1993 Subaru Impreza AWD Sport Wagon - Long-Term Wrap Up

In beautiful Southern California, where the sun shines 25 hours a day and all the residents are extremely wealthy and sport golden tans, we sometimes forget that vehicles besides convertibles and high-priced exotics exist. Those who live in colder climes must deal with the white stuff that materializes between December and April every year. Luckily, manufacturers understand that those hearty souls need vehicles that can tackle the eventuality of winter. Sport/utilities offer one solution, but with prices climbing into the $40,000 range for some imports, they can be out of reach for families on a budget. Enter Subaru, which for 26 years has been producing affordable sedans, coupes, and wagons that are more at home in the snow than a polar bear. Subaru's entry-level model, the Impreza, was introduced in 1993 in sedan and wagon forms, and quickly earned bragging rights as the least expensive all-wheel-drive vehicle available in the marketplace. Because of this honor, we invited an Impreza AWD Sport Wagon to join our long-term fleet.

Respondents to our owner's survey understand Subaru's philosophy of offering safety and reliability in an affordable all-wheel-drive vehicle. The top purchase influence for the Subaru Impreza AWD Sport Wagon for 75 percent of owners was safety features, followed in order by reputation, looks/style, price, and handling. One third said they bought the Impreza for its all-wheel-drive feature. Almost 90 percent said they'd recommend the Impreza to others, and over 97 percent said yes or maybe to buying another Subaru product

We beat the owners on miles driven, 15,578 on our vehicle versus their average of 13,338, and lost by a hair in the fuel-mileage department, 24.3 to 25 mpg. In the affordability category, our Sport Wagon's as-tested price was $15,344-just under the $16,433 average for the survey, but substantially less ($5000-$7000) than the next-closest all-wheel-drive cars, the Diamond-Star Eclipse GSX or Talon TSi AWD.

We chose the wagon version of the Impreza over the sedan for the same reason cited by owners: more room. We packed the trunk with luggage and photo gear, and still had room for more. A Colorado survey respondent also likes the 62.1 cubic feet of cargo capacity (with the rear seats folded): "It's great for transporting donations of food and clothing for charities, as well as furniture, groceries, and luggage." Comfort is another feature appreciated by many, as reflected in the overall-comfort question. Almost 50 percent said the front seats were excellent, and another 41 percent said they were good. Only 6 percent rated the back seats as excellent, with the majority ranking them good (56.3 percent).

Getting to where you're going quickly isn't the Impreza's main focus. The 1.8-liter SOHC flat-four produces only 110 horsepower at 5600 rpm and 110 pound-feet of torque at 4400 (and a 12.7-second 0-60 time), but 47 percent of owners still rated it good in the acceleration department. In survey scores where off-line performance wasn't paramount, the Impreza fared better. Braking was rated at 82.4 percent excellent, handling earned 61.8 percent in the top category, and overall performance came in at 52.9 percent excellent/41.2 percent good. These scores are reflected in the owners' additional comments on the survey. A New Yorker who knows snow wrote, "This is, overall, an excellent car with fine handling and versatility." Another Empire State resident wrote, "Perhaps the main reason for choosing this car is its availability of all-wheel drive. Here in upper New York, it's a greatasset for winter driving. I can't understand why Toyota and others have given up on their cars. Not everybody wants a sport/utility." Our logbook notes that the Impreza has "good suspension tuning and handling-no power, but it cruises nicely at highway speeds." Since the Impreza wagon's more function than fun, the fun-to-drive question scored equally in both excellent and good categories at 38.2 percent; no one rated it poor.

Our instrumented tests didn't reflect the Impreza's favorable performance remarks by owners. On the skidpad, a 0.77g rating was the best we garnered with the small 14-inch tires. Its long, non-ABS-assisted, 150-foot 60-0 braking distance also didn't correlate with the owners' opinions, nor the sedate 60.2-mph run through the slalom cones. Keep in mind all our testing is done on dry pavement. Running through cones in snow might tell a different story; driven in low-traction conditions in wintry Big Bear, California, and on rain-slicked streets in the city, the Impreza kept its grip remarkably well. The only thing needed was a bit more power when climbing above 4000 feet

Next to the Subaru's reputation for safety is its reliability, which ranked high among purchase considerations for Impreza owners. This is exemplified by the 91.2 percent who reported no significant problems with their cars. Of the small percentage who did have some type of complaint, fit and finish was noted repeatedly. On our long-term wagon, the molding strip on the roof worked itself loose every time we opened the hatch. Our car also experienced intermittent clutch slippage, but when we took it in for service, the technicians couldn't duplicate the problem.

Ratings of 52.9 percent excellent and 38.2 percent good for overall quality and workmanship reflect the 91 percent who reported no significant problems with their Imprezas. What owners said they were mainly concerned with was a desire for more power, better comfort (even though they rated the seats high), a better climate-control system, and a sunroof option.

For those who did visit the dealership, 51.6 percent said the service was excellent, and 32.3 percent felt it was good. Although the combined score was higher for sales, the majority reported the treatment received was good (57.6 percent) rather than excellent (33.3). Average is the best way to describe the service at our local Subaru dealership. Perhaps this is because it's part of a huge yet seemingly understaffed import service group that includes Hyundai, Nissan, Mazda, and Suzuki. Only the Mazda service technicians offer help in a timely manner. The representatives from the other manufacturers don't come close to the service we've come to appreciate so much at Lexus and Infiniti dealerships.

For '95, Subaru is offering the 135-horsepower 2.2-liter Legacy powerplant as an option across the Impreza range, except in the LX version where it's standard. A coupe has been added to the lineup as well, and there's now an Outback Sport Wagon that (depending on engine choice) adds a new grille design, two-tone paint and graphics, a roof rack, bigger tires, and a rear anti-roll bar.

Safety again plays a prominent role in the newest Impreza, with unibody construction, dual airbags, adjustable three-point safety harnesses, 5-mph bumpers, and rear child-safety door locks. There's also a sunroof option for those who want to pretend they're Southern Californians.

Although some staffers have remarked that the Impreza's exterior design reminds them of the AMC Pacer (which could've placed high in an ugly-car contest), we all know it's what's inside (underneath) that counts. Few will argue that in a snowstorm, the AWD Sport Wagon is one of the most beautiful cars on the road.