[Haystack]

Does anyone with the base model regret not going with a higher trim? I was dead set on a sport, but after thinking about it the base model appealed more to me. It's about 4k cheaper, less tech (which is what I prefer), and in my opinion the base looks better (can't stand the wheels and side trim on the sport).

Now there are a few mechanical features that sport offers that the base doesn't have such as the active torque vectoring, larger brakes, "sport suspension" (whatever that means?), and also I believe the base doesn't have a rear sway bar (from what I hear its a real pain to add/take off a sway bar on the new platform). Also I think the sport has a different CVT.. can anyone confirm this? The base also doesn't have the winter package which is a bummer, but I think I could live without it.

I'm going to test drive both and see what feels better to me, but as of right now I'm thinking the base might be the better buy for me. Did anyone else go through this before they purchased their Impreza?

 

[2017SportHatch]

i drove a base, Premium and our Sport before we made up our minds. we ultimately chose the Sport 5 dr simply because to us it looked WAY better. i am not saying you can't make a base look good, but that's just more money to spend after the purchase. i love the styling on the Sport and while it shares the same engine and trans as all the models, the suspension is completely different and you can tell when you drive them all. the torque vectoring is something that you can actually tell helps the handling of this car. drive them both and choose for yourself. not sure where you are located but heated seats in the Winter means a lot to us...good luck in your purchase.

 

[C J]

To be completely honest the aesthetic additions to the Sport were why I wanted it. Larger rims look better, the side skirts, wing and the interior is a million times better looking.

 

[NoSlushbox4Me]

Does anyone with the base model regret not going with a higher trim? I was dead set on a sport, but after thinking about it the base model appealed more to me. It's about 4k cheaper, less tech (which is what I prefer), and in my opinion the base looks better (can't stand the wheels and side trim on the sport).

Now there are a few mechanical features that sport offers that the base doesn't have such as the active torque vectoring, larger brakes, "sport suspension" (whatever that means?), and also I believe the base doesn't have a rear sway bar (from what I hear its a real pain to add/take off a sway bar on the new platform). Also I think the sport has a different CVT.. can anyone confirm this? The base also doesn't have the winter package which is a bummer, but I think I could live without it.

I'm going to test drive both and see what feels better to me, but as of right now I'm thinking the base might be the better buy for me. Did anyone else go through this before they purchased their Impreza?

The base model was more appealing to me. It actually has a few more tech/nanny items than I wanted, but was the closest to perfect for me among the model lineup. I special ordered mine to get it how I wanted it. The only thinks from the upper models that I wish it had are auto on/off headlights, TPMS sensor displays for the 4 wheels in addition to the warning light, and optional wheels. I took care of the wheels though prior to taking delivery of the car. The body color painted mirror caps on the higher models are nicer looking than the all black on the base model, but after following Drewski's lead I got that taken care of. $6 unpainted mirror caps and $100 of bodyshop paint and labor. The extra body cladding, automated brake squeezing (torque vectoring), LED driving lights instead of optional fog lights, automatic climate controls instead of manual control, electronic eyesight instead of human eyesight, etc... no thanks. If leather interior had been an option, I probably would have gotten that (Sport trim doesn't have it either) and I'd like a few less blank-off plates in my interior where there aren't switches, but all in all I made the right choice for me. If I want the bigger front brakes at some point, I can order the parts out of Subaru OEM parts listings for a pretty reasonable price. I haven't found my brakes to be lacking yet though. Thankfully all trims get the same engine tune so my car's acceleration performance is just as sporty as the Sport, maybe even a bit better because it has less weight from techno stuff and add-on trim to carry around. There's nothing wrong with choosing the Sport trim package, just be aware of what you get and don't get. The base model isn't all that stripped down.

 

[C J]

The base model isn't all that stripped down.

Best affordable AWD car you can buy.

 

[csroc]

I think the sport is the best looking overall but I wouldn't have a problem with slightly smaller wheels (limited), fogs, and LED headlights like the limited has.

On the other hand I don't care for the chrome and I didn't want leather again.

Canada has a trim I think they call Sport Tech which basically takes the US spec sport and adds the LED headlights & fog lamps as far as I'm aware, that's probably the perfect overall combination in my opinion.

 

[littlewolf]

I have the base model and I LOVE it! For me what made me choose the base is the fact that it is a manual. I personally prefer to start at a base model and build my way up to what I want.

 

[coletrain]

i think the sport is the best looking overall but i wouldn't have a problem with slightly smaller wheels (limited), fogs, and led headlights like the limited has.

On the other hand i don't care for the chrome and i didn't want leather again.

canada has a trim i think they call sport tech which basically takes the us spec sport and adds the led headlights & fog lamps as far as i'm aware, that's probably the perfect overall combination in my opinion.

i agree!

 

[ibr]

None of the key features of the sport really appealed to me for the price.

Almost everything it had I would want to replace or upgrade (suspension mods, wheels) and brake-style torque vectoring just doesn't appeal to me (won't go into it). It didn't have fogs as an option either, which kind of bummed me out. Plus I'm not a fan of red stitching in the interior.

I think the side skirt does look nice though, and wouldn't mind the short-shifter at some point in the future, though.

 

[hockeykid53]

I wanted the Sport Tech but America couldn't handle the TECH..

 

[Haystack]

Thank you all for your thoughts so far. Now I'm thinking maybe a Premium would be a happy medium between the two. I'm planning on test driving all 3 models soon and go with what feels right.

 

[coloradochris]

I bought the base model and love it. It has more features than my 2014 Xterra had and I especially like Apple CarPlay even though you can’t use Waze. I was looking for a 5spd so that made the base a good choice for me. It was a great deal.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kingnba6]

I bought a base and the reason is because it is the cheapest AWD car. This will be the daily beater for now. Few upgrades I will do are get an auto dimming mirror and some takeoff OEM wheels after the tires on the steelies are worn.

 

[tripswitch]

The car got great crash test rating results too. Which is another plus.

 

[Cwilbur]

Does anyone with the base model regret not going with a higher trim? I was dead set on a sport, but after thinking about it the base model appealed more to me. It's about 4k cheaper, less tech (which is what I prefer), and in my opinion the base looks better (can't stand the wheels and side trim on the sport).

Now there are a few mechanical features that sport offers that the base doesn't have such as the active torque vectoring, larger brakes, "sport suspension" (whatever that means?), and also I believe the base doesn't have a rear sway bar (from what I hear its a real pain to add/take off a sway bar on the new platform). Also I think the sport has a different CVT.. can anyone confirm this? The base also doesn't have the winter package which is a bummer, but I think I could live without it.

I'm going to test drive both and see what feels better to me, but as of right now I'm thinking the base might be the better buy for me. Did anyone else go through this before they purchased their Impreza?

I regret not having the SI drive

 

[btbell]

I chose the base model to get a 5 speed and have more control over the end result. I did add the fog lights and the mirror with auto-dim and homelink. Other than that, mine is bone stock.

 

[chowser51]

Got my daughter the base because I’m cheap.
she doesn’t have keyless entry or auto headlights. Those seem to be the big misses.
she has homelink, carplay with waze, and eyesight standard.
she’s fine with it. She got a free new car

 

[BlubaruNoobaru]

Young generation can't be bothered to manually turn on headlights any longer and we think we are progressing as a species 🤔

 

[chowser51]

It's not just the young generation. 90% of the people I stop at night with no headlights or taillights are age 50+.

 

[Nakajima Homare]

I'm happy thus far with a 2023 base Sedan