Compare the2023 Honda CR-VVS 2023 Subaru Impreza

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda CR-V have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Subaru Impreza doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Honda CR-V has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Impreza doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the CR-V deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The CR-V’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Impreza’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the CR-V’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Impreza doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The CR-V EX-L has standard Parking Sensors to help warn the driver about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or in front of their vehicle. The Impreza doesn’t offer a front parking aid.

The CR-V has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Impreza’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the CR-V has standard Cross Traffic Monitor, helping the driver avoid collisions. Subaru charges extra for rear cross-path warning on the Impreza and its not available on the Base.

Both the CR-V and the Impreza have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 and available all wheel drive.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Honda CR-V is much safer than the Impreza Sedan:

	CR-V	Impreza
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Structure	GOOD	POOR
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	138	245
Head Peak Forces	no contact	55 G’s
Neck Tension	178 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	.91 in	1.89 in
Shoulder Force	201 lbs.	357 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.3 in	2.01 in
Torso Deflection Rate	7 MPH	10 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	1093 lbs.	1116 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	119	231
Neck Tension	45 lbs.	89 lbs.
Neck Compression	89 lbs.	178 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	.94 in	2.09 in
Shoulder Force	223 lbs.	424 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.06 in	1.69 in
Torso Deflection Rate	7 MPH	13 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	759 lbs.	825 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the CR-V its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Impreza was last a “Top Safety Pick Plus” in 2019 but no longer qualifies.

Warranty

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the CR-V for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Impreza.

There are over 68 percent more Honda dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the CR-V’s warranty.

Reliability

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 CR-V’s reliability 14 points higher than the Impreza.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. With 8 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Honda higher than Subaru.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 2 places higher in reliability than Subaru.

Engine

The CR-V’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 38 more horsepower (190 vs. 152) and 34 lbs.-ft. more torque (179 vs. 145) than the Impreza’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Honda CR-V is faster than the Subaru Impreza (automatics tested):

	CR-V	Impreza
Zero to 30 MPH	3.7 sec	3.8 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	8.8 sec	9.5 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	5.5 sec	5.7 sec
Quarter Mile	17 sec	17.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	86 MPH	84 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the CR-V’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Impreza doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The CR-V has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Impreza doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

The Honda CR-V comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Impreza.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the CR-V’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Impreza:

	CR-V	Impreza	Impreza Sport
Front Rotors	12.3 inches	10.9 inches	11.6 inches
Rear Rotors	12.2 inches	10.8 inches	10.8 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the CR-V has larger tires than the Impreza (235/60R18 vs. 205/55R16). The CR-V’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Impreza (235/60R18 vs. 225/40R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the CR-V has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Impreza.

Suspension and Handling

The CR-V has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the CR-V flat and controlled during cornering. The Impreza base model’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CR-V’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the Impreza (106.3 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the CR-V is 2.7 inches wider in the front and 3.2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Impreza.

The CR-V EX-L AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the Impreza 2.0i Limited 5-door pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

Chassis

The CR-V uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Impreza doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The CR-V has 2.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Impreza 5-door (103.5 vs. 100.9).

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the CR-V’s rear seats recline. The Impreza’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Impreza 5-door with its rear seat up (39.3 vs. 20.8 cubic feet). The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Impreza 5-door with its rear seat folded (76.5 vs. 55.3 cubic feet).

Towing

The CR-V has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Impreza has no towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The CR-V uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Impreza uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the CR-V EX-L, the memory seats make it convenient for both. Each keyless remote activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position. The Impreza doesn’t offer memory seats.

The CR-V EX-L’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Impreza doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The CR-V’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Impreza has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The CR-V EX-L’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Impreza’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

On a hot day the CR-V’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance with the keyless remote or at the outside door handle. The driver of the Impreza can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The CR-V’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Impreza’s power window switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The CR-V’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Impreza’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The CR-V’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Impreza’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

Consumer Reports rated the CR-V’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Impreza’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The CR-V’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Impreza’s headlights are rated “Marginal.”

The CR-V has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. When the ignition turns off, the headlights turn off after a delay timed to allow you to securely get to your front door. The Impreza has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the Premium/Sport/Limited.

The CR-V’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Impreza Premium/Sport/Limited.

The CR-V’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Impreza doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the CR-V and the Impreza offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the CR-V has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Impreza doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Honda CR-V EX-L has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Impreza doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Model Availability

The CR-V is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Impreza doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Recommendations

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

Motor Trend selected the CR-V as their 2018 Sport Utility of the Year. The Impreza has never been chosen.

The Honda CR-V outsold the Subaru Impreza by almost 8 to one during 2022.