Compare the2023 Subaru ImprezaVS 2022 Acura ILX

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Impreza are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The ILX doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Subaru Impreza has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The ILX doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Impreza Limited has standard Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The ILX doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Impreza has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The ILX doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Impreza Auto’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The ILX doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Impreza and the ILX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Subaru Impreza is safer than the Acura ILX:

	Impreza	ILX
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	198	227
Neck Stress	247 lbs.	257 lbs.
Neck Compression	50 lbs.	56 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	117	211
Neck Injury Risk	34%	40%
Leg Forces (l/r)	76/57 lbs.	768/623 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Impreza is safer than the Acura ILX:

	Impreza	ILX
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	165	234
Hip Force	400 lbs.	487 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
HIC	201	299
Spine Acceleration	49 G’s	56 G’s
Hip Force	824 lbs.	945 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Impreza, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 1.2% less likely to roll over than the ILX, which received a four-star rating.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Impreza the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 175 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The ILX last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

There are over 2 times as many Subaru dealers as there are Acura dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Impreza’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Acura vehicles. With 1 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Subaru higher than Acura.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Acura With 18 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than Acura.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Acura vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 1 place higher in reliability than Acura.

Engine

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Impreza lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The ILX doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Impreza Sedan gets better mileage than the ILX:

			MPG
Impreza Sedan
	Auto	2.0 DOHC flat-4	28 city/36 hwy
		Sport 2.0 DOHC flat-4	27 city/36 hwy
ILX
	Auto	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/34 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Impreza uses regular unleaded gasoline. The ILX requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Impreza higher (7 out of 10) than the Acura ILX (3). This means the Impreza produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the ILX every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Impreza offers an optional continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The ILX doesn’t offer a CVT.

Tires and Wheels

The Impreza has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the ILX; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Impreza is 1.2 inches wider in the front and .6 inches wider in the rear than on the ILX.

For better maneuverability, the Impreza’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the ILX’s (35.4 feet vs. 36.8 feet).

Chassis

The Impreza 5-door is 6 inches shorter than the ILX, making the Impreza easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Impreza Sport/Limited uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The ILX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Impreza Sedan a Mid-size car, while the ILX is rated a Compact.

The Impreza Sedan has 10.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the ILX (99.8 vs. 89.3).

The Impreza Sedan has 1.8 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, 4.8 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, 1.3 inches more rear headroom, 2.5 inches more rear legroom, 3.5 inches more rear hip room and 2 inches more rear shoulder room than the ILX.

Cargo Capacity

The Impreza has a much larger trunk with its rear seat up than the ILX (20.8 vs. 12.4 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Impreza easier. The Impreza’s trunk lift-over height is 26 inches, while the ILX’s liftover is 28.7 inches.

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the Impreza’s trunk lid uses concealed beam hinges that don’t intrude into the trunk. The ILX’s useful trunk space is reduced by its intrusive beam hinge.

The Impreza’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The ILX’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Impreza is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the ILX. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Impreza’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Impreza Base). The ILX doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its extra cost AcuraLink can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the Impreza Limited detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The ILX doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Impreza Premium offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The ILX doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Impreza Limited also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The Impreza’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The ILX offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Model Availability

The Subaru Impreza comes in sedan and station wagon bodystyles; the Acura ILX isn’t available as a station wagon.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Impreza owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Impreza will cost $70 to $1655 less than the ILX over a five-year period.

The Impreza will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Impreza will retain 53.58% to 57.04% of its original price after five years, while the ILX only retains 44.39% to 46.52%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Impreza is less expensive to operate than the ILX because typical repairs cost much less on the Impreza than the ILX, including $58 less for a starter, $273 less for fuel injection, $110 less for a fuel pump and $474 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Impreza will be $8774 to $9927 less than for the Acura ILX.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Impreza, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Subaru Impreza outsold the Acura ILX by almost five to one during 2022.