup but wired-only for the 2021 model year — wireless projection was not offered on any Impreza trim until a later model year.

Built-in voice control and the optional TomTom-based native navigation (Premium and up) are functional but clunky; most owners default to CarPlay/Android Auto navigation instead.

Base 4-6 speaker audio is adequate but unremarkable; the optional 8-speaker, 432-watt Harman Kardon system on Sport/Limited is a genuine step up but not available on the volume trim.

Analog speedometer and tachometer with a small monochrome/color multi-function trip computer readout between them — no configurable full-digital cluster is offered at any 2021 Impreza trim.

2021-era STARLINK has no whole-vehicle or infotainment software OTA update capability; map and firmware updates, where available, require a dealer visit or USB update.

The MySubaru app offers remote start, lock/unlock, vehicle locate and climate preconditioning on equipped trims, but full remote-start functionality needs the optional STARLINK Safety Plus/Security package and a paid subscription after the trial.

Impreza offers a modest port count for the era — one or two USB-A ports up front and none in back on lower trims, no USB-C and no wireless charging pad offered at any 2021 trim.

Keyless proximity entry with push-button start is reserved for Sport and Limited; the higher-volume Base/Premium trims use a traditional key/fob with manual door locks.

A standard rear-view camera covers the basics, but there is no surround/360-degree camera at any trim and front/rear parking sensors are limited to the top Limited trim.

No head-up display is offered on any 2021 Impreza trim.

Wide-opening rear doors and standard LATCH anchors make car-seat installation manageable, but rear legroom (36.5 in) and the hatchback's modest rear-door aperture make loading bulkier gear a bit tighter than in a compact SUV or larger hatch.

EyeSight driver-assist (adaptive cruise, forward collision warning, AEB, lane keep) is standard on every CVT-equipped trim (i.e., all but the manual base car), and the Impreza earned IIHS Top Safety Pick for 2021 when equipped with EyeSight and specific headlights — strong credentials at a mainstream price.

Adequate but not spacious for a family of four-plus on longer trips — rear seat room and amenities (no rear vents, no rear USB on lower trims) trail larger compact hatchbacks, though the 55.3 cu ft of folded cargo room helps with gear.

Light, direct steering, a smooth-shifting CVT, standard AWD sure-footedness and good outward visibility make the Impreza an easy, low-fatigue daily driver in traffic.

28/36/32 mpg city/highway/combined with standard AWD is good for the class-with-AWD but trails front-drive-only compact commuters (Corolla, Civic) that post several mpg better; regular unleaded and typical Subaru maintenance costs keep per-mile costs moderate.

Compact footprint (182.7 in length) and a tight 35.4-ft turning circle make the 5-door Impreza easy to place and park in the city; standard rearview camera helps, though there's no 360-degree view.

Not engineered for work duty: a modest 2,000-lb max towing rating (trailer-only, not a payload-rated tow package) and a compact hatchback cargo area with no bed or heavy-duty provisions leave little capacity to spare.

Subaru's general reliability reputation is solid, but the Impreza is a passenger-oriented compact with no fleet/commercial use history or hardened trim options, so it is unproven for hard work-duty abuse.

No onboard power outlets beyond standard 12V/USB, no bed or tie-down provisions, and no upfit/accessory ecosystem aimed at work use — a passenger hatchback with essentially no jobsite features.

32 mpg combined gives a reasonable highway range on a roughly 13.2-gallon tank, and standard EyeSight adaptive cruise on CVT trims eases highway fatigue, but road/engine noise and seat support are only average for long stints.

Standard symmetrical AWD is a genuine asset on gravel, dirt and light snow, though 5.1 in of ground clearance is modest versus crossovers and roof rails (for a rack) are only fitted to Premium and up.

60/40-split folding rear seats open up 55.3 cu ft with a load-floor ramp for bulky items, and available roof rails extend capacity for bikes or roof boxes — solid gear-hauling flexibility for a compact hatch.

A well-tuned suspension and sharp steering give the Impreza composed, agile handling with no torque steer thanks to symmetrical AWD — reviewers rank it near the top of the mainstream compact class for chassis balance.

Steering is accurately weighted and responsive at the helm, but multiple reviewers note it delivers little genuine road feedback — precise more than communicative.

A firm brake pedal and short stopping distances stand out for the class — Consumer Reports measured a 124-ft 60-0 mph stop, which Car and Driver called exemplary among compacts.

The 152-hp 2.0L flat-four is smooth-revving but modest on power, and pairing with a CVT means a ~9-second 0-60 with the familiar rubber-band throttle response under hard acceleration typical of the segment.

The boxer four is inherently smooth at idle and cruise but drones audibly under acceleration as the CVT holds higher revs — an average, unremarkable NVH characteristic for the class rather than a strength.

A tight turning circle for the compact hatchback segment aids low-speed maneuverability.

Good outward visibility, a logically laid-out dash, and a driver's seat that adjusts well for a range of body sizes make the Impreza easy to settle into, though the base seat lacks power adjustment.

Modest power keeps outright excitement in check, but the chassis balance, grippy AWD and eager turn-in give the Impreza a genuinely pleasant, confidence-inspiring character that punches above its horsepower figure.

Base 2021 Impreza adds standard EyeSight driver-assist on CVT models and standard AWD (a rivals-can't-match at this price point), but interior materials and infotainment are basic versus segment leaders.

Standard all-wheel drive at every trim is the Impreza's clearest value differentiator versus front-drive-only Civic/Corolla/Elantra rivals, offsetting a plain interior and modest power.

Four trims (Base, Premium, Sport, Limited) across sedan and 5-door body styles, with manual or CVT on Base/Sport — a reasonable spread from budget to loaded but no true performance or eco variant within the Impreza name itself.

Impreza US sales fell to 34,791 units in 2021 (down 20.3% YoY), a small fraction of segment leaders Civic and Corolla (each 200k+ in normal years) and a continuation of a decline running since 2018.

Subaru carries a loyal, outdoorsy-lifestyle following and a strong reliability/resale reputation, though it isn't an aspirational or luxury-tier brand.

Subaru historically negotiates closer to MSRP than mass-market rivals given strong resale values, but Impreza's slower 2021 sales pace made modest incentives more available than on Subaru's hot-selling SUVs.

2021 is the fifth year of the generation that began in 2017 (refreshed for 2020 with new front/rear styling); 2021 itself only adds standard EyeSight on CVT trims and SI-DRIVE on Premium — solidly mid-cycle, not new but not yet stale.

Consistently well-reviewed for standard AWD, ride and reliability/resale, and picked up KBB's Best Resale Value award for its class, but reviewers routinely rank it behind Mazda3 for refinement and behind Civic/Corolla on outright polish in comparison tests.