Used 2008 Subaru Impreza Consumer Reviews
Plush, but cool.
We bought this car for my wife to drive, but I like it a lot, too. Its interior and exterior styling are cool and futuristic. (I even like the weird LED tail lights!) The upgraded stereo rocks, but I would rather listen to the unique sounding boxer engine. That engine is a little different than an inline 4. It produces punchy low end torque, but levels off the higher you rev. There's really no point in revving it over 3500 rpm! The slick shifter, loose clutch, and peppy engine make it ridiculously easy to drive. It's obvious that Subaru focused on utility and comfort for this model, at the sacrifice of agility and handling, but the full time all wheel drive rules!
2008 Impreza
Overall the car has been great. The gas mileage has been better than the EPA rating. I've been getting between 25-26 highway/town and 31-32 on the highway. Haven't had a single problem yet.
- 2.5i SedanMSRP: $6,99550 mi away
- WRX 4dr Hatchback w/VDCMSRP: $7,77450 mi away
- WRX Sedan w/VDCMSRP: $9,80081 mi away
2008 STI with NAV
This car has been decent overall. It is a lot of fun to drive and is useful for hauling smaller items. It has been very reliable with the exception of the NAV system. SOA has replaced it 4 times, and the 4th unit is defective, and has been since Feb 2009. The reason it hasn't been fixed properly is that Subaru will only install used "remanufactured" nav units, not new ones, even though I am the original owner and had nav problems less than a week after taking delivery. The car is fun to drive and I am happy with it. Subaru of America service is terrible. As of 11/26/09, my car has 9800 miles and STILL has a defective nav unit.
'08 WRX SEDAN
This is my second Subaru. I owned a 2005 WRX sedan before, which was a terrific little car. As for the '08, I initially didn't think that an extra half liter in engine size would make much difference, but I was wrong. This car revs so smooth and effortless, if you're not careful you can touch 100mph on the freeway without even realizing it. The handling in this car is superb, with some minor body roll, but it's not noticeable in everyday driving. Fuel economy could probably be better, I used to average 20mpg on the stock tires (tires = awful), switched to lighter, performance tires and am getting 22-23mpg in mixed driving, up to 30mpg at non-freeway speeds if I set cruise and stay off turbo.
It's a great car.
I've had my WRX 5 dr for 2 years now; 22k miles @ 24.5 avg mileage. I wrote a review on 11/23/07 and what I wrote then still holds. On top of that, I believe that the Subaru AWD system is superior to my Audi's, even w the performance tires on it. I've been the only one to make it up our hill several times over the past two winters (on ice), passing sport utes of all types splayed across lawns and shoulders. I've also had no problem following large Mercs at high speed on interstates - slowing only when my senses returned and the realization that a large fine would be very painful to me. It's a great car.