Subaru Impreza (New) or Honda Civic 2.0 or Toyota Altis (Upcoming)

[ianmitsulancer]

I'm considering a new car soon for office transport with a budget of around 1M and has to have A/T. Since I will have a driver sometimes, rear legroom and ride comfort has to be good enough.

I'm curious especially about the new Impreza because I like hatches and the price is tempting. But from experience in Subaru cars (as a passenger only), WRX turbo had a very uncomfortable ride and the Outback, while it was a big car actually had very tight space inside (but interior quality is so nice, much better than WRX).

For those who have seen one already, how do you find its interior space? Compared to the current Civic or Altis, which has the biggest interior?

For the guys planning to buy a new car soon,, which model would you go for? The Impreza, Civic 2.0, or wait and see for the new Altis (although there's alot of info already on the net)?

How's Subaru resale usually? Is it similar with most brands (aside from Toyota & Honda) or better?

Thanks!

the new corolla altis is disappointing- but if u want it, go for the 1.8V ONLY!

the Civic 2.0 S-L is still interesting, you can go for that as i presume the best seat in the house will be the back!

the Impreza is ok. its a hatch so this car is a no-no for your family trips with a lot of bags! The AWD is impressive, but as u mentioned that this will be for office transport, i don't see the need for this feature- unless your job description requires highway driving.

please wait for the Lancer GT. its design philosophy will shoot several birds with one stone! promise!

[silverseeker]

Ganda yung bagong Impreza.....Pero iisa pa lang casa ng motorimage
eh.....Kung tatlo na casa nila dito sa metro manila eh pwede na.....

Mura lang resalve value ng subaru.....

So mag CIVIC ka na lang....

yup..isa lang kasa nila so if your somewhere far from GHILLS medyo mahirap...pero it's not true that suabru's resale value is low...:D...well in that view even, subaru owners don't sell their cars just for the sake of selling it..:D..Quality is good..

Pero if it's for your daily drive and a your a budget conscious driver, go for the civic..:D

[pup2]

yup..isa lang kasa nila so if your somewhere far from GHILLS medyo mahirap...pero it's not true that suabru's resale value is low...:D...well in that view even, subaru owners don't sell their cars just for the sake of selling it..:D..Quality is good..

Pero if it's for your daily drive and a your a budget conscious driver, go for the civic..:D

Balita ko nga tumataas na resale ng Subaru dahil mas maganda na aftersales ng MI kesa GM at dahil ayaw din magbenta ng mga Subaru owners a short time after buying! -- Heck, I won't either. It's just too fun to drive!

Would you believe I drove to Vigan just on a fun ride and to buy a few longanisa? Overnight lang!

Pero totoong mas malakas siya sa gas kumpara sa Civic -- pero di sasakit likod mo kaya tipid ka sa PT.

[istan]

the Impreza is ok. its a hatch so this car is a no-no for your family trips with a lot of bags! <-

Why??? I'm thinking that the hatch...is made for cargo. More space..u can pile it up.

[SaberRider]

Eto nalang, Si 200hp baby!



Balak sana ibenta.

[bruton]

i suggest that you wait for the upcoming lancer. it looks very promising, esp the zinc paddle shifts. weewew!!

[ryan]

Thanks sa comments, I almost forgot about my original thread. And yes, the Lancer is very promising as I got to test drive it recently.

But actually, my preference has changed since then. I realized that if I'm going to spend on a new car, might as well get something I'll really like. So right now, I'm kinda considering getting a mid-sized sedan like Camry, Accord, or Mazda 6.

[[archie]]

for me, no contest na to, subaru impreza... hands down lalo na yung upcoming na sti model.

[Jun aka Pekto]

Thanks sa comments, I almost forgot about my original thread. And yes, the Lancer is very promising as I got to test drive it recently.

But actually, my preference has changed since then. I realized that if I'm going to spend on a new car, might as well get something I'll really like. So right now, I'm kinda considering getting a mid-sized sedan like Camry, Accord, or Mazda 6.

Tough choices. But, for the best-looking and sportiest, the new Mazda 6 got the other 2 cars beat. It's got the lines of a much more expensive sedan. At least that's what I think of the new Mazda 6.

Otherwise, it's a tossup. The Camry's been around longer. So, any factory bugs should've been worked out already. The new Accord's bigger and also heavier than the outgoing model. But reviews about it seem good.

I've test-driven only the V6 Camry which had very good merging speed when getting on the freeway (from 25mph to 80mph). The sales rep allowed me to punch it which I did.

I wish I can test drive the new V6 Accord and V6 Mazda 6 (when it gets here). It's highly unlikely because we're shopping around for a minivan this time around.

[jun_mazda]

maganda yung subaru pero ung 4wd nito ay overrated.

sa tingin niyo 2.0 n/a 150bhp kailangan ng 4wd dba parang hirap ang makina dyan? kung dito lang naman sa city ka magdadrive dba mo naman papakinabangan yung 4wd nito, pero kung sa mountain pass ibang usapan na yan.

[[archie]]

maganda yung subaru pero ung 4wd nito ay overrated.

sa tingin niyo 2.0 n/a 150bhp kailangan ng 4wd dba parang hirap ang makina dyan? kung dito lang naman sa city ka magdadrive dba mo naman papakinabangan yung 4wd nito, pero kung sa mountain pass ibang usapan na yan.

sir AFAIK, when you have a 4wd car it maximizes the power of the engine. hindi kaladkad yung rear wheels. with its engine na aluminum block and head, the power to weight ratio is great.

[niky]

Only if the engine has the power to overwhelm the tires. And with just 2 liters and this much weight, that's notgoingtohappen.com For a front-driver in this weight class to overwhelm its tires, it needs at least 200 hp. Or better yet, at least 200 ft-lbs of torque.

I'm pushing close to 170-180 hp, but I don't have enough torque to overwhelm the tires except on the racetrack. It's only in racing conditions that the AWD will prove to be a big factor... as it allows for less mid-corner understeer (though corner entry and corner exit understeer will still be similar) and even then, you have to balance the extra grip with the penalty of extra weight.

That's why front-wheel drive cars are still quicker than Subies and Evos on the BRC. It's cost vs. gain. And the cost of weight doesn't equal the gain in handling... not on such a tight course.

[Jun aka Pekto]

That's why front-wheel drive cars are still quicker than Subies and Evos on the BRC. It's cost vs. gain. And the cost of weight doesn't equal the gain in handling... not on such a tight course.

An AWD system adds about 300 lbs average to the weight of the car. That's like having 2 extra people riding with you which in a car with a small engine, is a big disadvantage.

[pup2]

Madali naman yata pataasin yung HP ng Impreza -- dun mahilig yung mga modders. Ewan ko lang yung torque kung natataas and how much.

Rough roads aside, sa pogi points lamang ng malaki yung Impreza -- can't really tell it apart from the Rex except from the front.

[[archie]]

if i was to compare civic altis and the impreza in an everyday use, impreza will certainly be more fun to drive. from a sedan, they converted the new one to a hatchback to lessen the weight. the 4wd will be easier to handle (less understir) than fwd. even if you have extra weight because of the 4wd, its for the everyday use and not meant to be raced on the tracks.

if you put in a turbo kit and other mods to the impreza then its a different story.

[Jun aka Pekto]

Is there a side by side comparo of the 3 somewhere?

Some random thoughts going on in my head:

- Subaru 4-cylinders (meaning the N/A ones) have the thirst of a V6 minus the hp. The 2.5i (170hp) has a gas mileage of (city/hwy) 20/27. Even the 3.3L (235hp) V6 of my car gets 20/30. The turbo 2.5L gets even less. But at least the turbo versions have quick acceleration to compensate for the lousy gas mileage. I'm not sure what the gas mileage of the 2.0 (148hp) is. But, I doubt it can match or even approach the 26/34 of the 1.8L Civic.

- The N/A Impreza probably has a much softer suspension than the WRX. As far as handling goes, it might as well be a totally different car. Subaru isn't like Honda which tends to keep the same suspension within the same model line (eg the Accord 4-cyl and Accord V6). AWD isn't going to compensate for a soft suspension. Sure, AWD will keep the tires pointed in the right direction. But, what's the point if the rest of the car wants to go the other way because of the soft suspension? I think the Civic's still the more agile car.

On the other hand......
- Subaru's near the top when it comes to safety. Peace of mind alone may compensate for the Impreza's inferior fuel economy.

- Although I don't care much for AWD except in the snow, if it's free, I'll take it. It's standard on the Impreza. That's a plus.

As for the Civic..... There's good reasons why so many people choose it and it's not just because of a "me-too" attitude. Same goes for the Toyota.

[pup2]

Is there a side by side comparo of the 3 somewhere?

Some random thoughts going on in my head:

- Subaru 4-cylinders (meaning the N/A ones) have the thirst of a V6 minus the hp. The 2.5i (170hp) has a gas mileage of (city/hwy) 20/27. Even the 3.3L (235hp) V6 of my car gets 20/30. The turbo 2.5L gets even less. But at least the turbo versions have quick acceleration to compensate for the lousy gas mileage. I'm not sure what the gas mileage of the 2.0 (148hp) is. But, I doubt it can match or even approach the 26/34 of the 1.8L Civic.

- The N/A Impreza probably has a much softer suspension than the WRX. As far as handling goes, it might as well be a totally different car. Subaru isn't like Honda which tends to keep the same suspension within the same model line (eg the Accord 4-cyl and Accord V6). AWD isn't going to compensate for a soft suspension. Sure, AWD will keep the tires pointed in the right direction. But, what's the point if the rest of the car wants to go the other way because of the soft suspension? I think the Civic's still the more agile car.

On the other hand......
- Subaru's near the top when it comes to safety. Peace of mind alone may compensate for the Impreza's inferior fuel economy.

- Although I don't care much for AWD except in the snow, if it's free, I'll take it. It's standard on the Impreza. That's a plus.

As for the Civic..... There's good reasons why so many people choose it and it's not just because of a "me-too" attitude. Same goes for the Toyota.

hehe. Baka kaya it's hard to tell whether NA or Turbo yung mga Subaru -- sinasadya. I've HAD a Civic. It was super-efficient and reliable. The Toyota was similar (if on a lesser scale in my somewhat biased opinion, pero slightly faster).

Pero it wasn't a driver's car. It would NOT make you want to tack on the miles just because the driving's so fun and comfy. Also, while the CIVIC's FE is great, its sister the CRV is quite thirsty -- more than my FXT pa nga. Somewhere in there, I guess we can say the power-to-weight is the one responsible.

I've never driven an NA subby pero yung sa cousin ko na NA got slightly modded and is now as fun and comfy a drive as mine. Pero Foresters yung amin, di ko alam sa Imprezas kung iba ang suspension setup. Sa forester, pareho yata.

[Memphis Raines]

As I've always observed, Impreza owners are happy owners

[niky]

if i was to compare civic altis and the impreza in an everyday use, impreza will certainly be more fun to drive. from a sedan, they converted the new one to a hatchback to lessen the weight. the 4wd will be easier to handle (less understir) than fwd. even if you have extra weight because of the 4wd, its for the everyday use and not meant to be raced on the tracks.

if you put in a turbo kit and other mods to the impreza then its a different story.

Well... how many times do you experience endemic understeer?

I've been reviewing cars for the past two years. And I push these cars hard. Believe you me, in normal driving (or even at the limit driving), the difference between front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive cars in terms of propensity to understeer is even less than the difference between different front-wheel drive cars. In fact, many rear wheel drive cars will understeer badly into a corner... the supposedly "sporty" Mercedes C200K being notable in this regard.

AWD only minimizes understeer midcorner... as it's easier to balance on the throttle... but it's dependent on the programming of the center differential. A Subaru has very little understeer, yes, but a Mazda6 and a Subaru Legacy have very similar handling envelopes, despite the latter being AWD.

But understeer? All cars understeer. How much depends on how "naughty" the manufacturer makes them. In this regard, a Honda Jazz, Suzuki Swift or a Ford Focus isn't very different from a Subaru Impreza in that they're all a bit "naughty".

[[archie]]

well actually, i just experienced to have understir a few months back and a friend of mine told me that sana 4wd na lang or may LSD oto mo para hindi ka naunderstir.

greater traction and control daw when you have 4wd kasi the left rear wheel tends to "free wheel" when your turning on a left curve. but with 4wd the wheels keep on spinning and you have more control of the car.