Subaru drops Impreza, XV base models, increases prices

The cost of entry into the Subaru Impreza and XV ranges has gone up, with the Japanese brand dropping the entry-level 2.0i variants of both.

Additionally, prices are up by between $400 and $500 across all surviving variants, with Subaru Australia citing increased production costs.

That means the Impreza range now opens at $26,490 before on-road costs for the 2.0i-L sedan, while the 2.0i-L opens the XV range at $32,390 before on-roads.

There have been no other changes made to Subaru’s small car and SUV ranges for 2022.

Subaru drops Impreza, XV base models, increases prices — ***Impreza 2.0i-L***

“In-line with Subaru Corporation’s ‘Towards Zero’ commitment of zero fatal accidents in a Subaru vehicle by 2030, and in recognition of features that are becoming increasingly standard across the segments, the MY22 Impreza and XV line-up has been updated to include Subaru EyeSight Driver Assist technology as standard across all variants,” said a spokesperson for Subaru Australia.

“As a result, the Impreza 2.0i-L AWD and the XV 2.0i-L AWD will be repositioned as the new entry level variants of the revised range.”

The base 2.0i variants of the Impreza and XV ranges were the only ones lacking the EyeSight suite of active safety and driver assist features, which includes autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist and adaptive cruise control.

With these features now standard across the range, the Impreza and XV better matches rivals like the Toyota Corolla and C-HR and Mazda 3 and CX-30.

Features like blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and automatic high-beam remain exclusive to up-spec models, however, in contrast with the rival Mazdas where these are available across the range.

The defunct 2.0i variants were among the few vehicles in their respective segments to lack standard AEB, something that’s become commonplace in the Australian market.

The 2.0i variants had been priced around $2000 less than the 2.0i-L models, but it was more than just safety features that you got for the extra spend.

Over the old 2.0i models, the Impreza and XV 2.0i-L continue to receive a larger 8.0-inch touchscreen, plus dual-zone climate control and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter.

The 2.0i trim level accounted for approximately 18 per cent of Impreza sales and 13 per cent of XV sales.

The XV is one of Australia’s most popular small SUVs. With 9342 sales in 2021, it was outsold in its segment only by the MG ZS (18,423), Mitsubishi ASX (14,764), Mazda CX-30 (13,309) and Hyundai Kona (12,748).

But in the small car segment, the Impreza is well behind key rivals. Last year, Subaru sold 3642 Imprezas, below the Toyota Corolla (28,768), Hyundai i30 (25,575), Kia Cerato (18,114) and Mazda 3 (14,126).