In some regards the Volkswagen Golf and the Subaru Impreza are very different, yet in others they're very much alike.
Choosing between them isn't as straightforward a process, then, as choosing between, say, a Fiat 500 and a Ram 1500, or a Lamborghini and a dirt bike.
Both cars go about filling the same niche in the market, but how they go about it is where the differences start to come in.
First Out Of The Blocks
Both have a reasonable history to build on. The Impreza popped out of the Great Auto Mother's birth canal in 1992, as the newest addition to a family of automobiles that was steadily making a name for itself both inside and outside Japan, with a formula that included All Wheel Drive versatility, and boxer-engine performance.
The Golf is older, first emerging in 1974 as the long-awaited replacement for The World's Ugliest Car. There are plenty of pretenders to that title, of course; the Trabant wasn't pretty, and say what you will of the Austin Allegro, but don't say it was good to look at. As for the Beetle; well, suffice to say it resembled a wheelbarrow loaded with manure, that someone had turned upside down, and...well...that's about it.
Golf and Impreza have both evolved over the years, and the latest iterations bear more of a resemblance to each other than any of their earlier generations. It's safe to say, however, that over both their lifetimes, the Subaru has held a clear edge in terms of good looks; it's the more purposeful, aggressive, and quick looking car, which gives it one up for handsomeness.
Both have had plenty of experience in Go Faster contests as well, on the track and off it. Given that the Golf has been at the game longer, one might expect it's record to be the more convincing - but with three WRC titles to its name, against nil for the Golf, it's the Impreza that impresses in this regard. Two-nil to the Japanese.
Bangs For Bucks
Cost-wise, the 2020 offerings are more or less on par. The Impreza is available at price points both above and below the Volkswagen, depending on options. Both get around the same mileage, which considering the Subaru has both more cubic inches and more horsepower under the hood, makes big tick number three go the way of the Seven Stars marque as well (even if it actually only has six of them).
Sheer grunt could be the most important measure all on its own, but in one of those quirks of engineering, the standard Golf's powerplant is torquier than that of its equivalent rival, meaning the performance comparison between the two is closer than it would otherwise be. Looking at the top-of-the-line models (and why on earth would we be looking at anything else), then, the Subie is a genuine beast. The WRX adds a turbo to the standard 2.0-liter flat four, boosting power from the showroom Mom's model's 152 bhp, up to 268 bhp. The STI version adds another 500cc and clocks 310 bhp, propelling the pseudo-racer from 0-60mph in 4.8 seconds and topping out at 160mph.
By comparison, the Golf offers a mix of gasoline, diesel, and hybrid powertrains; the nastiest of these is the GTI's 2.0-litre gasoline turbo, which cranks out 100 more horses than the 128 bhp version your Granny will buy. It allows the Golf to tee off at zero, and arrive at 60mph a comparatively leisurely 5.9 seconds later. Peak velocity is 155mph, but that's with the factory-standard limiter; cut the red wire, and there's another 9mph to be had on top of that. All told, this counts as another win for the Subaru.
Apples And Oranges
The interiors of the respective cars have different characters as well. The Impreza has "surfaces that make you want to touch them. They're soft, with a premium feel you might not expect" - at least, that's according to this site. Guys and gals, know that HotCars journalists venture into all sorts of places deep in the darkest wilds of the Internet, in the quest to bring you the truth. Some of them aren't for the faint-hearted.
According to many accounts, the Golf DOES have a comfier internal fitout than the Impreza, even if Team Pink don't seem to be quite as excited about it as they are about the Subaru. Additional refinement is a good thing because being a slower car, and therefore taking more time to get from A to B, you're going to be in it for longer. This chalks up the first runs on the board for the German contender.
There's one area however where the Volkswagen simply can't compete against the Subaru, of course, and that's when it comes to the drivetrain. Some markets do still offer the Impreza - and other Subies - in two-wheel-drive, but AWD isn't an option anywhere for the Golf. It's a reality that when the going gets rough, 4X2s get stuck; or at the very least, they get more stuck, more quickly, than 4X4s. This isn't really a fair comparison, then, but ultimately any choice between marques and models comes down to personal preference, about which very little is generally fair.
The Final Countdown
In conclusion, for about the same money, both up front and in terms of running costs, you can have a VW Golf, manufactured in China, Brazil, Mexico, and, oddly enough, Germany; or a Subaru Impreza manufactured either in Japan, or in Lafayette, Indiana.
In our completely unbiased opinion, for drivers seeking a small-to-medium set of wheels that's s little bit longer, wider, and heavier than its opposition, and is also faster, more powerful, better looking, and can win races and go places, the Subaru is for you.
If, on the other hand, you're a vegan or a grandmother, looking for a small, homely, underpowered shopping basket on wheels (with softer fluffier seats), VW have your next ride waiting.