Subaru has remade itself into a premium brand and nowhere is that more evident than in its expansive Impreza line of compact cars. Premium features come not in the form of fancy interiors but in the form of sophisticated all-wheel-drive systems, turbocharged engines and high-quality engineering designs. The days when the Impreza was an inexpensive subcompact, sold mainly on the strength of its low price, are long gone. The 2006 Impreza line offers more variants than ever, almost to the point of confusion.
There's a lot to like in the Impreza line, and a small car for nearly every taste. All models are good fun to drive and quite practical, with decent room in the back seat and good gas mileage. The standard fulltime all-wheel-drive system is legitimately a safety, performance and foul-weather advantage.
On one hand, the least expensive model costs substantially more than some other very good small cars. On the other, even the base Impreza has more horsepower than most cars in its class. For less than $18,500, the 2006 Impreza 2.5i Sedan and 2.5i Sport Wagon (as the base models are now called) come very well equipped. They're the least expensive all-wheel-drive sedan and wagon available in the United States. The Impreza Outback Sport offers a bit more ground clearance and a modicum of off-road capability. The WRX is a genuine high-performance car, but too refined now to be considered a boy racer. The crazy fast WRX STi is an ultra-high-performance machine that can run with big dogs like the BMW M3 for tens of thousands of dollars less.
Their silhouettes may look familiar, but the Impreza models benefit from some serious upgrades for 2006. All models have been restyled front and rear. More significant, in our view, are improvements less visible to the eye. Power has increased at least slightly across the board. The body structure has been improved and the suspension refined. There's more standard equipment, more safety equipment, more new technology.
The 2006 Impreza is more sophisticated, perhaps more serious, but it's still fun and sensible in any guise. It's still loaded with character compared to some of the sanitized appliances that populate this class of car. One of our favorite small cars is better than ever.
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