Compared: 2024 Honda Civic vs. 2024 Subaru Impreza
These two compact hatchbacks have stood the test of time, but for different reasons.
Subaru | Honda
QuickTakes:
The Honda Civic and Subaru Impreza are two compact cars that have stood the test of time in the U.S. market. The Civic is more than 50 years old, and the Impreza is more than 30.
The Civic offers the familiarity and dependability Honda buyers have come to expect, with an added dose of turbo power in many versions as well as a choice between sedan and hatchback body styles. The Subaru gives drivers the confidence of standard all-wheel drive and is only available as a hatchback. Each vehicle offers different advantages over the other, from price to fuel economy.
Subaru
Impreza Undercuts Civic Hatchback on Price
The 2024 Civic Hatchback has four trim levels. A base LX starts at just over $26,000. The EX-L trim introduces a more potent turbocharged engine and starts around $30,000. The Civic's top trim, the Sport Touring, starts at about $33,000.
The 2023 Subaru Impreza keeps things pretty simple with just three trim levels. The Base trim starts just north of $24,000, undercutting the Civic by about $2,000. The mid-tier Impreza Sport starts at about $26,000, and the top trim, the RS, starts around $29,000.
Honda
Civic Hatchback Is FWD Only, Impreza Gets Standard AWD
The most significant difference between these two compact hatchbacks is that the Subaru Impreza comes standard with all-wheel drive, while the Honda Civic only comes with front-wheel drive.
The Civic's Sport and Sport Touring trims, however, can be optioned with a six-speed manual transmission, while all Imprezas come with an automatic transmission.
At 184 inches, the Civic is nearly 8 inches longer than the Impreza, which measures 176.2 inches. This translates to just under an inch of added second-row legroom. The Civic's cargo volume is 24.5 cubic-feet behind its second row, while the Impreza offers just 20.4 cu-ft.
Both the Civic and Impreza can be had with power driver's seats, but only the Civic has an available four-way power passenger's seat, which comes on its top trim.
The Impreza's largest available infotainment screen is larger than the Civic's, and is available on more trims. Impreza Sport and RS models get an 11.6-inch infotainment screen, while the Civic tops out with a 9.0-inch unit, which is available exclusively on the top-spec Sport Touring trim.
On the other hand, only the Civic offers a fully digital instrument cluster, though it's again limited to the Sport Touring trim.
Subaru
Civic Hatchback Is More Efficient
The Civic's base engine is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 158 horsepower. Paired with an automatic transmission, the hatchback version is rated for 29/37/32 mpg city/highway/combined, while manual-equipped hatchback models are rated at 26/36/29 mpg.
The engine in the Civic's upper trims is both more potent and more efficient than the base offering. Civic EX-L and Sport Touring models get a 180-hp 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. Civic hatchback models with this 1.5-liter turbo and an automatic transmission are rated at 30/37/33 mpg, while those fitted with a manual are estimated to return 28/37/31 mpg.
The 2024 Subaru Impreza has two available engines, both of which come with automatic transmissions; a manual is not available. A standard 152-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder is rated at 27/34/30 mpg, while the RS model's 182-hp 2.5-liter four-cylinder returns 26/33/29 mpg.
