Impreza in the Market

The improved Impreza stands to steal buyers away from brands that have taken their eyes off the ball. Its interior quality has jumped, right when some class leaders have foolishly allowed their interiors and feature sets to decay. By upping the mileage, Subaru has addressed one of the shortcomings of having standard all-wheel drive, but the Impreza doesn't improve much on the pricing. Say what you will of the dumbed-down Volkswagen Jetta; at least it came with a price decrease.

To truly excel in the compact-car market, the Impreza needs to convince buyers that the all-wheel drive for which they'll pay a premium has advantages beyond foul-weather traction. While all-wheel drive can provide this advantage in sporty cars, I fear the 2012's body roll and modest power keep it from doing so.

    See also:

    Shift lock function
    The shift lock function helps prevent the improper operation of the select lever. • The select lever cannot be operated unless the ignition switch is turned to the “ON” position and the brake pedal i ...

    To temporarily cancel the cruise control
    The cruise control can be temporarily canceled in the following ways. ● Press the “CANCEL” button. ● Depress the brake pedal. ● Depress the clutch pedal (MT models only). χ ...

    Select lever
    : Shifting is possible with the brake pedal depressed. : Shifting is possible whether the brake pedal is depressed or not. However, while the ignition switch is in the “LOCK” or “Acc” positio ...