Subaru Impreza vs Honda Fit

If you’re looking for a sensible, all-wheel drive car, there are plenty of crossovers out there. But if a sedan or hatchback is more to your liking, the all-new 2017 Subaru Impreza is one of your only choices.

It’s also a great car. But chances are that you already know that. After all, Subaru has one of the highest owner loyalty rates of any vehicle brand. If you’re buying an Impreza, it probably isn’t your first Subaru—and it likely won’t be your last.

While the Impreza isn’t as refined as it could be, it is affordable, safe, and practical. And that’s why we think it will please both longtime Subaru fans and new owners alike.

Once upon a time, buying a new car on a budget meant scraping the bottom of the barrel. Sure, it had a “low, low” price to get you in the door, but for that price, you did not get a whole lot of car. For most of its existence, the “econo-box” was a much-lamented auto segment.

But times have changed. Automakers like Honda and Toyota have committed to offering small, affordable new cars that are safe, comfortable, and filled with features one would commonly associate with more upscale cars. The standard-bearer for this effort is the 2018 Honda Fit. A car like this can make you ask, “Do I really need any more car?”

In the past year or more, we’ve tested dozens of new compact crossovers. And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, they are all basically high-riding hatchbacks. Their high ground clearance suggests capability, but in reality, accomplishes little more than what a hatchback already does. In that context, it's refreshing to see a car like the 2018 Honda Fit. It has cargo space that not only rivals but exceeds that of some compact crossovers. It also boasts many of the tech and safety features of those pseudo-SUVs. And it accomplishes all this in a small hatchback layout that makes for a great city car.