The Subaru Impreza is not a car I thought would win me over as a BabyDrive and it is not a car many would think of as a typical family car because it's a small hatch rather than an SUV… However… I was wrong!
The Impreza is super practical and completely no fuss. That was the first thing I LOVED about it. I'm in the final weeks of pregnancy and I was VERY tired when picking up the Impreza but it didn't demand anything more of me!! I just got in and could drive it without having to work out an overcomplicated media system or a drivers chair that can only be adjusted through first studying the manual and navigating the media system.
The interior is not over complicated and controls are easily located and commonsense to use.
Once you hit the road it is a pleasure to drive too, it's nippy and responsive and corners really well, so it's good fun after school or kindy drop off !!
The Subaru Impreza is a hatch so you think it wouldn't be as practical for a family as an SUV, however, it is actually more practical than a lot of similar-sized SUVs I've tested! Legroom is AMAZING in this car! I think it somehow might be even better than in the Subaru XV that I previously tested!
With a rear-facing capsule installed behind the driver's seat, we could fit a 182cm driver in front!
With a forward-facing child seat, we could fit a 184cm+ driver in front.
Installing child seats is pretty simple in here too. Two child seats fit nicely in the back seats, but I did find with a squeeze three could fit across, if they are two child seats and a slim basic booster in the middle, although accessing that central seat buckle is very difficult.
There are ISOFix points in the two outer seats and top tether anchorages on the back of all three rear seatbacks.
I found I could just squeeze between two child seats but my shoulders were cramped up and I wouldn't want to sit there for longer than five minutes! The Subaru Impreza is a very comfortable two child seat car and occasional three.
The boot space is excellent in the Subaru Impreza too. From empty it will hold eleven shopping bags, which is comparable to the Kia Cerato which will also hold eleven. Whereas the Mazda3, Honda Civic, Hyundai i30 and Volkswagen Golf each hold ten shopping bags.
A tandem pram fits in the boot with a few shopping bags, but not underneath the roller blind.
Or a medium to large size dog will fit nicely in the boot of the Subaru Impreza.
Storage is mostly practical throughout the Subaru Impreza. There are two good-sized cup holders in the front central console and in the fold-down armrest in the rear central seatback. There is a phone well in front of the gear lever with USB and 12V sockets and there are more in the central console too.
The glove box and front door pockets are generous sizes however in the back there is a single map pocket and the door bins will not hold a large refillable water bottle.
The media system is simple and easy to use and navigate and it does have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto too, which is excellent.
The reversing camera image is pretty and clear and fills the whole screen.
There is also the smaller screen, above the media screen, which shows a left kerb view when you put it in reverse and it shows the Eyesight visuals and can display time, media settings etc. In the Subaru Forester and XV hybrid models, it also shows the hybrid information.
Overall the new 2020 Subaru Impreza Hatch is a very practical and not very little family car! It holds everyone and everything a family of four could need, with great legroom and boot space! I loved the drive especially and the auto-lock and unlock doors make going to and from the car with kids much easier too.
BabyDrive Indepth - Storage
So… How big is the boot of the 2020 Subaru Impreza? How good is the storage the 2020 Subaru Impreza?
From empty, I could fit 11 shopping bags in the boot, of the 2020 Subaru Impreza. Which is comparable to the Kia Cerato which will also hold eleven. Whereas the Mazda3, Honda Civic, Hyundai i30 and Volkswagen Golf GTI each hold ten shopping bags.
The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Tulsi’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.
Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.
I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.
The twin side-by-side stroller fits in the boot with two shopping bags beside it.
The tandem stroller fits in the boot, without using the retractable roller blind, with three shopping bags beside it.
The single stroller fits in the boot with four shopping bags beside it.
The compact stroller fits in the boot with seven shopping bags around it.
The boot floor is nice and flat which is good for emergency nappy changes and dogs! A medium to a large-size dog would fit in the boot of the Subaru Impreza. The boot is much deeper than in the Impreza than it was in the Subaru XV which meant things fitted much better with the retractable roller blind.
Also, there is a spare wheel under the boot floor.
Storage in the cabin of the Subaru Impreza is more practical in the front, where the door bins are a good size and will hold a large refillable water bottle and there are storage wells in the handles too.
There are two cup holders in the central console that are a good size to hold a reusable and disposable coffee cup. There is a phone charging well in front of the gear knob…
…which has an AUX, 12V and two USB sockets in.
There are also two USBs and a 12V in the central console box which is a fair size in a small car.
The glove box is just big enough to hold my wallet and iPad, with this big manual.
There is no sunglasses case in the ceiling, which is disappointing. Both the front visors do have mirrors and lights in them.
In the back storage is much more minimal. There is a single map pocket, which will hold but not conceal an iPad.
In a fold-down armrest in the central seatback are two cup holders that will hold a reusable and disposable coffee cup.
The door bins in the back are much smaller than in the front and would only hold a 600ml plastic bottle. There are storage wells in the rear door handles as well.
BabyDrive Indepth - Noise
How noisy is the new 2020 Subaru Impreza? How good is the media system?
The 2020 Subaru Impreza is not a particularly beepy car.
There is a rear seat reminder when you get out of the car, that beeps at you to remind you to look in the back. Which I understand is there for safety so people don't forget to take their kids out of the car but I find it annoying especially if my child is asleep and then gets woken up by the beeping!
The media system in the 2020 Subaru Impreza is simple and easy to navigate and use. The media system does support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well which is fantastic!
Within the media screen, you can adjust the sound and volumes of a lot of things which is good.
You can easily mute the sound of the sat-nav guidance on the right of the screen too.
The reversing camera image is nice and clear and fills the whole screen too which is great.
There is a second screen above the media screen which shows you the left kerb image too when reversing.
The indicators are not too loud in the Subaru Impreza.
Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!
That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.
If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?
It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?
A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.
Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!
I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.
The doors and windows can both be locked from the driver's door control panel, I found the doors were not too loud to open and close.
I found you can come to a stop with the engine still running and get out of the car without sounding any alarms. If you turn the engine off then there is a beeping rear seat reminder.
Since becoming a mum I spend A LOT of time parked up somewhere with a nice view while my daughter is asleep in the back! If it's hot I need to leave the engine running and the aircon on but I do like to get out and drink my cuppa tea in the fresh air while enjoying the fact my limbs are free from said dangling child!!
SO this is a very important test as I have found that sometimes I have been held hostage by a cars BEEEEPING alarms when I have taken off my seatbelt or opened the door while the engine is still running!! (I only stand outside the car, I am not a bad mother!!)
You can turn a lot of the parking sensors and the Auto engine cut out off in the panel of buttons by the driver's right knee.
You can also turn off lane departure warning in the panel above your head, where sunglasses holders usually are. There is also a really good seatbelt removal visual up in this screen too.
BabyDrive Indepth - Car Seats
How many child seats fit in the 2020 Subaru Impreza?
There are three top tether anchorages across the rear seat backrests of the Subaru Impreza. They are all within clearly marked plastic guides and are easy to connect to, through the boot.
There are ISOFix points in both the rear outer seats behind seat fabric flaps, they are not within plastic guides and are really crudely done, they look awful when you peel the flaps back and faced with the seat foam. The ISOFix anchorates are however easy to connect to when installing child seats.
I did manage to just fit three child seats into the back of the Subaru Impreza, which was surprising!
It is a much more comfortable fit with two child seats as I could only fit a basic, slim booster in the central seat. Accessing the central seatbelt is very difficult especially because it is a ceiling-mounted seatbelt which has two buckle points.
It is not really big enough for someone to sit in the central seat. I could just squeeze in but my shoulders were very compressed and it would only be manageable for a ten-minute journey.
Legroom is crazily good in the back of the Subaru Impreza. With forward-facing child seats in the back, we could easily fit a 184cm+ passenger in front. With rear-facing child seat, we could fit a 182cm driver in front which is fantastic!
Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!
Posting bub into their child seat from inside and outside the car is nice and easy even though it is a hatch, the ceiling is quite high and the doors open wide, which makes it easy from inside too.
There is room to feed bub in the back if you only have one child seat installed too.
BabyDrive Indepth - Drive & Comfort
How comfortable is the 2020 Subaru Impreza? And How good is the 2020 Subaru Impreza to drive?
The front seats of the Subaru Impreza are nice and comfortable and the headrests are adjustable so I can have a ponytail which is fantastic!
I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!
The front seats in this 2.0i-S model are both heated which is a nice little luxury too!
For a mum travelling in the back with bub, the seats are quite comfortable. There is good headroom and legroom is excellent in the back, which means you don't feel claustrophobic or hemmed in. There is a big hump in the central seat footwell which you have to straddle in the central seat.
I found I couldn't really squeeze between two child seats in the back, I'm 162cm, and my shoulders had to be so compressed I couldn't have done it for longer than ten minutes.
For the first year of Tulsi’s life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Tulsi so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!
The steering wheel is fully adjustable in/out and up/down. The cruise controls are on the right on the steering wheel and are easy to use. I found the cruise control to be very accurate on both motorways and at lower speeds on undulating roads which is great.
There are four air-conditioning vents across the front dashboard; one either side of the media screen and one at either end.
There are no air vents in the back of the Subaru Impreza Hatch that I tested and they would definitely be needed for the rear passengers in the Australian climate.
The controls for the aircon are centrally located on the dashboard, below the media screen, they are easy to reach and use whilst driving.
There are handles above both rear doors which are well-positioned to hold a baby toy for rear-facing passengers.
The rear interior light is in the centre of the ceiling within reaching distance of the driver.
I have found Tulsi does not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.
Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON’T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a five-minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it’s not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!
It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.
Visibility in the Subaru Imprezza is very good for the driver and the reversing camera images hekp too. It is a light car inside which mean rear-facing passengers, the windows narrow towards the back which limits their view.
One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Tulsi has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the Forester was simple to park as the visibility and cameras was so good!
The Subaru Impreza 2.0i-S Hatch that I tested has keyless entry and exit which was fantastic for not having to fumble around for keys and kept my hands free for holding on to little ones, especially in car parks!
BabyDrive Indepth - Safety
How safe is the 2020 Subaru Impreza?
The Subaru Impreza Hatch has a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2016, scoring 35.8 out of 37.
The Subaru Impreza Hatch has not been through Child Occupancy Protection testing.
In Adult Occupant Protection testing it scored 14.80 out of 16 in the frontal offset test. Gaining maximum points for both the side impact test, 16 out of 16, and for the pole test, 2 out of 2. Whiplash and pedestrian protection were both rated ‘good’ as well. The XV scored 3 out of 3 for seatbelt reminders as it is fitted with alerts for both front and back passengers seatbelts.
The Subaru XV is fitted with seven airbags as standard. Front and side airbags for both front passengers and a knee airbag for the driver, as well as curtain head airbags offering protection for the heads of the front and rear side passengers in the event of a side impact.
As standard, all models of the Subaru Impreza Hatch come with anti-lock braking system (ABS), autonomous emergency braking (AEB) – City, Interurban and VRU, electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), electronic stability control (ESC), Emergency brake assist (EBA), electronic data recorder (EDR), emergency stop signal (ESS), fatigue reminder, hill launch assist and reversing collision avoidance and tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS).
Available to other specs are: lane support system (LSS), blind-spot monitoring (BSM), autonomous emergency braking (AECity V – Interurban V – Vulnerable road user, automatic headlights, automatic high beam and adaptive cruise control (ACC).
Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Tulsi’s asleep!
Thank you for the great review! We currently have a Subaru Impreza (this model) and are expecting our first child this year. I was nervous how everything would fit in it and if we needed to change vehicles. After seeing your review with the photos I feel a lot more comfortable 🙂
Glad it was useful and congratulations! The Impreza has heaps of space for a car of its size, super practical