Against Expectations
by David Finlay (25 Sep 06)

Years of World Rally Championship contenders and sizzling road cars have helped establish the Impreza as a high-performance car in the public mind. The latest version, on sale from October 1, is something quite different. Available only in estate form, the 1.5R Sports Wagon is designed to provide space, four-wheel drive flexibility and the brilliant handling characteristics for which Subaru is renowned, all for an on-the-road price of just £12,495.

To make this possible, something has had to give, and it's the Impreza's normally impressive straightline performance which has drawn the short straw. As its name suggests, the new car has a 1.5-litre engine, by far the smallest in the range. Other Imprezas have been fitted with engines of less than two litres, but not recently; the last one was the 2001 model year 1.6 TS, which wasn't exactly a bargain-basement model, since it cost £1455 more than the 1.5R does.

I praised the Impreza's handling two paragraphs ago, but having done that I should also point out that Subaru has not always got this right. Even though the low centre of gravity created by the "boxer" flat-four engine layout combines with an admirable policy of providing soft but well-damped suspension, Subaru has not always made full use of this head start.

When it does, the results are brilliant. When it doesn't, as occasionally happens, a deeply disappointing Impreza emerges. Driving one of these cars is like opening a bottle of 1928 Château Mouton Rothschild and finding that it has been corked.

The 1.5R is in no way a classic Impreza, but since Subaru's chassis people have got their sums right this time it is undoubtedly a satisfying one, at least as far as its cornering abilities are concerned. With a maximum of 104bhp available, you can forget about blasting away from a standing start with all four tyres scrabbling for grip; once you're up and running, though, it is entertaining as the best of its stablemates. You don't have to have fun in the 1.5R if you don't want to, but the fun is there to be had.

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