Compare the2024 Subaru ImprezaVS 2023 Fiat 500X

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Impreza have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Fiat 500X doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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 500X doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Impreza’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the 500X and is only available on 500X Sport.

Both the Impreza and the 500X have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The Subaru Impreza achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The 500X is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the Impreza 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Fiat covers the 500X. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the 500X ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 81 percent more Subaru dealers than there are Fiat dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Impreza’s warranty.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Impreza has a standard 530-amp battery. The 500X’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 44 points higher than the 500X.

The Impreza RS’ standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (182 vs. 177) than the 500X’s 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder.

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 500X doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

On the EPA test cycle the Impreza gets better mileage than the 500X:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Impreza uses regular unleaded gasoline. The 500X requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Impreza has 3.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the 500X (16.6 vs. 12.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Impreza has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the 500X. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Impreza higher (7 out of 10) than the Fiat 500X (6). This means the Impreza produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the 500X every 15,000 miles.

The Impreza has a standard 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 500X doesn’t offer a CVT.

For better stopping power the Impreza Sport/RS’ brake rotors are larger than those on the 500X:

The Impreza’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the 500X are solid, not vented.

The Impreza stops shorter than the 500X:

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 500X AWD’s standard 60 series tires. The Impreza Sport/RS’ tires have a lower 40 series profile than the 500X Sport’s optional 45 series tires.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Impreza’s wheelbase is 3.9 inches longer than on the 500X (105.1 inches vs. 101.2 inches).

The Impreza RS handles at .83 G’s, while the 500X pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Impreza’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the 500X’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.3 feet).

The Impreza has 8.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the 500X (100.5 vs. 91.7).

The Impreza has .7 inches more front headroom, 1.5 inches more front legroom, 1.8 inches more front hip room, 2.5 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, 1.7 inches more rear legroom, 1 inch more rear hip room and 2.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the 500X.

The Impreza has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the 500X with its rear seat up (20.4 vs. 14.1 cubic feet). The Impreza has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the 500X with its rear seat folded (56 vs. 39.8 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 500X’s liftover is 31.4 inches.

The engine in the Impreza is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the 500X. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

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 Impreza’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the 500X’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

The Impreza has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The 500X only offers an automatic headlight on/off feature as an extra cost option.

The 500X Sport’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Impreza’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 500X has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Impreza Sport/RS 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 500X doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Impreza has a 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. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the 500X Sport.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the Impreza has standard rear heat vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The 500X doesn’t offer rear vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Subaru Impreza offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The 500X doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Impreza, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Fiat 500X isn't recommended.

The Subaru Impreza outsold the Fiat 500X by almost 63 to one during 2023.