Compare the2024 Toyota Corolla HybridVS 2023 Subaru Impreza

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Suspension and Handling
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Recommendations

Safety

© 1999 - 2024Advanta-STAR Automotive Research, all rights reserved. This vehicle comparison and all of the content in it are provided only by license from Advanta-STAR Automotive Research Corporation of America (“Advanta-STAR”). If you are not a legally licensed user of this vehicle comparison, it is against federal law to access it, copy it, forward it, or use it in any manner whatsoever. Any unauthorized use of this vehicle comparison is a violation of U.S. and international law and is punishable criminally and civilly. Removal of this watermark/notification without prior written license and approval received from Advanta-STAR is an agreement, understanding, and/or stipulation by the person(s), entities, agents, attorneys, and any other persons involved in the removal of this watermark/notification (including but not limited to Search Optics, LLC and any and all parent entities, sister entities, and subsidiary entities of Search Optics, LLC and/or any other entity, agent, attorney, and persons related in any manner to Search Optics, LLC) to: 1) an agreed upon amount of liquidated monetary damages of a minimum of $1,250,000.00 US Dollars in favor of Advanta-STAR; 2) the jurisdiction and enforcement of any legal claims associated with this matter asserted by Advanta-STAR in the United States Federal District Court in Portand, Oregon; and 3) service of process of any legal claims asserted by Advanta-STAR associated with this matter may be accomplished by First-Class Postage by the United States Postal Service or comparable service. XPYNN-M34HG 2a06:98c0:3600::103 2024/11/23

The Corolla Hybrid has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Impreza doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Both the Corolla Hybrid and the Impreza 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, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems 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 Toyota Corolla Hybrid is safer than the Subaru Impreza:

	Corolla Hybrid	Impreza
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	187	198
Neck Injury Risk	27%	39%
Neck Stress	243 lbs.	247 lbs.
Neck Compression	50 lbs.	50 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	27%	34%
Neck Stress	165 lbs.	208 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 Toyota Corolla Hybrid is safer than the Subaru Impreza:

	Corolla Hybrid	Impreza
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	92	165
Chest Movement	.9 inches	1 inches
Abdominal Force	129 lbs.	293 lbs.
Hip Force	330 lbs.	400 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	137	363
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	79 G’s
Hip Force	367 lbs.	715 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	13 inches
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	49 G’s
Hip Force	623 lbs.	824 lbs.

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

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 Toyota Corolla Hybrid is much safer than the Impreza Sedan:

	Corolla Hybrid	Impreza
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	99	245
Head Peak Forces	no contact	55 G’s
Neck Tension	201 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	1.1 in	1.89 in
Shoulder Force	268 lbs.	357 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.61 in	2.01 in
Torso Deflection Rate	7 MPH	10 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	150	231
Neck Tension	67 lbs.	89 lbs.
Neck Compression	89 lbs.	178 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	1.38 in	2.09 in
Shoulder Force	312 lbs.	424 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	1.69 in
Torso Deflection Rate	7 MPH	13 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Corolla Hybrid the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 64 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Impreza last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2022.

Warranty

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Corolla Hybrid for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Impreza.

There are almost 2 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Corolla Hybrid’s warranty.

Reliability

The Impreza’s redline is at 6600 RPM, which causes more engine wear, and a greater chance of a catastrophic engine failure. The Corolla Hybrid has a 4000 RPM redline.

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 Corolla Hybrid’s reliability 37 points higher than the Impreza.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Subaru is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Subaru is ranked 7th.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Corolla Hybrid gets better mileage than the Impreza Sedan:

			MPG
Corolla Hybrid
FWD	Auto	LE/XLE 1.8 4-cyl. Hybrid	53 city/46 hwy
		SE/Nightshade 1.8 4-cyl. Hybrid	50 city/43 hwy
AWD	Auto	LE 1.8 4-cyl. Hybrid	51 city/44 hwy
		SE/Nightshade 1.8 4-cyl. Hybrid	47 city/41 hwy
Impreza Sedan
AWD	Manual	2.0 DOHC flat-4	23 city/31 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.0 DOHC flat-4	28 city/36 hwy
		Sport 2.0 DOHC flat-4	27 city/36 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Corolla Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Impreza doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

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

Transmission

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

Suspension and Handling

The Corolla Hybrid has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Corolla Hybrid 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 Corolla Hybrid’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the Impreza (106.3 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

Cargo Capacity

The Corolla Hybrid has a larger trunk than the Impreza Sedan (13.1 vs. 12.3 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

The Corolla Hybrid’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 power windows standard on both the Corolla Hybrid and the Impreza have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Corolla Hybrid is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Impreza prevents the driver from operating the rear windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Corolla Hybrid’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.

If the windows are left open on the Corolla Hybrid the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Impreza can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Corolla Hybrid’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.

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 Corolla Hybrid’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Impreza’s headlights are rated “Marginal.”

The Corolla Hybrid 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 Impreza has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the Premium/Sport/Limited.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Toyota Corolla Hybrid (except LE/Nightshade) offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Impreza doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Model Availability

The Corolla Hybrid is available in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. The Impreza doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Recommendations

Both are recommended, but Consumer Reports® chose the Toyota Corolla Hybrid as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Corolla outsold the Subaru Impreza by over 9 to one during 2022.