Volvo V60 vs Subaru Impreza

What's the difference?

The Volvo V60 Cross Country’s split-personality delivers urban civility and all-wheel-drive capability. Our city-slicker week with it confirmed the latter doesn’t compromise the former. It’s sleek and refined, well equipped for the money and safety is top-shelf. 

If you have multiple kids creeping up through their teens, you might need something a bit bigger, and ownership costs like fuel economy and servicing, while not tragic, could be better.

Overall though, a thoughtfully engineered, premium mid-size wagon that expertly balances form and function. 

The 2024 Impreza delivers on all the key things which have made the nameplate so well regarded for the last 30-odd years.

The issue is, buyer expectations have moved on. Hatchbacks need to do more than ever to compete with small SUVs, and with today’s fuel prices it’s far more valuable to offer hybrid rather than all-wheel drive.

This is why, despite the sixth-generation Impreza being a tidy high-tech offering with an admirable commitment to safety, I think it will ultimately continue to shrink its market share. This Impreza really is one for the fans.

Full disclosure, I’m a long-time wagon fancier, appreciating their practicality and load capacity combined with easy, low centre-of-gravity driving dynamics. And the V60 Cross Country follows Volvo’s clean-as-a-Scandinavian-whistle design direction.

Soft curves, a gently tapering roofline and the occasional hard character line deliver a fuss-free exterior that’s contemporary and instantly recognisable as a Volvo.

Signature elements like the ‘Thor’s Hammer’ LED headlights, and tall, jagged tail-lights will be familiar to spotters of Swedish cars, and our test example’s classy ‘Thunder Grey’ paint finish enhances the understated, yet premium look.

The V60 Cross Country rides higher than the non-XC models available in other markets (197mm ground clearance vs 142mm) and adds a hint of toughness with dark wheel arch extensions, a chrome frame grille with black bars, high-gloss black side window trim and bright aluminium roof rails.

The interior is similarly understated, yet there’s plenty of visual interest thanks to the multi-layered dash, mixing soft-touch plastics and brushed metal elements with trimmed and stitched insert panels.

A portrait-oriented central multimedia screen and customisable digital instrument cluster add just the right amount of techiness, with a common-sense mix of digital and physical controls attached to various functions.

Speaking of which, the gearshift is “genuine Swedish crystal” made for Volvo by Orrefors. Not my cup of tea, but it’s distinctive.

With chubby, adjustable cushion and backrest bolsters, as well as customisable under thigh support, the front seats look racy but give nothing away in terms of comfort. The rear seats are also neatly contoured and the overall standard of fit and finish is top-shelf. 

Over the years the Impreza has changed in its design and intention so much.

Once known primarily for its sporty sedan variants, today’s Impreza is a far more contemporary hatchback, forgoing the once wagon-like shape for something with the traditional bubble silhouette to align with its rivals.

For better or worse, it also syncs up with the rest of Subaru’s range, with the brand’s current design language on full show, but it also barely evolves from the previous-generation version from the outside.

It trades the chunky square light fittings from the previous car for something a bit more refined this time around, with a similar look and feel to the WRX and Outback.

Inside also gets a similar fit-out to other Subarus in the range, complete with a raised centre console, shapely dash, and the same huge screen from the Crosstrek and Outback which dominates the space and helps simplify things compared to the busy interior and multiple screens of the previous car.

It’s a cosy space with chunky comfortable seats and the signature bumper car steering wheel is a stand-out bit of Subaru design.

Even the base car with its plastic trimmed wheel and basic cloth trims in the door is basic in an almost refreshing way, but unlike some rivals manages to be comfortable, too, thanks to soft trims for your elbows in the doors.

At just under 4.9m long, a fraction over 1.9m wide and 1.5m tall the V60 Cross Country is a ‘large’ medium-sized wagon. And a lengthy 2875mm wheelbase means there’s a generous amount of space inside.

Plenty of breathing room up front but storage is a mixed bag. The (cooled) glove box is a decent size, there’s a lidded box (which doubles as a centre armrest) between the seats, and two big cupholders in the centre console with a sliding lid to cover them. Which is great if you want to hide odds and ends in there, rather than locate a couple of large cappuccinos.

However, in front of that, the wireless charging pad takes up a flat piece of real estate next to the gear shift and another small covered section further up rolls back to reveal an awkward little space that looks like a miniature swimming pool with a 12V socket at the deep end.

The lower front door pockets are long, although sliding even medium-size bottles in them is a bit of a struggle, however there’s a useful secondary space in the centre of the armrest.

Move to the back, and sitting behind the driver’s seat, set for my 183cm position, I enjoyed more than adequate head and legroom. 

Our kids, two of which are the same height as me, were rubbing shoulders with their slightly shorter older sister, so three across the rear is do-able for short-to-medium-length trips only. And the pronounced transmission tunnel in front of the centre position makes it the short straw option. 

That said, up to mid-teenagers will be fine for the full road trip experience.

There’s adjustable ventilation control at the rear of the front centre console and in the back of the b-pillars, while the fold down centre armrest incorporates a pair of pop-out cupholders. The door bins are decent and there are netted map pockets on the front seat backs.  

For in-cabin power and connectivity there are three USB-C sockets in the front (one media, two power-only) and another two in the rear, as well as that hidden 12-volt outlet in the front.

If you’re looking for a wagon, boot space is obviously a priority and the V60 provides 648 litres of volume with all seats upright, growing to 1431L with the 40/20/40 split-folding rear seat lowered.

We were able to load in the large CarsGuide pram, with lots of room to spare, and our three-piece luggage set (36L, 95L and 124L) was also swallowed easily. 

A ski-port door in the centre rear backrest increases flexibility (but make sure those long loads are properly secured) and a fold-up cargo divider (with bag hooks on the back) is a thoughtful extra.

There are more shopping bag hooks on both sides of the boot, an extra netted space on the passenger side, a 12V socket and four flip-up anchors to safely tie-down loose loads.

The spare is an 80km/h speed-limited space saver and if you’re into towing, the V60 Cross Country is rated to haul an 1800kg braked trailer.

Also worth noting trailer-stability control is standard. Nice.

Living up to the adventure-ready Subaru promise, the Impreza's interior is quite functional.

Even though many controls have moved to the big central screen, there are individual buttons for temperature adjustment and a permanent touch function for fan speed on the lower third of the screen.

It would be nice to see a full set of physical buttons for climate functions, but this seems like a decent compromise.

Elsewhere there are large bottle holders in each door with a small accompanying pocket, two more rigid bottle holders in the centre console, a small tray behind them, and a huge armrest console box.

Under the multimedia screen there is a bay with a wireless phone charger, but like the Crosstrek, it is finished in a hard plastic material, which means your phone will easy slide around and out of the charging area in the corners, which seems like an oversight.

Adjustability is great, even in the base car, with flexible seats and a wide range of movement for the wheel, letting you easily find a suitable seating position. Width in the cabin is okay, but headroom is excellent.

The back seat offers a solid amount of room for myself behind my own seating position, at 182cm tall, but the middle position is no good for an adult thanks to the presence of a large raise in the floor to allow for the all-wheel drive system underneath.

Amenities for rear passengers are only okay in the base car, with a large bottle holder in the door and a further two in a drop-down centre armrest. There are no adjustable rear air vents or USB power outlets in the L, but outlets are added in the R and S.

Boot space is on the small side, with only 291 litres (VDA) on offer. The high floor means a limited amount of space with the luggage cover in place, although I was surprised to find we could fit the full three-piece CarsGuide luggage set once it was removed, so long as you’re okay not being able to see out the rear window.

Under the floor, the Impreza sports a space-saver spare wheel - a must-have for long-distance regional travellers.

Now in sixth-generation form, the 2024 Impreza range has been trimmed down to just one hatchback bodystyle and three trim levels - the base L, mid-spec R, and top-spec S.

True to Subaru form these variants are all priced quite close together, and the base L comes with pretty much all the kit you’ll need, with the R and S grades adding mainly luxuries to the equipment list.

Now starting from $31,490, before on-road costs, the Impreza is not as affordable as the previous-generation version, and while it manages to pack a relatively high level of standard equipment, some of its key rivals are a bit cheaper in a segment where every dollar matters.

For example, you can get into a hybrid version of Toyota’s Corolla (Ascent Sport Hybrid - $32,110) for similar money to the entry level 2.0L, the Kia Cerato can be had for under $30,000 (Cerato S Auto - $27,060) while the outgoing Hyundai i30 is significantly cheaper in its most basic trim level (i30 Auto - $26,000).

What might make you think twice is the Subaru’s standard all-wheel drive, where all of its rivals are front-wheel drive, but in an environment where fuel costs are high, I can understand why people would prefer to see a hybrid version instead.

Unlike the Impreza’s Crosstrek small SUV relation, there’s no ‘e-Boxer’ hybrid variant.

Still, standard equipment is high even on the base 2.0L. Included are 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, a massive 11.6-inch multimedia touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and you even get a matching wireless phone charger.

Elsewhere the base car gets cloth seats with manual adjustment, a plastic steering wheel, analogue instrument cluster with a small digital display, and importantly, the majority of Subaru’s very good active safety equipment is standard.

So, what do you get for stepping up the range? At $34,990, the 2.0R adds premium cloth seat trim, additional charging ports in the rear, eight-way power adjust for the driver, heated front seats, a leather steering wheel and shifter, steering responsive LED headlights, and LED fog lights.

At the top of the range, the $37,990 2.0S adds a 10-speaker audio system, built-in sat-nav, an electric sunroof, and synthetic leather seat trim.

The cabin tech, safety, and standard all-wheel drive are the real draws, but you have to want them. The Impreza isn’t the stellar value buy it once was.

The V60 is powered by a 2.0-litre, all-alloy, four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine producing 183kW (from 5400-5700rpm) and 350Nm (between 1800-4800rpm). 

Drive goes to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission then a computer controlled Haldex AWD system built around a high-pressure hydraulic pump and multi-plate transfer clutch pack.

The B in the car’s designation stands for ‘Battery Charging System’ because it features a starter/generator unit in place of a conventional starter motor.

The set-up recovers kinetic energy from vehicle braking and stores it in a small 48V battery.

The system is then able to pull power from the generator, assisting the engine with a 10kW/40Nm boost, especially when starting off from rest and under acceleration.

It also helps power the standard stop-start function and deliver relatively modest fuel consumption and emissions reductions.

But the main benefit of this type of ‘mild-hybrid’ arrangement is improved drivability, which we’ll get to in the ‘Driving’ section.

The Impreza is equipped with just one engine and transmission for its sixth-generation, a 2.0-litre (FB20) four-cylinder horizontally-opposed ‘boxer’ engine mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission, driving all four wheels via the brand’s signature ‘symmetrical’ permanent all-wheel drive system.

The FB series is a development of the successful EJ series engines which lasted from 1989-2021. This more recent engine has new material science, heads, and seals which have helped the brand push service intervals out to 12 months rather than six, and should address issues which the older engines developed over time.

Power is on-par, but not a stand-out in the segment, with peak outputs of 115kW/196Nm.

Volvo’s official fuel economy number for the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 7.4L/100km, the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four emitting 168g/km of CO2 in the process.

Over a week of city, suburban, and some freeway running we averaged 10.1L/100km, which is acceptable rather than spectacular for a 1.8-tonne five-seat wagon.

Worth noting the standard stop-start system is one of the best, thanks to the efficiency of the 48-volt starter/generator, its operation is seamless.

Minimum fuel requirement is 95 RON premium unleaded and you’ll need 60 litres of it to fill the tank.

Using the official number, that translates to a range of around 810km, which drops to just under 600km using our real-world figure.

One issue with having a non-turbo, non-hybrid 2.0-litre engine with all-wheel drive is relatively high fuel consumption. The Impreza has an official combined cycle fuel consumption figure of 7.5L/100km which is less than impressive in today’s market of hybrids and downsized turbocharged engines.

In my week of mostly stop-start city driving, the test example drank 11.1L/100km, which is disappointing.

Mercifully, it is capable of running on 91RON unleaded. For those who care, the CO2 output is officially 170g/km which is well above the 140g/km it would need to be at to avoid the wrath of incoming vehicle emissions regulations.

Volvo claims the V60 Cross Country will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 6.9 seconds, and it feels every bit that quick behind the wheel.

This mid-size wagon might weigh in at a fairly chonky 1.8 tonnes, but its engine delivers peak torque (pulling power) all the way from 1800-4800rpm, which means there’s plenty of oomph lurking under your right foot across the mid-range.

Yet that urgency isn’t manic. The drive is civilised and commendably quiet, thanks in part to active noise control cancelling out unwanted frequencies.

Suspension is by double wishbones at the front and multi-links at the rear, the latter featuring a composite transverse leaf spring rather than more commonly used coils.

The result is impressive ride comfort, even over rutted and pock-marked urban roads.

Steering feel is good, the adaptive assistance system seamlessly adjusting the weight from agreeably light at parking speeds to appreciably heavier on the highway. And despite its increased elevation the V60 Cross Country remains balanced and predictable on a twisting b-road.

Braking is by (345mm) vented discs at the front, with (320mm) solid rotors at the rear and stopping power is strong, yet progressive. 

The configurable head-up display is a welcome inclusion and an 11.3m turning circle (not to mention a clear reversing camera and 360-degree view) makes parking and similarly tight manoeuvres a stress-free undertaking. 

Volvo has thoroughly thought through in-cabin ergonomics. The previously mentioned mix of physical and on-screen controls works well, and the availability of touchscreen or voice control for various functions is a big plus.

Walking through the screens and sub-menus in the central multimedia screen is quick and intuitive.

And even though we didn’t hit the great outdoors in this test, for those who regularly do, the V60 Cross Country’s clearance angles are, approach - 17 degrees, breakover - 18.4 degrees and departure - 22.4 degrees.

Have you driven a Subaru in the last 10 years? The drive experience here is pretty much uniform with the rest of the automaker’s range.

This means a lot of very appealing traits. For example, the new Impreza has a comfortable, compliant ride, really nicely weighted steering, and solid handling even on slippery surfaces courtesy of the all-wheel drive system.

The FB series engine also has a good bit of pull fairly early in the RPM range which makes it deceptively spritely, although power really hollows out the more you push it.

This makes it nice to drive around town, but less impressive when it comes to overtaking on the freeway.

This is reinforced by the continuously variable automatic which lends the engine a thrashy, rubbery character when pushed, but is nice and predictable at lower speeds.

The rev-happy engine is also quite noisy when a lot is asked of it, and like a lot of Japanese cars, but Subarus in particular, tyre roar picks up in the cabin above 80km/h.

It’s a comfortable and family-friendly drive, and I particularly like the way the plethora of active safety systems sit by the wayside and don’t interfere with the overall experience.

It is just a bit of a shame it doesn’t move the drive experience forward by a huge amount. The current Impreza doesn’t feel meaningfully different from the fifth-generation version which debuted in 2016.

The majority of active safety equipment is standard across all three Impreza variants including auto emergency braking up to freeway speeds with reverse auto braking, lane support systems, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, lead vehicle start alert, driver attention alert, and adaptive cruise control.

Stepping up to the 2.0R or 2.0S nets you the front parking camera for a 360-degree parking suite, and high-beam assist for the LED headlights.

Expect the usual traction, brake, and stability controls, alongside the more modern torque vectoring system and an impressive suite of nine airbags. The new Impreza is yet to be rated by ANCAP.

The V60 Cross Country is covered by Volvo’s five year/unlimited km warranty, which is the current industry standard, with eight years roadside assistance as part of the deal.

Recommended service interval is 12 months/15,000km and Volvo offers capped-price servicing over three- or five-year periods. 

Three years comes in at $1750 (an average of $583 annually) and five years is set at $3000 ($600 annual average). 

Not over the top, but not exactly cheap, either. However, the set price means you can fold maintenance costs into a finance package if you’re purchasing the car that way.

Subaru offers its fairly standard five-year and unlimited kilometre warranty on the Impreza, with 12 months of roadside assist included.

There is also a five-year fixed-price service program covering the first 75,000km, although it’s nowhere near as affordable as the Corolla or i30, coming in at an average annual cost of $464.64.

The Impreza needs to be serviced once every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.