The memory came back clear and sharp and totally unbidden. The four-cylinder boxer engine was howling away under the bonnet, feeding its 222bhp out to all four wheels as we snaked along the coast road under a big blue sky. The scenery was stunning - cliffs, bays and panoramic views - and ahead of me were a hundred miles more of the same, but in my mind I had slipped back to a dinner several years previous."You're a Subaru man," he'd said over dessert. It wasn't a question - it was a statement. At the time I put it down to a lucky guess. Back at home I had a first-generation Impreza hatchback with a rather asthmatic 1.6-litre engine in it. When I'd parted with the cash it had been the only thing with four-wheel drive that I could afford so I thought this piece of off-the-cuff autopsychology was more of a lucky guess than anything.I should have paid more attention. This was, after all, the internationally renowned car designer Ian Callum - a man who gets inside the heritage of every new car he designs, be it the next Aston Martin or Jaguar; a man of whom it's been said that he understands the soul of the car and the desires of its buyers. Two years later and 500 miles away, his analysis of me was proving correct.This was the third-generation Impreza WRX with the cargo hold that falls somewhere between a big hatchback and a small estate car. Thrumming out along the road on my way to spectate at a small-time track event on this day of days, I was smiling. Streamlined in silver with glorious smoked alloy wheels, the car not only went well, it looked good too. Thankfully, in this latest incarnation, we've lost the controversial frog-eyes across the front and regained a grain of dignity.The WRX is not the top of the Subaru tree for performance - that is reserved for the STi version which, among other things, has an extra 40bhp on tap and a sixth gear to wring the very best out of it - but for a daily drive car with a bit of fire in its belly, you can't go wrong with this "standard" WRX. It may be shy of one gear but this upgraded version of the turbocharged, intercooled two-litre engine will still clip you through 62mph in just over six deeply satisfying seconds and whip you on up to 143mph where you're allowed.All of the figures are an improvement on the last model, including fuel consumption. Despite all that power and flexibility you can, if you have the restraint of a saint, theoretically squeeze an average of nearly 31 miles from a gallon of unleaded - well you maybe can but I don't think I did on that squirming coastal thrash.It was such an involving drive and the car is so well-balanced that it just pleads with you to get out there and enjoy it. The smile was fixed on my face as I dropped it comfortably into the hollows and swallowed up the bumps, skipping and swooping out along the open road. The suspension was firm but very far from harsh. The steering felt surgically precise, both in long sweeping curves and in the duck-and-weave sections between, so I felt that placing the car exactly where I wanted it was as instinctive and easy as thought.Sitting in the bucket seat, my feet on the drilled aluminium pedals and my hands gripping the height-only adjustable Momo steering wheel, it was like wearing a suit of well-made clothes. It touched in all the right places and I could feel my senses stretching, weblike, out to all the corners.The WRX is massively confidence-inspiring. Overtaking on roads like this can be done quickly and safely, spending as little time on the wrong side of the road as possible, thanks to slingshot rolling acceleration when the engine speeds are wound up to over the 2000rpm mark where the turbo seems to cut in.The straights between the bends can be devoured, safe in the knowledge that all four wheels are hauling you forward so the thing isn't going to squirm or step out like a powerful front- or rear-wheel drive car might. The grippy low-profile tyres and the long-travel independent suspension, combined with that excellent steering make any kind of corner a safe and satisfying experience - as long as you don't do something daft. The laws of physics are altered for no man.In short the car feels steady and comfortable at any speed and on any highway. There's a bit of road noise at higher speeds but it's far from intrusive. The gearchange is a solid experience if you're only used to normal road cars, and until you get into the swing of it the powerful engine can leave you kangarooing a bit in town traffic. The thing is you can get used to it quickly and most people should be able to tune their driving style to this performance car in no time at all.The equipment and accommodation levels aren't dazzling in a world where cars get clever folding seats and fingerprint-recognising starter buttons, but that all sort of adds to the feeling of integrity you get with this machine. It's a driver's car first and foremost and although you do get a 60/40 split rear seat, air conditioning, a single disc CD/cassette/radio and even (my goodness) a cup holder, the rest of it is pretty standard stuff. You just get in, you stick the key in the hole, you adjust the seat manually and the door mirrors electrically, and off you go.The WRX is not only powerful, it's also one of the safer cars in its class. Active features like the four-wheel-drive and the "intelligent" anti-lock brakes work to keep you on the road, while passive features like the passenger protection cage, the five three-point seatbelts, front and side airbags and pedestrian protection features limit damage if you should slip off it.So am I a Subaru man? Well probably yes when it comes to having something I could live with on a daily basis. Quite simply the Impreza WRX is not as threatening or intimidating as some fearsome road warriors like the Mitsubishi Evos - it's got five comfortable seats, a useable cargo hold and fuel consumption figures I could afford.On top of that I can choose my driving style to fit the day and either comfortably pootle along at a sedate pace with mother in the front seat, or push out with a bit more enthusiasm when the day is clear and the road is open. I ask you, where else can you get all this power, poise and usefulness for this kind of price? Engine 1994cc, 4 cylinders Power 222bhp Transmission 6-speed manual Fuel/CO2 30.7mpg / 219g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 6.1 seconds Top speed 143mph Price £20,495 Details correct at publication date
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