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car review

Funny thing about sedans: For most of automotive history, the four-door, three-box passenger car has been the epitome of everyday, conventional automotive conformity. The Definitive Car. Then, light trucks went mainstream, and now sedan buyers are becoming outliers, the go-their-own-way independent thinkers who buck the trend.

Subaru, for sure, is already in that space. While its Outback, Crosstrek and Forester utes have the CUV frenzy well covered, its four-door cars are growing sales in an overall sedan market that's going the other way. That's just as true of the common-or-garden Impreza compact sedan as it is of the five-door hatch versions of Impreza or the cult WRX and STI street-racer sedans.

Subaru says its buyers tend to be better educated than most, which may be why they don't get suckered in by the "disingenuous" sub-$16,000 starting prices of rival compact sedans that lack A/C and can't be optioned with automatic transmission. At $19,995, the base Impreza has A/C as well as a touch-screen display, rear-view camera, cruise and satellite radio (but not seat heaters). Plus, of course, standard all-wheel drive. The only other compact sedan available with AWD is the aging Mitsubishi Lancer.

Intriguingly, Subaru says AWD ranks higher as a reason-to-buy for Impreza buyers than for CUV buyers as a whole. Other left-brain virtues that appeal to those thoughtful Subaru buyers include squeaky-clean PZEV emissions ratings and some of the best IIHS safety ratings in the class.

As for the other side of the brain, the auto maker says Impreza sedan buyers are more likely than CUV buyers to engage in physical activities such as biking, hiking and canoeing/kayaking; they also rank handling high on the list of reasons to buy, and are more likely to prefer picking their own gears (manual transmission can be had on all trim levels).

Our test sample was the automatic, which suits the car well. We know from past experience the manual-shift quality isn't quite a tactile delight, and the automatic is one of the industry's better CVT installations. As well, the CVT has a soothing effect on engine vibration, delivers highway cruising at lower rpm than the manual and achieves better fuel economy.

Our test drive in the Impreza from Toronto to Muskoka's Lake Rosseau could have been a 215-kilometre straight shot along plowed and salted major highways, but no. Our fiendish Subaru hosts instead devised a rambling, dog-legged 330-kilometre itinerary that went out of its way to include every winding winter-coated D-road in the regions of Dufferin, Simcoe and Muskoka.

Point well made. The Impreza is a nice-handling car on dry pavement, but when weather and road both throw you a curve, its AWD security and stability – backstopped by Bridgestone winter tires and stability control – enable back-road average speeds that most people wouldn't attempt on warm, dry pavement. Fun was had.

Subaru is never going to be a heavy hitter in the compact car segment, but its AWD not-a-CUV formula is already striking a chord. If you like to zig when everyone else zags, this could be your kind of car. As Subaru likes to say, it makes "uncommon sense."

You'll like this car if ... All-wheel drive makes sense to you, but you'd rather drive a car than a CUV – and your budget doesn't stretch to a luxury sedan.

TECH SPECS

  • Base price: $19,995
  • Engine: 2.0-litre DOHC 16V Boxer four
  • Transmission: Five-speed manual or CVT automatic
  • Drive: All-wheel drive
  • Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 9.5 city; 7.0 highway (5MT)/8.5 city; 6.4 highway (CVT)
  • Alternatives: Chevrolet Cruze, Dodge Dart, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Forte, Mazda3, Mitsubishi Lancer, Nissan Sentra, Toyota Corolla, VW Jetta.

RATINGS

  • Looks: It’s not as frumpy as past Subarus but still, we expect Impreza buyers place more value on a car’s personality and capabilities than on its superficial beauty.
  • Interior: Form before function. Most compact-sedan interiors have been expanding in recent years, but the Impreza still ranks near the top for passenger stretch-and-sprawl space. From a design standpoint, sound ergonomics take priority over pretty shapes or plush materials.
  • Performance: In terms of straight-line speed, expect a 0-100-km/h sprint in the mid-10-second range – at the slow end of the compact-sedan spectrum. But that’s on a dry test track. Add snow or rain, and the AWD Impreza will pull away while its FWD rivals are struggling for traction.
  • Technology: Even the base 2.0i has a 6.2-inch screen, smart-phone integration with Aha, Bluetooth, SXM and steering-wheel aux controls.
  • Cargo: One downside of AWD – real-estate occupied by the rear axle means the trunk is one of the segment’s smallest. But even the base model has a 60/40 folding seat. And, don’t forget, Impreza comes as a hatchback, too.

The Verdict

7.5

Standard all-wheel drive turns a good-but-not-great compact sedan into a poor man's Audi Quattro, though without the classy interior trim.

The writer was a guest of the auto maker. Content was not subject to approval.

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