The 2.0-liter boxer four makes five more horsepower and five more pound-feet of torque only on manual-transmission cars. That brings the totals to 205 hp and 156 lb.-ft. Subaru has focused on the overall driving feel, that elusive metric that can't be expressed on a spec sheet or through the frothing internet comments of armchair racers. Subaru's engineers, some of whom are trained as the company's expert test drivers, have toiled away at a host of improvements for the base Premium trim, the upper Limited grade, and a new Performance Package that's available on top of the latter.
Sliding into the 2017 car, the cabin immediately feels more upscale and welcoming than the Spartan pre-facelift model's. Most of the touchable surfaces, including the dash, door panels, and center console, come slathered in soft stitched materials instead of the old hard plastic. The steering wheel gets an upgrade as well, with the old plain-Jane design giving way to one with grippier and suppler cross-stitched leather. That may not seem like a big difference, but after white-knuckling it around a fast circuit, your hands will thank you. A big change from the 2016 is that there are actual controls on the spokes – basic stereo functions on one side, and a way to flip through vehicle information on the other. The latter controls a 4.2-inch TFT screen that displays everything from outside temperature to power and torque curves, replacing the rather blank-looking analog fuel and engine temp gauges of old.
