23 Nov 07
Heading east, we finally break through the mist and rain to encounter our first vistas of the Antrim coast. And this is absolutely, definitely worth a drive of any distance. It's a wild coastline that falls steeply to the sea with narrow tarmac roads that sweep and dip and snake as far as you can see.
In the teeming rain with three people to transport, I simply cannot think of a more fitting car than the Impreza to tackle them with. The all-wheel drive gives astonishing levels of secure grip and that progressive power delivery means that you can safely exploit all 227bhp. There's also plenty of room in the back for tall passengers and the hugely supportive front seats keeps occupants firmly in their place.
But it is on these roads that I also discover the downside of that fine ride - throw a series of fast dips and crests and S-bends at it and the Impreza's body control begins to fall apart, with a floaty, unconnected feel spoiling your confidence. But when not being pushed hard, the Impreza is balanced and neutral through corners, and steering weight and feedback is really quite good.
And no complaints about the Subaru's performance. The five-speed gearbox has sensibly close ratios, so there always seems to be strong throttle response on tap regardless of speed - 0-62mph comes up in a claimed 6.1secs, which is swift if not blinding. The power builds with nice progression, too, so you don't get the cricket bat whack in the small of your back that so typified early Imprezas. Some of the old guard will miss that, I'm sure. But the newcomers won't be scared off.
