Comfort/Involvement Index: 2012 Subaru Impreza Sedan

Variety: **

Controls: *

Drivetrain: *

Handling: **

Character: *

Involvement Notes: The cornering grip and transitioning from side to side are pretty good, but the steering feel just isn’t really there. 2.0-liter engine feels overwhelmed, although the manual gearbox is actually pretty nice to use. That rings true for the rest of the cabin (at least from an Involvement standpoint), with its supportive seats and right-there driving position.

Visibility: **

Space/Seating: **

Ride/Handling: **

Acoustics: *

Controls: **

Comfort Notes: There’s not a lot extra on offer here, but good visibility, room, and a decent ride are all built into the Impreza. The material quality is improved over the last-generation model, but you won’t be confusing this interior with an Audi any time soon.

The navigation/audio system is a particularly low point for this car. It’s color theme is black and blue, which means its nearly unreadable any time the sun is up, and the controls and touchscreen responses are difficult to access and generally unresponsive. Just give us a normal radio and a Garmin.