Subaru Impreza vs Honda Civic Hatchback

The 2024 Subaru Impreza presented a more aggressive and sporty style compared to its predecessor. It featured a larger, more angular grille and narrower headlights that gave it a serious, focused look. Unlike other Subaru models, the Impreza maintained body-coloured wheel arches, and the RS trim added side skirts for a low-slung appearance. The rear haunches had flared fenders, suggesting a wider and more athletic stance than the Honda Civic or Mazda 3 hatchback. Inside, the Impreza boasted a modern look with a vertical 11.6-inch infotainment touchscreen standard on higher trims, while the Convenience model had two 7-inch displays. The RS trim added racy red stitching and upholstery accents, and materials quality was commendable, with soft-touch materials in key areas. The 2024 Impreza's styling was more of an evolution, with the infotainment touchscreen being a standout feature.

The 2024 Honda Civic Hatchback, particularly in Sport Touring trim, offered a mix of dowdy and sporty looks depending on the angle and lighting. Our test car, in Boost Blue with 18-inch alloy wheels, mostly appealed to us, though the rear end appeared a bit stubby. The Sport Touring trim sat atop the lineup in Canada, with base prices ranging from $36,094 to $39,594. The Civic Sport Touring justified its price with quality materials, elegant detailing, and technology. The dashboard featured metal honeycomb mesh, knurled knobs for controls, and high-resolution digital instrumentation and infotainment screens. The attention to detail was remarkable, making the Civic Hatchback a sophisticated choice.

The 2024 Subaru Impreza offered two engine choices. In Canada, the Convenience and Touring trims came with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine producing 152 horsepower and 145 pound-feet of torque. The RS and Sport-tech models upgraded to a 2.5-litre engine with 182 hp and 178 lb-ft of torque. Both engines were paired with a CVT, and all trims except the base model included steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles. The manual transmission option was no longer available. All-wheel-drive with active torque vectoring was standard across all trims. The RS model, the sportiest in the lineup, was more responsive than expected from a CVT, with adequate acceleration. Handling was sporty, aided by AWD, and the ride quality remained comfortable over rough surfaces. The Impreza RS compared well with the Honda Civic Si sedan and base Mazda 3 hatchback, offering sporty performance without sacrificing ride comfort.

In Canada, the 2024 Honda Civic Hatchback skipped the 2.0-litre engine available in other markets and defaulted to a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine with 180 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque. The Sport Touring trim offered a choice between a six-speed manual and a CVT with paddle shifters and a Sport driving mode. Our test car had the CVT, which, despite some high-rpm groaning, took advantage of the turbo engine's torque. The Civic Sport Touring felt light and lively, adding enjoyment to daily commutes and errands. It was fun to drive on twisty roads, comparable to the Mazda3 Hatchback in driving enjoyment. However, the Civic was loud on the highway, and its fuel economy averaged 7.8 L/100 km during testing. The manual transmission offered slightly better fuel efficiency.

The 2024 Subaru Impreza's cabin favoured function over form, with logically placed controls and good outward visibility. The rear seats were more accommodating than expected, with ample headroom and legroom for six-footers. The cargo area offered 578 litres of space, expandable to 1,586 litres with the seatbacks folded down. The Impreza accepted various roof racks for outdoor gear, though it wasn't rated for heavier overlanding tent platforms.

The 2024 Honda Civic Hatchback offered appealing features across trims. Standard equipment included dual-zone climate control, heated mirrors, seats, and steering wheel, and a power sunroof. The Sport Touring trim added leather upholstery and an eight-way power driver's seat. The rear seat was roomy, with USB ports but no air conditioning vents. The cargo area provided 693 litres of space, with the potential to double when the rear seat was folded down.

The 2024 Subaru Impreza featured an 11.6-inch touchscreen multimedia system with large on-screen buttons and physical knobs for volume, tuning, and temperature. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were standard, with wireless connectivity on higher trims. The RS and Sport-tech trims included a 10-speaker Harman Kardon audio system. The infotainment system was user-friendly, with intuitive menus and smart organization.

The 2024 Honda Civic Hatchback's Sport trim had a 7-inch digital instrumentation panel and touchscreen infotainment system, while the Sport Touring trim upgraded to a 10.2-inch digital display and a 9-inch touchscreen. The upgraded system added wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM, HD Radio, navigation, and wireless charging. A 12-speaker Bose premium sound system was standard on the Sport Touring trim. The infotainment system was easy to use, with quick and accurate voice recognition.

The 2024 Subaru Impreza came with Subaru's EyeSight suite of safety features, including frontal collision warning, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, and lane-centring. Higher trims added blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and automatic emergency steering. The safety features performed well, with no false alarms or intrusive actions.

The 2024 Honda Civic Hatchback was equipped with Honda Sensing, which included forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, traffic jam assist, and automatic high-beam headlights. Blind-spot monitoring was standard, with rear cross-traffic alert and parking sensors exclusive to the Sport Touring trim. The Civic Hatchback earned top crash-test ratings from the IIHS and NHTSA, though the adaptive cruise control was slow to respond in some situations.