2020 Toyota Camry vs 2021 Subaru Impreza

The 2020 Toyota Camry had a renewed focus on quality and appeal, aiming to reclaim its reputation for reliability and value. Its styling was more expressive than ever, with a bold front fascia and taut lines that gave it a sporty look. The interior featured uniformly nice materials and a driver-focused dashboard, making even the lower trim levels feel upscale. The TRD model added red trim accents and bright red seatbelts, enhancing its sporty appeal. Despite these improvements, the Camry was not a luxury car, but it offered a compelling package for its price.

In contrast, the 2021 Subaru Impreza adopted a more conservative design, with sleek headlights and taillights that added width and a nicely-tapered front end. The Impreza Sport models featured specific styling touches, including 18-inch alloy wheels. The interior design was typical of compact cars, with a split dashboard housing the infotainment touchscreen and various forms of plastic. The Sport trim added contrast stitching, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and aluminum pedals, while the Limited trim offered standard leather upholstery and LED headlights.

The 2020 Toyota Camry offered four distinct powertrains: a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with FWD, the same engine with AWD, a FWD 3.5-liter V6, and a hybrid powertrain. The 3.5-liter V6 produced 301 horsepower and was paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, providing a smooth and powerful driving experience. The 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine delivered 203 horsepower (206 in XSE trim) and was lighter, making the XSE trim nearly as fun to drive as the TRD. The AWD system, similar to that used in the RAV4, could send up to half of the engine's 184 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels when needed. The front-drive Camry had an EPA combined fuel economy rating of 31 mpg, which dropped to 28 mpg with AWD. The V6 models managed 26 mpg, except for the TRD, which was rated at 25 mpg.

The 2021 Subaru Impreza came with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 152 horsepower and 145 pound-feet of torque. This boxer engine was mounted lower in the chassis, helping to lower the car's center of gravity. Most Impreza models featured a CVT, while a five-speed manual transmission was available on the base sedan and hatchback, and the Impreza Sport hatchback. The Sport trim also had model-specific suspension tuning and a torque vectoring feature for the AWD system. The Impreza provided a solid and refined ride, although it lacked the engagement of competitors like the Honda Civic or Mazda 3. The Sport's suspension tuning offered a good balance between ride quality and handling, but the engine's lack of power and noncommunicative steering kept it from being a true driver's car.

The 2020 Toyota Camry was easy to get into and drive, with most controls falling immediately to hand. The front seats offered increased legroom and hip room compared to the previous generation. However, the rear seat had less legroom, and the overall passenger volume and trunk size were smaller than some competitors. The trunk offered 15.1 cubic feet of cargo space, equivalent to that of the Honda Civic. The addition of AWD did not compromise the trunk or passenger compartment, as Toyota modified the floor structure and fuel tank to accommodate it.

The 2021 Subaru Impreza sedan and hatchback offered reasonable legroom, although headroom was below average. The sedan had 12.3 cubic feet of trunk space, the least among current compact sedans, but it featured a standard 60/40 split-folding rear seat. The hatchback provided 20.8 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats in place, more than the Mazda 3 or Toyota Corolla hatchback, but less than the Honda Civic hatchback. With the rear seats folded, the Impreza offered 55.3 cubic feet of cargo space. Higher trim levels included an All-Weather Package with heated front seats, a heated windshield, and heated exterior mirrors. The Sport trim added keyless entry with pushbutton start, while the Limited trim offered a six-way power driver's seat and automatic climate control.

The 2020 Toyota Camry added Android Auto to its standard features, joining Apple CarPlay, Amazon Alexa compatibility, and a three-month trial of SiriusXM satellite radio. The standard infotainment system felt dated, but the touchscreen was functional and quick to respond. Lower trim levels had a 7-inch screen, with an optional 8-inch upgrade. A single USB-A port was available for phone use, with additional USB-A charging ports in the center console. An optional Qi wireless charging pad was also available. Higher trim levels featured a 7-inch multi-information display and an optional 10-inch head-up display.

The 2021 Subaru Impreza's base and Premium trim levels had a 6.5-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity and Bluetooth, while higher trims featured an 8-inch touchscreen. An option package for the Limited trim added TomTom-based navigation and a Harman Kardon audio system. The Impreza also had a secondary display housed in a hood over the main touchscreen, showing information like estimated range. The infotainment system was easy to use, with large touchscreen icons and minimal menu digging for important functions.

The 2020 Toyota Camry included the Safety Sense suite of technologies, featuring a pre-collision system with emergency braking and pedestrian detection, dynamic radar adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning with steering assist, and automatic high beams. A one-year trial of Safety Connect was included, offering emergency assistance and stolen vehicle locator services. Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert was optional. The Camry had 10 airbags and standard features like stability control and a backup camera. Higher trim levels offered Bird's Eye View, projecting a 360-degree view of the car's surroundings. The Camry received a five-star rating from the NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS.

The 2021 Subaru Impreza received a Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS, with the highest "Good" score in all crash tests. However, it missed out on a Top Safety Pick+ award due to its standard headlights receiving a "Marginal" rating. The Limited trim's headlights received a "Good" score. The NHTSA gave the Impreza a five-star overall safety rating. The Impreza featured Subaru's EyeSight safety tech as standard on CVT-equipped models, including automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, and lead vehicle start alert. A rear-seat reminder was also standard, with optional blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, rear automatic braking, and steering-responsive headlights.