I'll be moving across the country to Boston soon, and I'll need to buy my first car. The 2024 Subaru Impreza and Toyota Prius look pretty good to me, but I'm not sure which one to pick.
Driving Habits / Expectations
- Mostly suburban. I plan to live 5-15 minutes away from work. Might do city or highway driving on the weekends, but nothing major.
- Boston weather. Snow in the winter, humid in the summer, occasional rain in the spring.
- I drive pretty conservatively. I don't accelerate too hard, and I always try to brake early and smoothly.
- I plan to keep the car as long as possible (i.e. until replacing it makes more financial sense)
- If it matters, I'm in my early/mid 20s and have about 1 year's worth of driving experience in my parents' 2017 Subaru Outback.
The biggest factors I'm considering are price and the powertrain (gas vs hybrid). Depending on the trim level, the Impreza's MSRP is around $23-25k, while the Prius is around $28-31k. But I'm wondering if the Prius might save me more in the long run if the hybrid systems gives me better mileage (27/34 vs 57/56 city/highway). I know Scotty isn't a fan of hybrids due to the repair costs, but he's also said the Prius is pretty decent.
Also, I've been warned that it snows in Boston, and I've never driven in those conditions. And this has given me so many more questions.
- Would a Prius be fine driving in the snow?
- Is AWD actually necessary, or is FWD fine?
- Impreza is AWD only. Prius has an AWD version for an extra $1500
- Are heated seats recommended? Or a waste of money?
- Could the cold damage the Prius's battery?
- Unrelated, but is the plug-in version worth it on the Prius? (Costs an extra $4k)
As a side note, if anyone wants to suggest a third alternative, I'm looking for a hatchback or station wagon in that general price range. Needs to be able to fit a large-ish bike if I fold the seats down (sedans make this difficult). Not a fan of SUVs, crossovers, or pickups, since I want good mileage.
I have a Gen 2 Prius with 300K miles since the beginning. But I live in Southern California, so we really don't have snow. In general I think either car will be fine in Boston climate. Have a look for yourself, do you see a Prius's on the road in Boston? Or are they sparse? How about he Impreza. If the Prius couldn't handle that climate, you probably wouldn't see any of them.
- Would a Prius be fine driving in the snow?
In theory it should be fine with snow tires.
Is AWD actually necessary, or is FWD fine?
Scotty says FWD for the snow with snow tires. I am skeptical, but I don't really drive in snow, so I trust Scotty's judgement on this.
- Impreza is AWD only. Prius has an AWD version for an extra $1500
Subaru has one of the best all wheel drive systems out there. And the Prius has one of the best hybrid systems out there.
- Are heated seats recommended? Or a waste of money?
In Southern California, waste of money. Because you would hardly ever use it. Where it is cold, I think it would be well worth it. Especially if you get the Prius. It takes a little time for the heater to get going in any car, because the car needs to be warm to create the heat. But with heated seats, it's almost instantaneous.
- Could the cold damage the Prius's battery?
There is a temperature range that the Prius battery is good for. I don't memorize. It's usually the extreme cold or extreme hot. Boston, I think the Prius battery should be fine. A little further up north, then maybe not.
- Unrelated, but is the plug-in version worth it on the Prius? (Costs an extra $4k)
The plug-in version is worth it if you do a TON of city driving, and you have easy access to charging. Like a TON. You gotta do the math of gas prices and how long it would take to recoup the extra $4K (or more, as dealers usually sell plugin at way over MSRP).
I much prefer the Prius, only because I know Prius a little better. But I wouldn't shy away from an Impreza. Those are fun little cars.
I lived in New England for several years in the early 1980s and had no trouble getting around in front-drive cars. People there know how to deal with snow. However, early 4WD cars like Subaru 4WD wagons and AMC Eagles were highly prized in the area since they do give you an edge in severe weather. It's at least as important though to have good winter tires.
As far as costs, run the numbers and calculate how long it will take for gas savings to make up for the higher initial price of the Prius.
Oh, and once you have heated seats in winter you'll never want to be without them.
Just a small update in case anyone is interested:
I ended up getting the Impreza. I wanted the Prius, but there just weren't any in stock. Every dealership I contacted said I'd have to wait several months. One even estimated it'd take almost half a year!
Nevertheless, I'm still pretty happy with my Impreza. It does everything I need, and the mileage is amazing!
I'm really grateful for all the feedback I've gotten from Scotty and you guys on the forum!
Good choice. Imprezas can be good cars if you keep up with maintenance. They are easy for DIY work.
They are not bad cars, I was about to suggest a hatchback corolla. Subaru has been tempting for me being in the catskills, but my old awd Matrix does fine. Just make sure to ignore the advice of the dealership, and change the trans fluid every 30k, and do the transfer case/diffs once in a while too. The biggest thing for winter, get true winter tires. With them, a subaru can get through most anything.
Thanks for your feedback.
