Compare the2025 Subaru ImprezaVS 2025 Toyota Corolla Hatchback

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Impreza have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Toyota Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Impreza are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Impreza has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the Impreza and the Corolla Hatchback have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Subaru Impreza is safer than the Toyota Corolla Hatchback:

	Impreza	Corolla Hatchback
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	22.4%	27%
Leg Forces (l/r)	265/291 lbs.	330/310 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	170	356
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches
Neck Stress	158 lbs.	165 lbs.
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	86 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Impreza is safer than the Toyota Corolla Hatchback:

	Impreza	Corolla Hatchback
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.9 inches	.9 inches
Hip Force	6 lbs.	330 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Subaru Impreza is safer than the Corolla Hatchback:

	Impreza	Corolla Hatchback
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	178 lbs.	201 lbs.
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	134 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis	GOOD	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	892 lbs.	1339 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Neck Compression	67 lbs.	89 lbs.
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	736 lbs.	1026 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Impreza, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 1.2% less likely to roll over than the Corolla Hatchback, which received a four-star rating.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Toyota vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru first in overall reliability. Toyota is ranked third.

Engine

The Impreza RS’ standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 13 more horsepower (182 vs. 169) and 27 lbs.-ft. more torque (178 vs. 151) than the Corolla Hatchback’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Impreza RS 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder is faster than the Toyota Corolla Hatchback:

	Impreza	Corolla Hatchback
Zero to 60 MPH	7.4 sec	8.6 sec
Quarter Mile	15.7 sec	16.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90.1 MPH	85.9 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Impreza lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Impreza’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Impreza has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Corolla Hatchback (16.6 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Impreza Sport/RS’ brake rotors are larger than those on the Corolla Hatchback:

	Impreza	Impreza Sport/RS	Corolla Hatchback
Front Rotors	11.6 inches	12.4 inches	11.5 inches
Rear Rotors	11.2 inches	11.2 inches	10.5 inches

The Impreza’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Corolla Hatchback are solid, not vented.

The Impreza stops shorter than the Corolla Hatchback:

	Impreza	Corolla Hatchback
60 to 0 MPH	127 feet	135 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Impreza’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the Corolla Hatchback (105.1 inches vs. 103.9 inches).

The Impreza RS handles at .83 G’s, while the Corolla Hatchback XSE pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Impreza RS executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Corolla Hatchback XSE (27.7 seconds @ .6 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Impreza’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the Corolla Hatchback’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

Chassis

The front grille of the Impreza uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Impreza a Large car, while the Corolla Hatchback is rated a Compact.

The Impreza has 15.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Corolla Hatchback (100.5 vs. 84.6).

The Impreza has 1.4 inches more front headroom, .9 inches more front legroom, 1.2 inches more front hip room, 2.9 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, 6.6 inches more rear legroom, 7.7 inches more rear hip room and .8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Corolla Hatchback.

Cargo Capacity

The Impreza has a much larger trunk with its rear seat up than the Corolla Hatchback (20.4 vs. 17.8 cubic feet).

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Impreza is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Corolla Hatchback. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Subaru service is better than Toyota. J.D. Power ranks Subaru third in service department satisfaction. With a 38% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 24th.

Ergonomics

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Impreza has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Impreza’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer the luxury of automatic dimming mirrors.

The Impreza has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Corolla Hatchback XSE.

Compared to the Toyota Corolla Hatchback, the Subaru Impreza eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its optional integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru Impreza and the Toyota Corolla Hatchback, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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