2025 Subaru Impreza AWD: Regular Car Reviews

[00:03] to borrow the Impreza? I know you're meeting your girlfriend's family tonight, so you want to seem as non-threatening as possible. You want them to know their daughter is safe to drive with you because nothing happens

[00:15] when you mash the pedal except empathy for people who put holes in the drywall when their printer jams. You need them to know this is a household that donates $3 to Wikipedia every month. We still get the why haven't you donated yet,

[00:31] to know the complete history of the first generation Honda Ridgeline. Here, go ahead. Take the keys. Drive a car so anemic your future in-laws will wonder if Subarus can have an iron deficiency.

[00:45] who will give them grandchildren right after marriage instead of after third period. What do you say, son? What do you mean you're dating a boy?

[00:57] The 2025 Subaru Impreza is the ultimate stepdad car because it's trying really hard to get you to like it. It's trying to wear you down into acceptance, but it never feels like it truly cares about who you are, right? It doesn't try to

[01:13] learn anything about you. You don't get memory settings on the mirrors for the base trim, and the seats are manually adjustable only in 2025. You don't get drive modes, you don't get rear vents for the AC. The base model,

[01:29] you need a USB cord to even get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It's just a CarPlay and Android Auto. It's just a bare-bones car that provides stability in a life that's increasingly unstable. You know, dad's life insurance wasn't

[01:43] enough, so now you have an interloper in your house drinking all your milk, stealing all of your mother's electrolytes, and then calling you pal. His favorite burner on the stove is the bottom right, and he's not sure if your

[01:57] birthday is June 5th or June 11th, but he's already got a crisp $20 bill with with your friends to celebrate your birthday in September, he'll lend you

[02:09] the Impreza, and then hit you with the six most limiting words in the English language. Don't do anything I wouldn't do. I'm the Roman, and I like everything, for the most part. So, I've created a

[02:24] show whose purpose is to find a car so irredeemable, even I wouldn't like it. This is Race to the Bottom, and today, I'm driving the 2025 Subaru Impreza to

[02:36] see if it can finally be the one. This episode of Regular Car Reviews is sponsored by Lasfit. These are custom-made 3D laser-scanned floor mats that fit perfectly into OEM footwells. Now, most of the time, when you see

[02:52] videos like these, you're seeing them coming fresh out of the wrapping, going showing you right now. These are the Lasfit floor mats after they went through a solid winter here on the Northeast, complete with salt, slush,

[03:06] dirt, >> and human slime. This is how easy they are to clean. Unhook them from your floor anchors, or in the case of the one in the trunk, just pull it out. As for the floor mats in the center of the back

[03:20] seat, I'm using a vacuum to quick get up all the road gravel. Then, I pull them out. And here's the great thing about Lasfit mats. Just soapy water, a little brushing, and spray it down with more plain water. Now, take your favorite rag

[03:33] and wipe them off. No more messing around with a heavy vacuum trying to get sand and all sorts of stuff out of carpet. Do yourself a favor, pick up some Lasfit mats. They also cover much more area than the OEM mats. They get

[03:48] underneath the pedals in the driver's seat. They get underneath the front seats from the rear seats. They're also made from premium TPE material and odors. Look at that, they look like

[04:01] they're new again. So, just click the link in the description and use code RCR Once again, click the link in the description and use code RCR to save money on the Lasfit website. Thank you. The 2025 Subaru Impreza is the car you

[04:16] get when your dream vacation is Harrisburg because you're an adult now. You're off your parents' insurance. The world was your oyster, but then you picked a lane, so now you've got to commit to it. So, here you go, Subaru

[04:29] Impreza, a car for the guy who let his high school guidance counselor badger him into a digital marketing career. Few cars better represent the golden age of compromise than this because it may not have been what you wanted, but the

[04:44] 2025 Subaru Impreza is an endlessly defensible purchase for the post-desire economy where you're actively discouraged from wanting things, but expected to buy all of the things to keep the world turning.

[05:00] It's not fun, but practicality is the new fun anyway, so shut up and sign the coordinates to go find your mother-in-law. Sign on the line. And when you look at it as a mature, responsible decision, it makes sense.

[05:16] Standard all-wheel drive, a comfortable interior, under 25,000 before dealer fees, and decent enough fuel economy to create some distance from the pump so that you don't really have to be living there all the time. I

[05:31] mean, come on, why wouldn't you want a WRX with a Klonopin prescription? This is the most mellowed-out car you can get without going through a ride-share service. If you told me these cars came from factory stocked with Altoids,

[05:46] bottled water, and a reminder note to leave a five-star rating, I would believe you. But then part of its charm is that it's completely lacking in ambition. Because coloring outside the lines might be more fun, but the picture

[06:00] you get from coloring inside the lines is way more satisfying. The engine is the 2-liter Subaru boxer four-cylinder making 152 horsepower and

[06:12] 145 pound-feet of torque paired with a Lineartronic CVT and symmetrical all-wheel drive. Fuel economy is around 27 miles per gallon city, 34 highway, and 30 combined, which is less than the Civic and the Corolla, although range on

[06:28] a full tank is estimated to be around 498 miles, which makes this great for long hauls since it's also quite comfortable. I really didn't have any problems with ride quality here. The four-wheel independent suspension feels

[06:43] planted and balanced. And you know, maybe it's just that it's so new, but even on these bumpy roads, it was still a fairly smooth ride if completely undramatic. The drive itself isn't all that engaging, you know, the steering

[06:57] isn't that tight and the straight-line acceleration isn't much to get excited acceleration isn't much to get excited over. 0 to 60 from factory is quoted at 9 seconds and this felt like it was fighting to get there. But at the end of

[07:10] the day, I still feel like it's delivering on what you paid for for the I will say that even once I'd merged and I kept my foot on the floor, I still didn't risk breaking the speed limit. Because while it holds the speed it

[07:26] gives you well enough, I guess I kept waiting for aggression that never But again, this isn't a car that's designed to floor you with straight-line acceleration. Its appeal is rooted in consistency and its lack of overt

[07:43] complication for lack of a better term. I won't say it's minimalist, but it's not It doesn't feel over-engineered. I'll say that. I'll also say that it looks athletic at least, but more in a guy in an infomercial for home gym

[07:59] equipment who's already ripped sort of way. It has these sculpted body lines and scowling front fascia and galvanized steel panels looking simultaneously like it's meant to be intimidating to preschoolers, but not so threatening

[08:14] it'll trigger a heart attack in anyone with 70% blockage, you know? It's a strictly cosmetic aggression that isn't backed up through its performance. Sort of like an athlete who sucks in bed. If this car were a person, it'd be a guy

[08:29] who's told to clock out because his wife is sick of him doing it wrong. 2025 Subaru Impreza, the official car of "Just go to bed. I'll finish myself." Now, I had a great time filming this with my volunteer Nick, who I really

[08:44] should have asked him this before I wrote the script. If nothing else, I like working with other Nicks because I feel like we're a dying breed. Maybe many other things and parents don't want to put that kind of burden on them. But

[08:58] as Nick explained to me, this is equipped with the stop-start function, driving it. But I don't consider that a negative at all because it was hotter than a well digger's inseam, climbing above 91°

[09:14] and I know some of you are laughing in West Coast or tropical climate, but over in these parts that was pretty hot. And so I was relieved to find out that the AC in this thing is outstanding, but only when the engine is actually

[09:29] running. Accessory mode AC is as ineffective as a teacher's threat to cancel a field trip. The deposit is paid, Mrs. Weckle. The buses have been scheduled. The bagged lunches have been arranged. Maybe one or two kids get

[09:45] stuck cleaning chalkboards, but we're taking that tour of the Limerick power plant, no matter what. So, yeah, the AC was nice, and I didn't have to to have its function interrupted in any way. So, this is one of those rare instances

[09:59] where a lack of functionality actually helped things, in my opinion. But, there are some other positives that are intrinsic to the model. This weird double DIN infotainment system, I don't hate it. Mostly because it's not

[10:13] some giant iPad that wants you to notice it. It probably demanded the least attention of any modern infotainment system that I can recall. And yet, because there is always an and yet, this gets touted as a

[10:29] great family car, but if that's true, then I feel like it should really have more room than this. If you're seating three across, I imagine it would get pretty tight. And while you get around 20 ft of cargo

[10:43] space with the seats up and 56 cubic feet with the seats down, it seems cramped if you're packing for anything more serious than a day trip to the beach, which brings me back to the lack of vents for the rear passengers.

[10:56] Because how do you build a domesticated road trip car that virtually guarantees complaining children? The AC system is good, but it's not so good that I felt like I was getting enough air back there while changing the batteries in my

[11:11] cameras. And yet, whatever objections you might have get flattened out by the refrain that this is what you're supposed to want, because it's fiscal responsibility wearing the blue oval and stars.

[11:26] 2025 Subaru Impreza. The automotive equivalent of a lecture from a trusted adult. Is your mother lonely, but you hate the idea of having some balding, polo shirt-wearing realtor named Greg taking

[11:40] up space in her bed before your father's imprint has even flattened out? It's time for you to get the latest in stepdad-surpassing technology. Stepdad Box,

[11:54] the only subscription box that helps give your home the impression that a man lives there who's counting down the days until he can kick out all of his wife's kids. Now featuring new items that have just

[12:07] arrived for 2026: a can of genuine Midwestern elbow grease, a spatula that causes hand cramps if it detects you flipping a burger more than once, a votive candle of former Pennsylvania Governor Ed

[12:21] Rendell, a T-shirt from a regional automotive dealership, a junk mail coupon from an HVAC company, a pair of New Balance sneakers with obstructed view tickets to Coldplay stitched into the insoles, a mixed CD that's just 12

[12:35] different covers of Wagon Wheel, a key ring with 11teen keys half of them to places he no longer has legal access, like his college apartment and his ex-daughter's storage facility, a basketful of mixed brand AA batteries, a

[12:50] 12-pack of store brand Dr. Pepper, and a certificate for an unearned sense of moral authority. And then that. And as a bonus, viewers who use promo code bonus, viewers who use promo code Attaboy 1 will get a free voice recorder

[13:04] with all the classic stepdad lines: "I don't care who started it. I'm ending it. I'm not one of your little friends. I'm not the bad guy. Don't make me the bad guy. I didn't ask for an argument. I asked you to do it. You talk a big game

[13:19] for somebody who doesn't pay any bills around here. Your mother is the only reason I'm not charging you rent. I'm not here to win a popularity contest. Your mother might put up with this kind of disrespect, but I don't. Things are

[13:32] going to change around here. Look, I don't like being this person. >> try that answer again, pal? So, check out our website, enter the promo code, and take full advantage of this deal while supplies last, which is

[13:46] this deal while supplies last, which is likely to be a very long time. I think now, more than in a lot of times throughout history, financial responsibility is seen as a sort of moral good. Because people get put on

[14:01] blast on social media for mismanaging their finances. YouTubers like Caleb Hammer have literally built an entire platform on roasting people for poor money management. Car enthusiasts get clowned on for expensive, nonsensical

[14:16] modifications. Hell, we're part of it for clowning on Cybertruck drivers. No, I won't apologize. I stand by my assessment that it's Fisher-Price brutalism. Not because it looks like a Fisher-Price product, but because it

[14:30] looks like a child's branded understanding of art that foregoes ornamentation in the name of function. Either way, financial responsibility has become equivalent with morality, and I'm not entirely sure why, other than the

[14:46] notion that it means you're responsible in other facets of your life. But, if that were true, we'd probably hold the wealthy in higher moral esteem, right? Yet, we don't, because the only ethical rich person is a poor person imagining

[15:00] what they'd do if they were rich. And so, cars like the Subaru Impreza are socially reinforced representatives of morality. Practicality is moral. Responsibility is moral. Selflessness is

[15:17] moral. And those are all concepts that the Impreza reinforces with its value. You're giving up fun in favor of the practical because you have responsibilities, and even if the only person you're supporting is yourself,

[15:32] there's a certain selflessness that goes into putting your wants aside in favor of utility. You're a grown-up. You're part of the collective now. Who needs a fun car when fun doesn't accomplish anything?

[15:46] And look, doing the responsible thing will always be good. Take care of yourself. Take care of your own. There's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing really wrong with this, either. But, I do think there's a way to achieve

[16:01] do think there's a way to achieve responsibility while still having fun. As the saying goes, there has to be joy during the revolution. But, it feels more and more normalized for blandness to be institutionally and socially

[16:15] reinforced. So, here, drive something everyone can agree on. The car that couldn't possibly stir the passions because it isn't meant to. The 2025 Subaru Impreza is the living embodiment of compromise because it's just enough

[16:32] car to do whatever you could plausibly need it to do, but it doesn't do any of it so well that you develop any kind of affection or reverence for it. I have this car that supports me to support myself. Cool.

[16:48] But, that doesn't mean we're friends. And so, I bring it back to my tortured analogy because it is like a teenager whose mom remarries because, well, stepdad may be making the mortgage payments, but if the only conversation

[17:01] he ever feels like having with me is about the new Dick's Sporting Goods opening in our area 2 miles away from the other Dick's Sporting Goods in our area, then I don't really owe him a card on Father's Day.

[17:15] In that sense, our household has an understanding. I need him for the roof over my head, and he needs me because I'm part of the package that comes with his wife. And similarly, you have an understanding

[17:30] with the Impreza. You need me to drive you, maintain you, and pay for your existence. And I need you to get me to the places where my life happens. You don't owe me fun,

[17:46] You don't owe me fun, but I don't owe you applause, either. bottom five? No. It falls right through the ass crack

[18:01] of the race to the bottom. Neither top five nor bottom five, so both lists remain the same. I really want to thank Nick for volunteering and coming through on such short notice. I can't begin to express to you how much I appreciated

[18:16] your volunteering and how much I enjoyed our day. Truly, I am so, so thankful for But, if you think you have a car that can win the race to the bottom, a car so

[18:28] bad that I'll find nothing redeemable about it, or you have a car that you really think Brian would want to drive, and you're willing to come to us in southeastern Pennsylvania, email me at [email protected].

[18:49] whether it's for race to the bottom, RCR, or either. Like, comment, subscribe, share the video, tap the bell icon so you're notified for every new video. Merch links in the description. And if you want to support this channel

[19:05] in the biggest possible way, hit us up on Patreon for just a a a month where you can get videos early and ad-free along with other exclusive content you're not going to get here. I appreciate the hell out of you and I

[19:19] truly, sincerely thank you for watching. truly, sincerely thank you for watching. Have an outstanding rest of your week.