Subaru Releases Pricing for 2011 Subaru Impreza Lineup

Subaru has released pricing information for the new 2011 Subaru Impreza lineup. Sales of this very popular range of compact automobiles have helped the Japanese car company maintain impressive profits during a period when the vast majority of automakers have seen their financial performance deteriorate. The good news for shoppers interested in a brand new Subaru Impreza is that compare to the current model year, 2011 prices will for the most part remain identical across the board.

The entry-level Subaru Impreza 2.5i, which comes with a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine offering 170-horsepower and 170 lb-ft of torque and which is matched with standard all-wheel drive, starts at just $17,495 for the sedan, with an additional $500 charge for the hatchback edition. Included in this price, which is the same as that of the 2010 model, is a five-speed manual transmission and fuel economy that is rated at 20 miles per gallon in city driving and 27 miles per gallon on the highway. Moving up to the 2.5i Premium trim level also maintains status quo when it comes to MSRP ($18,495 sedan, $18,995 hatchback), keeping the same extra equipment that can be found on the current Premium edition of the vehicle, but adding in some extra touches to the vehicle’s sound system. These include standard Bluetooth hands-free calling and music streaming, as well as a USB port, iPod integration and a better speaker package. Both of these vehicles can be had in two new blue paint schemes (Marine Blue Pearl and Sky Blue Metallic), which are ostensibly aimed to replace the one shade of blue that is no longer part of the Impreza palette (Newport Blue).

The Subaru Outback Sport trim, which is essentially an off-road ready edition of the Impreza hatchback that features the same drivetrain but more aggressive body cladding, better ground clearance and a number of improved interior features is priced at $19,995 – again, the same as the 2010 model. In terms of equipment changes, it too gains the better stereo system found in the 2.5i Premium, as well as two new colors of its own (Camellia Red Pearl and Sage Green Metallic), which can be selected as part of a single color paint scheme instead of the current edition’s contrasting gray plastic trim over the fender wells and bumper. This should go a long way towards improving the sometimes awkward looks of the Outback Sport.
Subaru has yet to release pricing for its turbocharged models, which for 2010 included the WRX and 2.5GT trim levels. While power for these high performance engines is not expected to change, the fact that the WRX editions will see the same flared widebody design as the high performance WRX STI model (pictured here) installed indicates that a bump in pricing could be in the cards. The base Impreza WRX currently retails for $24,995. Given the enthusiastic market for these rally-inspired models and the lack of competition at their price point, it would seem that Subaru will be able to sell just as many turbocharged Imprezas for 2011 as it did in 2010, even with a higher MSRP.