Hoped I Would Love It
After hearing many of my friends and colleagues rave about Subarus for most of my adult life, I decided to splurge and buy a new (and newly redesigned) 2017 Impreza. I test drove a sport in another color, and it was okay- I wanted the AWD for the winter since I didn't want to install chains, and I wanted the sport because I wanted a car I wouldn't hate as a daily driver. It really seems to be underpowered, and the interior noise is a bit loud. I think a 2.5L engine option would be a huge improvement. My decision was a compromise, which is often not a good choice. I ordered the sport version in red, and waited for several months for it to arrive. First impression was not too good. I didn't like the red color, and then, within 4 days of ownership, the windshield cracked for no good reason. That took another several months to replace, and lasted a few months before cracking again, in the same location- just right of the rear view mirror- and I was driving only on dry and rain covered, paved roads. I have used the car several times in the PNW in snow, and it is good if the snow depth is no more than an inch or two. I attempted to drive in deeper snow this winter and it was easily high-centered and I had to dig it out. Again, compromises have repercussions. The car reviews identified the entertainment system as the biggest owner complaint, but I assumed this was a silly complaint by folks with too much tech time on their hands. Who cares if the fancy entertainment system doesn't interface well withyour phone? Well, turns out I do.I have owned this car for almost 5 years now and use my Android phone in it every day. I have to connect my phone via cable to the car to get the system to control the phone and even then, if my husband walks by the garage when the ignition is on, my car immediately connects wirelessly to HIS iPhone. In the brief periods when my phone is connected to the car's entertainment system, none of my contacts are accessible through the car interface and I have to manually dial every time I want to call home. I have rented other car makes that acknowledge my phone, copy my contacts, connect wirelessly, and operate hands free much better than my own car. Then, the coup d'grace happened while driving over the mountain pass a few days ago in a January snow storm- all dashboard warning lights illuminated all of a sudden- Check Engine, Eye Sight, Hill Holder, Lane Keep, Auto Brake, Cruise Control. The car was driving fine and continued to drive fine (thankfully) but I darn near drove off the road when every warning light on the car came on at the same time. After doing internet research after I limped home, turns out this is a known design of the car alerting system- it's called the Christmas tree effect- and Subaru designed it to "get your attention". What a ridiculous design, and I know a thing or two about flight deck/pilot/driver interface design. Look, if you want a good daily driver (if uninspired) on paved, generally plowed roads, you want all the safety bells and whistles, you aren't afraid of a bunch of dashboard warning lights and you can keep the car within about 100 miles of a dealership/repair shop, then this may be a good car for you. If you want a good performing car, with some gitty-up, real 4WD capability, and a phone connection that you can actually use, then look at buying another car.
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