2020 Subaru Impreza gets EyeSight safety tech, $100 price increase

We recently saw the Japanese version of the 2020 Subaru Impreza after a subtle mid-cycle update, and now comes word of the American version, which follows the same script in appearance but has a few new tricks up its sleeve. Subaru adds $100 to the starting price for the four-door version, which starts at $19.595, including destination, while the five-door hatchback is priced from $20,095.

The big news is the addition of EyeSight, Subaru’s suite of driver-assist safety technologies, as standard on all models equipped with its continuously variable transmission, which is available on all four trim levels (Standard, Premium, Sport and Limited). That gets you automatic pre-collision braking and throttle management, lane-keep assist, lane-departure and sway warning, and lead vehicle start alert, which is essentially a heads-up alert to hit the gas when the vehicle in front of you has started moving from a stop. New for 2020 is the option of adding rear seat reminder to check the rear seat occupants before leaving the car.

Unlike in its native country, Americans buyers can still get an Impreza with a five-speed manual. It’s available on the Standard trim for the sedan and on the Standard and Sport models in the hatchback. The trade-off for driving stick, Subaru tells us, is that you give up the option of EyeSight. Steering-wheel paddle shifters are now available on CVT-equipped Premium models and above to pair with a seven-speed manual-mode function, and drivers can now select between Intelligent and Sport modes of throttle management as a standard feature.

Also new are automatic power door locks with a collision-detection unlock function, standard on all trims, new 18-inch alloy wheels and active torque vectoring

Visually, the car looks pretty much the same as the Japanese version, with a revised grille and front bumper cover, a wide air dam stretching across the entire face of the bumper and L-shaped chrome bracket trim book-ending it. Five-door models only get a new design on the combination lights. There’s also a new color option called Ocean Blue Pearl.

The engine remains the same as before, a 2.0-liter four-cylinder boxer making 152 horsepower and 145 pound-feet of torque. Fuel economy tops out at 36 mph on the highway and 28 in the city, with a range of 450 miles.

Other standard features include the Starlink 6.5-inch multimedia touchscreen and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration.

The 2020 Impreza arrives in showrooms later this month.