Compare the2024 Subaru ImprezaVS 2024 Toyota Prius

The Subaru Impreza has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Prius doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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 Prius doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below average.

As tested in Motor Trend the Impreza RS 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder is faster than the Toyota Prius 2.0:

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 Prius 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 Prius doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Impreza has 6.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Prius AWD’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 10.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Impreza has 5.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Prius FWD’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 11.3 gallons).

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

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 Prius are solid, not vented.

The Impreza stops shorter than the Prius:

For better traction, the Impreza has larger standard tires than the Prius (205/55R16 vs. 195/60R17). The Impreza Sport/RS’ tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Prius (225/40R18 vs. 195/60R17).

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 Prius LE’s standard 60 series tires. The Impreza Sport/RS’ tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Prius XLE/Limited’s 50 series tires.

The Impreza is 4.9 inches shorter than the Prius, making the Impreza easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Impreza a Large car, while the Prius is rated a Mid-size.

The Impreza has 9.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Prius (100.5 vs. 91.2).

The Impreza has 1.8 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front hip room, 1.5 inches more front shoulder room, 1.6 inches more rear headroom, 1.7 inches more rear legroom, 1.5 inches more rear hip room and 2.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Prius.

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

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

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 Prius’ headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

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 Prius has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the XLE/Limited.

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 Prius 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 Prius offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

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 Prius doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.