Compare the2023 Subaru ImprezaVS 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
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 Outlander Sport doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 Outlander Sport doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Impreza. But it costs extra on the Outlander Sport.

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 Outlander Sport doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

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 Outlander Sport 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 Outlander Sport 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, 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 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport:

	Impreza	Outlander Sport
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	198	208
Neck Stress	247 lbs.	412 lbs.
Neck Compression	50 lbs.	90 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	237/379 lbs.	334/511 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	117	251
Neck Injury Risk	34%	43%
Neck Stress	208 lbs.	221 lbs.
Neck Compression	70 lbs.	91 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	76/57 lbs.	394/494 lbs.

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

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Subaru Impreza Sedan is safer than the Outlander Sport:

	Impreza	Outlander Sport
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Restraints	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Head injury index	78	84
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Steering Column Movement Rearward	0 cm	1 cm
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Max Chest Compression	21 cm	28 cm
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	1%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Tibia index R/L	.62/.68	.68/.36

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 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport:

	Impreza	Outlander Sport
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	400 lbs.	518 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	715 lbs.	794 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	17 inches
HIC	201	365

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 7.4% to 9.6% less likely to roll over than the Outlander Sport, 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 Outlander Sport is not a “Top Safety Pick.”

Warranty

The Impreza’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Outlander Sport’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are almost 2 times as many Subaru dealers as there are Mitsubishi 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 Mitsubishi vehicles. With 35 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Subaru higher than Mitsubishi.

Engine

The Impreza’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 4 more horsepower (152 vs. 148) than the Outlander Sport’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Subaru Impreza is faster than the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder (automatics tested):

	Impreza	Outlander Sport
Zero to 60 MPH	9.3 sec	10.1 sec
Quarter Mile	17.2 sec	17.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	83 MPH	78.4 MPH

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 Outlander Sport 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 Outlander Sport:

			MPG
Impreza 5-door
AWD	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
Outlander Sport
AWD	Auto	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
		2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/28 hwy

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 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport (5). This means the Impreza produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Outlander Sport every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Impreza stops much shorter than the Outlander Sport:

	Impreza	Outlander Sport
60 to 0 MPH	124 feet	137 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	140 feet	143 feet	Consumer Reports

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 Outlander Sport S’ standard 70 series tires. The Impreza Sport’s tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Outlander Sport ES/LE/SE/GT’s 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Impreza 2.0i Limited 5-door handles at .80 G’s, while the Outlander Sport 4WD pulls only .76 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 Outlander Sport SE 4WD (27.9 seconds @ .6 average G’s vs. 29 seconds @ .55 average G’s).

Chassis

The Subaru Impreza may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 150 to 300 pounds less than the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport.

The Impreza is 7.5 inches shorter in height than the Outlander Sport, making the Impreza much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

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 Outlander Sport doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Impreza 5-door has 3.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Outlander Sport (100.9 vs. 97.5).

Cargo Capacity

The Impreza has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Outlander Sport with its rear seat folded (55.3 vs. 49.5 cubic feet).

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

Servicing Ease

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

Ergonomics

The Impreza’s front power windows 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 Outlander Sport’s passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

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 Outlander Sport doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Outlander Sport’s standard power locks don’t automatically lock the doors. The Impreza’s standard doors lock when a certain speed is reached. This is an important feature for occupant safety. Locked doors are proven to open less often in collisions, and they are also effective in preventing crime at traffic lights.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Impreza has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Outlander Sport only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Impreza Premium offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Outlander Sport 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.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Impreza has standard extendable sun visors. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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 Outlander Sport has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Impreza Auto has a standard Adaptive Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

Model Availability

The Subaru Impreza comes in sedan and station wagon bodystyles; the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 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 $1010 to $3255 less than the Outlander Sport 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 Outlander Sport only retains 47.78% to 49.36%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Impreza is less expensive to operate than the Outlander Sport because typical repairs cost much less on the Impreza than the Outlander Sport, including $162 less for a water pump, $70 less for a muffler, $127 less for fuel injection, $269 less for a fuel pump and $716 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 $5157 to $6792 less than for the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport.

Recommendations

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

The Subaru Impreza outsold the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport by 88% during 2022.