Compare the2023 Subaru ImprezaVS 2022 Honda Civic

The Impreza has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Civic doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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

The Impreza Premium/Sport/Limited has standard STARLINK Connected Services, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Civic doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Impreza and the Civic have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Impreza has a standard 530-amp battery. The Civic’s 500-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Impreza’s reliability 22 points higher than the Civic.

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 Honda With 4 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than Honda.

The Impreza’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 7 lbs.-ft. more torque (145 vs. 138) than the Civic LX/Sport’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Subaru Impreza is faster than the Civic LX/Sport 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder (automatics tested):

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 Civic doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

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

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Impreza higher (7 out of 10) than the Honda Civic (6 to 7). This means the Impreza produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Civic every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the Impreza Sport’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Civic:

The Impreza stops shorter than the Civic:

For better maneuverability, the Impreza’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Civic LX/EX/EX-L’s (35.4 feet vs. 36.1 feet). The Impreza’s turning circle is 2.7 feet tighter than the Civic Sport/Touring’s (35.4 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

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 Civic doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Impreza Sedan has .5 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, .8 inches more front hip room, .1 inches more rear headroom and 6.3 inches more rear hip room than the Civic Hatchback.

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 Civic’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 Civic LX Sedan/Sport Sedan’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Impreza. The Civic doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

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

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 Civic doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Impreza’s variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The Civic LX/Sport’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Impreza Premium offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Civic 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 Civic offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

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