Subaru Impreza 1.5 litre Sportswagon 2006 Pictures

Subaru Impreza 1.5 litre Sportswagon 2006 Pictures High Res

   

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Subaru Impreza 1.5 litre Sportswagon 2006

Just when you thought the motoring world was safe and ordered, the equilibrium has been shaken up by a curious offering from the East

It was always going to happen. I had built an invisible, fortified wall around me to protect from this unforeseeable occurrence, and just as the Trojans thought the wooden horse was a lovely gift from the Greeks, POW! My defenses were penetrated. Not by a gift from Greece but by an unassuming car from Japan that had well and truly caught me with my trousers down. You see, I’ve always had this misguided, self-belief that no vehicle had the power to surprise. You drive a super car; it goes fast – the prodigy lives. Buy a 4×4 and you know you’re in for a bit of rough and tumble, or at least a bruiser that looks the part. All the rest, saloons, hatchbacks, estates and coupes again have their self fulfilling prophecies. It’s that simple. Or so I thought until getting behind the wheel of the Impreza 1.5-litre Sports Wagon.

The Impreza is of course as famous for its WRX STI phenomenon as Helen of Troy is to Greek Mythology but whereas Helen brought a record number of seaman to war over her, the STI brought the idea to bed. It was every school boys wet dream, a somewhat misnomer – an oddity; This eclectic mix of loads of power, 4WD, hideous bits of plastic molding and gold wheels all wrapped up in a four-door saloon. Inarguably the success it’s had on the motor sport circuit has boosted sales but whenever most of us see one we expect it to be a) either stolen or b) a getaway car c) driven by a baseball cap wearing Chav or d) all of the above.

“Try it”, said the very attractive PR lady at Subaru. How could I tell her my children are still having nightmares from the last one they lent me? “It’s not what you think…I’ll send it down, you’ll love it”. Low and behold a week later it arrived. Not the blinged up, over plasticised, stupid whale-fin spoiler model I anticipated, instead there on my driveway was a rather sober looking, five-door, smallish estate.

If its appearance was the surprise, the next was the price - £12,495 on the road. That’s five hundred quid less than the cheapest - and more basic - Ford Focus. Now bearing in mind this Subaru has a permanent all-wheel drive system with a dual-range, low-ratio transfer box it makes the Suzuki 1.6 GLX 4Grip and Daihatsu Terios 1.5S seem in comparison, bloody expensive.

And there’s more: power comes in the form of a brand new 1.5-litre petrol engine which is able to deliver all of its 103 horses at 6,400 rpm. Having a flat-four, horizontally-opposed, all aluminum engine gives it a low centre of gravity which in turn enhances its overall handling characteristics. Where many of its price rivals lumber around corners, rolling and pitching with the grace of the Titanic after it hit the iceberg, the Scuby manages to run level, even at high-speed sweeps. Where it does differ from its gauche stable mate is when comparing the two on overall performance. To get to 60 mph takes this model a pedestrian-like thirteen and a half seconds and it soon runs out of puff even before it gets close to its 109 mph top end limit. Is it unfair to harp on about these sedentary figures? Perhaps, but actually I’m not going to. The reason for this is simple because it will return over 44 mpg, and I’m off-setting one for the other.

At this part of my article it would me remiss of me not to mention the all-wheel drive system. The five-speed manual gearbox with a low-ratio and dual transfer box which effectively provides the Impreza with ten cogs. Under normal conditions the torque is split evenly between front and rear axles, however, a centre viscous-coupling senses which axle has the best grip and varies this ratio in a fleas breath so as to match the drive to the road surface. But as good as the AWD system is; it isn’t going to make the Impreza a true off-roader. For sure, once the low range gearing has been engaged it will enhance towing, and yes, the usual paraphernalia found under chassis has been tidied up and hidden away on the inside. However the ground clearance ensures the worst it could ever handle is the odd muddy track or lightly snow covered road. Taking it for a paddle in a river is not to be recommended nor a quick jaunt over the Sahara. The AWD is therefore one reason and one reason only; to enhance on-road traction. All too often it’s assumed a car with permanent four-wheel drive will speed up global warming and evict rain forest tribesman from their homeland. This is so far from the truth and cars like the entry level Impreza will do more to promote the benefits of AWD than ten thousand words from hacks like me.

Reading the spec sheet it all seemed very impressive - driver, passenger and side airbags, alloy wheels, climate control air conditioning and a passable entertainment system - all included as standard. Except Subaru has never been renowned for their interiors and this Impreza also fails to impress. Don’t get me wrong, if it cost double the money I might be moaning and berating it a little more. Yet the question has to be asked, when other manufacturers manage to produce interiors that are pleasant and inviting, why can’t Subaru? Surely it wouldn’t take too much effort to give one of their designers a few quid from the petty cash tin and send him off to visit the local Toyota or Nissan showroom to ‘borrow’ a few ideas. We’ve seen the brushed velour seats and horribly laid out dashboards all before. I know it’s been produced to hit a certain price point but come on guys, have a little bit of ingenuity and liven it up. All that said, once seated behind the steering wheel the driving position is purposeful and slanted towards the dynamism of its more powerful, saloon brother.

The exterior won’t have small boys rushing out to find a poster to put on their walls, nevertheless it’s far from offensive. Unlike the recently launched B9 Tribeca which is a shambles of discombobulated angles, the Impreza Sports Wagon has stayed safe. It doesn’t shout out “hey, look at me” and despite having the previously mentioned AWD, the anti-4×4 lobbyists’ won’t even give it a second glance, it gives very little away to tell the outside world what is has to offer. The signature ‘spread-wings’ grille and ‘hawk-eye’ headlamps does give it some distinction but not enough to be lusted over. The rear storage space, accessible through the tailgate, is useful enough but its estate-car profile would deter any would-be boy racers from robbing their grandmother of her wedding ring to buy one. And perhaps it’s this, its lack of ostentatious qualities, which is why, with the stealth of a Ninja Warrior it managed to infiltrate my imaginary barriers.

I’ve let it in, and I’m even prepared to let it stay, but woe betide any other car that try’s the same thing.

Verdict

FOR: Price. Tried and tested AWD drive system, useful cargo area and innocuous styling.

AGAINST: Bland interior, 0-60 mph time - could you live it?

CONCLUSION: It was never going to win beauty contests and quite frankly it’s a bit of an odd ball in terms of its market placing, but we love it all the more for that. We also love its practicality and the fact that it offers up a whole load of goodies without the pretentious blurb. It will challenge your perception and leave you open to its charm by under promising and over delivering. Definitely worth a test drive.

Spec
ENGINE: 1498cc horizontally opposed 4cyl
Co2 (g/km)/tax: 13.5 secs
TORQUE (lb/ft): 104.7 lb ft @ 3,200 rpm
0-60mph (sec): 13.5
TOP SPEED: 109 mph
MPG: 27.2 mpg/44.1 mpg/35.8 mpg (urban/extra-urban/combined)
TRANSMISSION: five speed manual gearbox
PRICE: £12,495
RIVALS: Skoda Octavia 4×4, Fiat Sedici, Suzuki SX4