Compare the2024 Subaru ImprezaVS 2023 Nissan Versa

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 Nissan Versa doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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 Versa 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 Versa doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Impreza Sport/RS 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 Versa doesn’t offer a GPS response system, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Impreza and the Versa 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, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The Subaru Impreza weighs 438 to 724 pounds more than the Nissan Versa. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Impreza has a standard 130-amp alternator. The Versa’s 120-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 8 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

The Impreza’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 30 more horsepower (152 vs. 122) and 31 lbs.-ft. more torque (145 vs. 114) than the Versa’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Impreza RS’ standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 60 more horsepower (182 vs. 122) and 64 lbs.-ft. more torque (178 vs. 114) than the Versa’s 1.6 DOHC 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 Versa doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Impreza’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 Versa doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Impreza has 5.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Versa (16.6 vs. 10.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Subaru Impreza comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Versa.

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

The Subaru Impreza has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Only rear drums come on the Versa. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

For better traction, the Impreza has larger standard tires than the Versa (205/55R16 vs. 195/65R15). The Impreza Sport/RS’ tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Versa (225/40R18 vs. 205/55R16).

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 Versa S’ standard 65 series tires. The Impreza Sport/RS’ tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Versa SR’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Impreza has standard 16-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Versa S. The Impreza Sport/RS’ 18-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels on the Versa SR.

The Subaru Impreza’s wheels have 5 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Nissan Versa only has 4 wheel lugs per wheel.

For superior ride and handling, the Subaru Impreza has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Nissan Versa has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Impreza’s wheelbase is 2 inches longer than on the Versa (105.1 inches vs. 103.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Impreza is 1.1 inches wider in the front and .9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Versa.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Impreza a Large car, while the Versa is rated a Compact.

The Impreza has 11.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Versa (100.5 vs. 88.9).

The Impreza has .3 inches more front headroom, 4.2 inches more front hip room, 3.7 inches more front shoulder room, 1.7 inches more rear headroom, 5.5 inches more rear legroom, 3.1 inches more rear hip room and 1.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Versa.

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the Impreza’s hatch uses concealed beam hinges that don’t intrude into the cargo area. Its intrusive beam hinge reduces the Versa’s useful trunk space.

The Impreza’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Versa S Manual doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

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

The Impreza’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch. The Versa 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 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 Versa’s power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Impreza has a standard rear wiper. The Versa doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

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

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Impreza has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Versa doesn’t offer cornering lights.

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 Versa offers 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 Versa doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Impreza’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 Versa doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

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

The Subaru Impreza outsold the Nissan Versa by over two to one during 2022.