Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £12,730 to £30,350
Great handling, good ride quality, four-wheel drive, unique feel, smooth engines.
Anonymous styling, cheap-looking cabin, not particularly practical, noisy engines.
Still a bit of an oddball, and that's no bad thing.
Subaru has made huge progress in improving the Impreza's ride: it is far smoother than before, coping very well with rough roads, and sound insulation is much improved too. General refinement is much better, with reduced vibration through the steering and transmission, and while there were some tiny trim rattles on one car tested, and some tyre noise from the 2.0 RX with its 17" wheels and 205/50R tyres, it's much better than the previous model. The engines can be noisy under hard acceleration, but they're not unpleasantly raucous. Think of this as sporty feedback rather than intrusive harshness.
The front seats are well shaped, and while their upholstery is hardly trendsetting it's plain and dark and inoffensive. Plenty of space in the back for a car this size, with wide-opening rear doors for easy access. The rear seats split and fold but don't tumble forwards. Boot space has been improved, thanks to the more compact rear suspension design, but the boot is still shallow, with the driven rear axle limiting its depth. The Impreza's not the roomiest of five-doors, and some will mourn the lack of an estate option.
Entry-level 1.5R models come with all the necessaries: climate control, a basic CD/radio, front and rear electric windows, 15" alloy wheels, front foglamps, trip computer and a reach/rake-adjustable steering wheel. The 2.0R adds 16" alloys, xenon headlamps, heated door mirrors and windscreen wiper de-icer, and the 2.0 RX has front and rear spoilers, side skirts, 17" wheels, a chrome exhaust tailpipe, rear bumper diffuser, satellite navigation, leather steering wheel, cruise control, uprated stereo and a keyless ignition system with stop-start button. Equipment on the WRX includes the 17" wheels font and rear spoilers, side skirts, a rear bumper diffuser, leather-covered steering wheel and gearknob, 10-speaker, six-disc radio/CD player and xenon headlights.
Watch out, too, for limited-edition and special-offer models with extra kit and different trim options, as Subaru UK is planning a number of these.
