Despite Subaru’s new generation Impreza 2.0 Sport being packed with fresh, innovative features, including EyeSight® safety technology, it will remain priced at a very sharp $29,990.
A staggering 95% of this MY17 model Impreza 2.0 Sport has changed but Subaru of New Zealand have been able to negotiate with Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) - the maker of Subaru vehicles - for the RRP to stay the same as the previous generation Impreza. The new Imprezas will begin arriving in Subaru authorised dealerships from mid-February.
Subaru of New Zealand Managing Director Wallis Dumper is thrilled the company has been able to release the good pricing news earlier than the original February 1 deadline.
“The stable New Zealand economy and foreign exchange have obviously helped. We have been in robust discussion with FHI Japan about the RRP as we know the car is packed with new safety features like EyeSight and with our Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, plus a two litre Boxer engine it could easily have ben a lot more - so we know the value is astonishing.
“But the reality is that we are on limited production and this market segment is volatile. Competitors constantly move to discount positions with two wheel drive or small engine models as they strive for volume. Getting an apples with apples comparison is really tricky in this segment so we retained our focus on a best value price position that hopefully avoids all the uncertainty of apples versus oranges (or lemons) comparison.
“Impreza 2.0 Sport presents the discerning buyer, who enjoys driving but has a focus on safety, with the opportunity to discover the invisible advantages of All-Wheel Drive and do so in a vehicle that’s got impressive retained value and enough grunt to do a family trip to the mountain or the bach,” Mr Dumper says.
The Subaru Impreza 2.0 Sport is the Boxer-engined baby-beauty of the Subaru family in terms of size, yet it now has a grown-up inventory of safety, interior, exterior and design highlights.
On the inside, highlights include a new generation 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system featuring Apple CarPlay™ and Google Android Auto™. While on the exterior, the Impreza 2.0 Sport sits on the Subaru Global Platform that will underpin all new models over the coming decade.
Drawing on the brand’s signature contemporary design themes, Impreza 2.0 Sport achieves greater interior space, plus a sporty, wide and low exterior presence. Impreza 2.0 Sport also now joins Subaru’s other EyeSight-equipped Subaru models – which include all Outbacks, the Levorg, the Forester Premium and XT, and all Legacy variants.
Mr Dumper says: “capability and safety - underpinned by the reassurance of our Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive – are at the heart of the Impreza 2.0 Sport. The inherent safety this engineering feature brings by spreading the driving force across all four wheels, means greater control for those simple tasks such as turning across city intersections on slippery, rainy winter days, to Kiwis heading off the sealed highways for their weekend getaways or adventures. As we like to say, ‘Impreza we trust’.”
The New Zealand-specification Impreza 2.0 Sport will utilise Subaru’s Lineartronic (Continuously Variable) Transmission that provides the flexibility of auto to manual shift through the sporty paddle shift controls. Its direct injection engine achieves 115 Kilowatts of power at 6000 rpm and 196 Newtonmetres of torque at 4000 rpm.
Mr Dumper says: “This new Impreza 2.0 Sport really has achieved a significant shift - with its safety, design, styling, road dynamics, infotainment, quality, performance and innovation - making it a stand-out small car offering.”
“We thought it was something special and were pleased to find Autocar shared our enthusiasm when editor Kyle Cassidy wrote in the latest edition that the magazine would confidently name the Impreza 2.0 Sport the winner of its under $30k class in its Car of the Year awards, even with 11 months of the year left to go,” Mr Dumper says.
Subaru Public Relations
Catherine Pattison
T +64 27 455 389
E catherine.pattison@subaru.co.nz