DO THE maths and the most basic Subaru Impreza, the 2.0-litre ‘R’ – should be on everybody’s new small-car short list, combining five-star crash-safety and all-wheel drive in a semi-premium hatch. And while we haven’t been able to call an Impreza pretty since the demise of the G1 in late 2000, for the money, you do get plenty of important features compared to the equivalently priced Toyota Corolla Conquest. Yes, the Subaru may feel a little too soft if a harder-edged small-car drive is what you want, but then – for everybody else and every other occasion – the base ‘R’ ticks all the right boxes. We are highly impressed, and more than a little surprised.
Subaru Impreza 2.0i
Released: October 2005
Ended: August 2007
Family Tree: ImprezaThe third significant facelift of the troubled second-generation Impreza hatch continued with the original model’s wagon-like styling, providing small-car buyers with a handy alternative to the more mainstream small-car competition. This also had frameless doors, along with all-wheel drive and Subaru’s signature ‘boxer’ engine. In 2.0-litre single-cam 16-valve guise, it produces 92kW of power and 184Nm of torque, delivered via a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic gearbox. Not fast, but offbeat and rather likeable, this was the last of the really ‘different’ Imprezas.
Super Test
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