Overview & Reviews
The regular 2012 Subaru Impreza has been completely redesigned. Highlights include a more fuel-efficient engine, updated styling and a roomier and higher-quality interior. Last year's high-performance WRX and STI variants carry over unchanged. The Outback Sport has been discontinued.
- Disappointing cabin quality of WRX and STI
- STI lacks the dynamic edge of rivals
- Substandard sound systems.
User Reviews:
Showing 21 through 30 of 79.00-
My experience with my 2012 Subaru Impreza Sport - 2012 Subaru Impreza
By Loren Rochester - December 29 - 3:41 amI was very excited to get this car... good gas mileage and All-Wheel drive seemed like a perfect fit for Wisconsin. I liked everything about the car except three things: 1) The transmission went out at 66,000 miles, 6000 miles out of warranty. The dealership told me it would cost $8500 to replace it with a new one, or they could put a used one in for $4500. I called Subaru Corporate and after three days of investigation, they said it was up to the service manager. I went to the dealership and raised hell. Virtually all of my miles were interstate travel with very little elevation change, no stop and start traffic. After some phone calls, the service manager got the price down to $1500 for a new transmission. I was still mad, but didnt feel I had much choice; $1500 was better than $8500, and I still had to make payments on the vehicle. 2) I was surprised one day when the oil light came on early in my ownership. The car didnt have that many miles on it. The car was, in fact, low on oil. From that point forward, I went through a quart of Mobile 1 0W20 about every 3000 miles. I checked it every time I filled it up. I am over 60, and have never had a car that went through a quart of oil between oil changes. Recommended oil changes were 7000 miles with synthetic oil. The dealership wanted $85 for an oil change. I bought Subaru filters from the dealership for $5-$6, and bought Mobile 1 0W20 from Walmart for about $26 for a 5 quart jug, and changed the oil myself religiously every 7000 miles. I just traded the car in, three years old, and it was going through a quart of oil every 2000 miles. I had this problem when the transmission went out, and talked to the service manager about it. He did not act the least bit surprised. BTW, if you buy quarts of Mobile 1 synthetic, they are about $8 a quart, so this is not paltry change being spent on oil, I obviously bought 5 quart jugs and had them on hand all of the time. 3) For about the last 9-12 months, the car did not start very well. I usually had to crank it for a few seconds, quit, then crank it some more with the gas pedal pressed down, then it would start. The oil thing and the starting thing I have found are common complaints. I traded the Impreza in on a Ford Focus. I put about 33,000 miles on a car per year, and the Impreza had 99,920 miles on it. This is the first time in decades that I got rid of a car with fewer than 170,000-180,000 miles on it. I didnt trust it. Im not sure that the Focus will be any better, but I got a 4 yr.-100,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty on it. Im sure it wont be as good in the snow, but I can work around that. IMHO opinion, Subaru should have replaced the transmission gratis. Using the 0W20 oil is not a good idea in my opinion. They are doing it to improve gas mileage, but I think it is blowing past the pistons. The Focus uses 5W20. As far as starting difficulties goes, I dont have a clue what the problem is. If they would have taken care of the transmission and they had proven that they had solved the oil thing, I would have considered another Subaru. This was my first, and there seems to be a lot of loyal Subaru owners out there, but I will probably not consider another.
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Ru #5, Do not buy - 2012 Subaru Impreza
By ruman4u - October 21 - 3:51 amReviews on Edmunds.com are kind at best. The electric power assist steering definately has a dead spot at highway speed. The problem is once you steer beyond the dead spot, youre starting to over compensate. Edmunds is kind saying its not a bad first attempt. I say nay, nay....As a happy owner of 4 previous Rus, I never thought Id buy one I hate, but I did.
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Oil consumption - piece of junk! BEWARE - 2012 Subaru Impreza
By markmine - October 2 - 11:42 amI purchased this car new and it was never abused. This is my first Subaru and the awd was appealing. This car is Very disappointing! Around 14k miles the car started burning approx 1 quart of oil every 1000 miles. Subaru said this is normal! I think the new 2.0 engine has problems. The car also sounded like it had a bad wheel bearing, the dealer said the sound is the cvt transmission and again normal. The stereo system is horrible! The build quality is really bad and at 19k miles the car is rattling and gas mileage dropped to 26 mpg. Dont make the same mistake I made, buy a Honda or Toyota and stay away from Subaru!
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3rd times a charm - 2012 Subaru Impreza
By boostmonkey - August 9 - 9:52 amThis is my 3rd WRX after a 04 WRX & a 06 WRX STI. Its a great mix of comfort & performance. The STI rode like a gokart, but was lightning quick. The new WRX rides much better but still has that turbo power.
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Love It! - 2012 Subaru Impreza
By abhandari - April 14 - 7:18 pmStepped up from a 03 mazda 6 and I love this Subaru! I got it yesterday only have 40 miles on it but loving it so far! I got the limited hatchback with navi/moonroof, wanted a sport limited but hard to find these cars. The seats are definitely comfortable in my car the navi is super easy but for some might have to get used to it, I am kind of tech savvy. The speakers are awesome! I dont know why people are complaining about it. The cvt needs getting used to
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Beware of 2012 Impreza 2.0i (Base) CVT - 2012 Subaru Impreza
By tpyne377 - April 3 - 11:59 pmPLEASE BE AWARE -- The CVT Automatic transmission in the Impreza 2.0i base model is NOT the same as that available in the rest of the line. It does NOT have the up/down shift function on the steering wheel. Even though it lists this version of the transmission as "CVT Auto Transmission with Manual Shift" on the order form and on the window sticker -- there is nothing "manual" about it. DO NOT BE FOOLED INTO ORDERING THIS LIKE I DID. (No 2012 Imprezas were available for test driving at the time.) There is still nothing that notes this in ANY of Subarus online website nor in any independent review that I can find.
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Oil Burner, Sits Too Low - 2012 Subaru Impreza
By knahs39 - February 22 - 3:56 amI bought the 2012 Impreza hatchback new in July 2012. Since about 12,000 miles, I cant go more than 2,500-3,000 miles without needing a quarter of oil. Dealer says that is typical usage but manual says 7,500 miles between changes. The car does not have the pep my 2004 Impreza had and yet, gets the same gas mileage as the 2004. It also sits too low so you hit every curb or concrete parking barrier. Im looking to get rid of it and based on this, my third Subaru, will never get another Subaru again.
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Traded 2011 Outback Sport (Lemon Law) for 2012 Sport Premium - 2012 Subaru Impreza
By tornado542 - December 18 - 6:16 pmMy 2011 Impreza Outback Sport was bought back by Subaru due to 5 suspension issues in the first year of ownership. Subaru gave me all my money back and paid off my loan so I went and bought a 2012 Impreza Sport Premium. This is everything I loved about the OBS, but with a nicer interior, and better MPG!
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Great Car - 2012 Subaru Impreza
By fearlessone - December 16 - 10:49 pmI travel a lot for work and I try pretty much every model in this segment. I was given the chance to drive the older model of the Impreza and I like the car capability but not the interior. At 62 the new version is way better then the old one. It more refine and controls are well position. I was looking for a fun car to drive that I could rely on for the winter (+ top safety pick). I did a test drive in a middle of a winter storm and it was impressive. The car visibility is great and the car stick to the road like glue even under very strong winds. Great car recommend it to everyone.
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Oil burner - 2012 Subaru Impreza
By fredjohnson - November 5 - 1:42 amMy 2012 Impreza is beginning to really bother me. 25k miles on it and it burns 2 qts of oil every 3k miles now. Yes, the CVT is noisy as can be, but I knew that when I bought it. In winter, my highway gas mileage does drop to 27 mpg which is almost 10 mpg lower than EPA sticker. Overall, Im dissatisfied with the car, especially after finding out Subaru wont do much to help with the oil consumption other than to say its "normal". And to that I say BS. Never had a Toyota or Honda---Ive owned 8 new ones--- burn oil.
