Compare the2024 Volkswagen JettaVS 2023 Subaru Impreza

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Jetta has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, 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.

The Jetta has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Impreza’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Jetta has standard Rear Traffic Alert and automatically engage the brakes. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Impreza and its not available on the Base and the Impreza’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

Both the Jetta and the Impreza have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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 and rearview cameras.

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 Volkswagen Jetta is safer than the Subaru Impreza:

	Jetta	Impreza
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	101	165
Chest Movement	.9 inches	1 inches
Abdominal Force	188 lbs.	293 lbs.
Hip Force	317 lbs.	400 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	306	363
Spine Acceleration	56 G’s	79 G’s
Hip Force	554 lbs.	715 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	13 inches
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	49 G’s
Hip Force	627 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 Volkswagen Jetta is much safer than the Impreza Sedan:

	Jetta	Impreza
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Structure	GOOD	POOR
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	226	245
Head Peak Forces	no contact	55 G’s
Neck Tension	245 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	1.06 in	1.89 in
Shoulder Force	245 lbs.	357 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.85 in	2.01 in
Head Protection	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Passenger Injury Measures
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	178 lbs.
Shoulder Deflection	1.97 in	2.09 in
Shoulder Force	379 lbs.	424 lbs.
Torso Deflection Rate	10 MPH	13 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Warranty

The Jetta comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car. The Impreza’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Jetta’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Impreza’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Jetta for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Impreza.

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Jetta has a standard 140-amp alternator. The Impreza’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Jetta has a standard 540-amp battery. The Impreza’s 530-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Jetta third among compact cars in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Impreza isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Volkswagen vehicles are more reliable than Subaru With 9 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Subaru.

Engine

The Jetta’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 6 more horsepower (158 vs. 152) and 39 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 145) than the Impreza’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Jetta
	Manual	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/42 hwy
	Auto	S 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	30 city/41 hwy
		SE/SEL 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/40 hwy
Impreza Sedan
	Manual	2.0 DOHC flat-4	23 city/31 hwy
	Auto	2.0 DOHC flat-4	28 city/36 hwy
		Sport 2.0 DOHC flat-4	27 city/36 hwy

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

Transmission

A six-speed manual is standard on the Volkswagen Jetta, with closer gear ratios for better performance and a lower final drive ratio for quieter highway operation, less engine wear and better fuel mileage. Only a five-speed manual is available for the Impreza.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Jetta	Impreza
Front Rotors	11.3 inches	10.9 inches

The Jetta stops shorter than the Impreza:

	Jetta	Impreza
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	138 feet	140 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

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

The Jetta has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Impreza doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Jetta S handles at .83 G’s, while the Impreza 2.0i Premium Sedan pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Jetta S executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Impreza 2.0i Premium Sedan (27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Cargo Capacity

The Jetta has a much larger trunk than the Impreza Sedan (14.1 vs. 12.3 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

When different drivers share the Jetta SEL, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Impreza doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Jetta’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 Jetta and the Impreza have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Jetta 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 Jetta’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 Jetta SE/R-Line/SEL/SEL Premium the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows with the driver’s door power window switch. The driver of the Impreza can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Jetta’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Impreza’s power window switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Jetta’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Impreza’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Jetta SEL to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Impreza doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Jetta’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 Jetta 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.

The Jetta’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Impreza Premium/Sport/Limited.

Both the Jetta and the Impreza offer available heated front seats. The Jetta SEL also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Impreza.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Jetta SEL keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Impreza doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Jetta SEL’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Impreza doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The Jetta SE/SEL’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 Impreza doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volkswagen Jetta SEL has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Impreza doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Jetta is less expensive to operate than the Impreza because it costs $91 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost less on the Jetta than the Impreza, including $6 less for front brake pads.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Volkswagen Jetta and the Subaru Impreza, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Volkswagen Jetta outsold the Subaru Impreza by 24% during 2022.