Compare the2023 Subaru ImprezaVS 2023 Jeep Renegade

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
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 Renegade doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 Renegade doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Impreza and the Renegade 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, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, 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 Jeep Renegade:

	Impreza	Renegade
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	198	207
Neck Stress	247 lbs.	332 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	237/379 lbs.	343/366 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	117	363
Chest Compression	.7 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	34%	35%
Neck Stress	208 lbs.	221 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	76/57 lbs.	290/322 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 Jeep Renegade:

	Impreza	Renegade
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
Hip Force	715 lbs.	1157 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	201	314

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 8.4% to 13.3% less likely to roll over than the Renegade, which received a three-star to 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 Renegade last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2019.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Impreza has a standard 530-amp battery. The Renegade’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 26 points higher than the Renegade.

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 Jeep vehicles. With 8 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Subaru higher than Jeep.

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 Renegade doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Impreza 5-door gets better mileage than the Renegade:

			MPG
Impreza 5-door
	Manual	2.0 DOHC flat-4	24 city/31 hwy
		Sport 2.0 DOHC flat-4	22 city/30 hwy
	Auto	2.0 DOHC flat-4	28 city/36 hwy
		Sport 2.0 DOHC flat-4	27 city/35 hwy
Renegade
	Auto	1.3 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
		Trailhawk 1.3 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Impreza uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Renegade 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 Jeep Renegade (6). This means the Impreza produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Renegade every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Impreza offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and sportiness. The Renegade doesn’t offer a manual 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 Renegade doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Impreza stops much shorter than the Renegade:

	Impreza	Renegade
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Impreza’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Renegade Trailhawk’s standard 65 series tires. The Impreza Sport’s tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Renegade’s optional 45 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Impreza’s wheelbase is 3.9 inches longer than on the Renegade (105.1 inches vs. 101.2 inches).

The Impreza 2.0i Limited 5-door handles at .80 G’s, while the Renegade Trailhawk pulls only .73 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Impreza 2.0i Limited 5-door executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Renegade Trailhawk (27.9 seconds @ .6 average G’s vs. 29 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

Chassis

The Subaru Impreza may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 400 pounds less than the Jeep Renegade.

The Impreza is 9.2 inches shorter in height than the Renegade, making the Impreza much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

The design of the Subaru Impreza amounts to more than styling. The Impreza has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .29 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Renegade (.36 to .37) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Impreza get better fuel mileage.

For excellent aerodynamics, the Impreza has standard flush composite headlights. The Renegade has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

Passenger Space

The front step up height for the Impreza Sedan is 6.7 inches lower than the Renegade (12.7” vs. 19.4”). The Impreza Sedan’s rear step up height is 5.6 inches lower than the Renegade’s (14” vs. 19.6”).

Cargo Capacity

The Impreza has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Renegade with its rear seat up (20.8 vs. 18.5 cubic feet). The Impreza has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Renegade with its rear seat folded (55.3 vs. 50.8 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 Renegade’s liftover is 30.2 inches.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Impreza is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Renegade. 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 Renegade doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its SiriusXM Guardian can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Impreza has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Renegade doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Renegade’s optional cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Impreza Limited’s standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

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 Renegade offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Impreza Limited has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Renegade doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

Model Availability

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

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Impreza owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Impreza will cost $260 less than the Renegade over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Impreza is less expensive to operate than the Renegade because typical repairs cost much less on the Impreza than the Renegade, including $9 less for a water pump, $157 less for a muffler, $149 less for front brake pads, $201 less for a starter and $113 less for front struts.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Impreza will be $2353 to $4387 less than for the Jeep Renegade.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Impreza, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Jeep Renegade isn't recommended.

The Subaru Impreza outsold the Jeep Renegade by 12% during 2022.