Subaru should be our official state car. You can count them at nearly any intersection.

 

How does the Subaru compare to the Fit for ease and cost of maintenance? I've found the Fit ridiculously easy to service.

My Subaru dealer was rude and vapid, I tried to buy from there a couple of times. Honda was like a dream to buy from.

 

The Subaru is rated excellent in owner cost. I looked at the new Impreza when I was buying my Fit but just could not get excited about the looks. I thought the two previous generations looked better.

 

I was concerned about that very same question. I spoke to my mechanic about it and he told me it really depends of the part, some parts will be more expensive on the Subie and some on the Honda so it's about a push. However, for the doityourselfer, an AWD tranny/drivetrain is more complex than a FWD car. Those are parts of the car I wouldn't mess with anyway so it's not an issue for me. Also, many Subie owners had problems with blown head gaskets after 70k miles (dont quote me on that number), a problem that has plagued their 2.5 litre engines. Since going back to 2.0 litres of injection many feel like it will have eliminated this issue and increase reliability.

Most of the Honda people I've dealt with in Montreal are total a$$hats. I've even called Honda Canada about it and unfortunately, they have 0 control over who works in the dealerships and cannot comment or advise anyone who gets poor service. Still, I love my Honda, so I wouldn't chose one car over another based on the smile or the handshake I got at the dealership.

I'm surprised people are really comparing these two vehicles since they are in a different class; subcompact vs compact. All in all, for the $$$, the impreza probably has the best value but the plus side of the Fit is that for an entry level price, you get a very satisfying and practical driving experience. And I don't mind the seats

 

Is the Fit really classified as a sub-compact? It's not that small of a car really and is bigger than older mid-sized cars even!

But I guess since cars are getting bigger and bigger the classifications have to change with the cars... just seems strange. I guess the tall roofline makes it look bigger.

 

Subarus are great cars, and I have seriously considered them at every major car purchase I've done. What it comes down to is: I don't really feel I need AWD. The one time when I did need, I bought a CRV, because it felt lighter on its feet than a Subaru. The Impreza, which was the only one I could afford new, was too small. (The CRV was used). All Subarus have a sort of "heavy" feeling through the powertrain that's difficult to describe. It's like that viscous goo is getting stirred around :P

If you don't need AWD then a Subaru is not that compelling. You pay the AWD premium and you get interior quality, fuel economy and reliability that are decent, but certainly not great.

But if you DO need AWD, then a Subaru is a great choice. I believe they have the best budget-friendly AWD system available on the market, by a long way. The CRV cannot compare; that system is far more simplistic and less capable. Even many luxury SUVs have poor systems compared with Subaru. Better AWD systems do exist - Acura is currently tops with SH-AWD, which is no longer offered in the RDX but is on the MDX and others, and Audi is good too - but those are both way more money. The Impreza is the cheapest AWD car on the market that I'm aware of, and has one of the best systems. So if this is an item you want, the premium for it is, in my mind, very fair. It's actually not just AWD - there are a number of features that make it good in the cold or snow.

On Subaru reliability - overall it's actually good. Their longstanding head gasket problems were a big hit to reliability stats, unfortunately. Too bad, because if you knew about it, you just budgeted for it every so often. But its a nonissue now. They were conscious of the problem and although it took them a while, they actually resolved it a number of years ago with a new gasket design. This happened even before the 2.0L engine. Things break on Subarus just like any car, but the people that buy Subarus have places to be and need reliable cars, and they wouldn't buy them if they weren't relatively bulletproof. And if you need any more proof, go drive through some less-affluent parts of the northern US -- Subarus are one of the most common cars.

But as you can see I bought a Fit. Didn't need AWD, but did have a number of other needs that ONLY the Fit met. Still, I wouldn't fault anyone for a Subaru purchase. Unless they say "I got this because AWD will help me stop safely in the snow." It won't.

 

Well said. Although, seeing you're from NE, I'm going to bet you wish you had AWD last week!

I'll just add that even though I live in a snow state, AWD is really not "necessary" for every day driving (work commutes, errands, etc.). Street are plowed fairly well, and installing snow tires on a 2WD car means you'll most likely get home that night (unless there is a freak storm). But the AWD definitely makes the snow commutes or runs up the canyon a LOT less stressful. If I were buying my only car, I'd definitely go AWD. I've already got a 4WD SUV, so AWD isn't exactly necessary, HOWEVER, it just makes driving in those sloshy conditions much more confidence inspiring.

 

Just drove my wife's 2012 Impreza for a weekend trip to Portland, and it was nice. I wish my 2013 Fit had features like a miles_until_empty trip computer. Kinda bugs me that her car has more power _and_ better gas mileage, but I guess it did cost more. Still love my Fit though.

 

The fit should be getting better MPG hands down. I have an avg of around 37. Buying an ultragauge will give you a MTE display.

 

Ditto on this. @croak, if you think your wife's Impreza is getting better mpg than your Fit, you might want to double-check your calculations.

 

Maybe something is wrong, we both get lower MPG in city.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find....31829&id=33275

2012 Subaru Impreza Wagon Limited CVT - 27 City | 36 Highway
2012 Honda Fit Sport Auto - 27 City | 33 Highway

 

Yes, not sure how the EPA managed to get 33 mpg hwy on the Fit unless the test involved driving 80 mph for several miles.

What is your actual highway mpg croak? Don't go off the EPA estimate, they can't drive for sh*t.

 

I get about 35 MPG HWY in my Fit, but I don't really drive much highway. I do only get about 24 MPG in city. Stop and go in traffic, semi hilly route, maybe ~20 miles a day.

 

I think the actual reported mpg are lower than EPA for the impreza and actual mpg for the Fit are higher than EPA. Check Compare Side-by-Side, and click view individual estimates. It puts the average reported for the Impreza at 29mpg, and the Fit at 36mpg. That said, the estimated cost for a year's fuel is only $100 difference.

Also check Fuelly | Share and Compare Your MPG for more real world MPG numbers between the two.

 

Yup. Definitely the case here.

 

Sounds like someone seriously didn't do enough research before a purchase and will eventually resent their current purchase.