Taking a shine to a hidden gem

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The Impreza is a car you could happily drive every day, in any traffic, and also head for a long-distance drive knowing you will arrive safe, calm and happy. Photo: Supplied.

The Subaru Impreza is a lot like the Toyota Camry. It does what it says, and what people need, but it’s nothing special.

It’s a hidden gem unlikely to be discovered by the people who are drawn to bright and shiny new SUVs in showrooms. So it was a delight to get back into an Impreza, the sixth-generation model, after rolling a long string of pick-up trucks through the driveway.

Just to refresh, the new Impreza is a same-same continuation of the Subaru line with a compact hatchback body, a 2.0-litre four-cylinder ”boxer” engine – which gets the name because the cylinders are arranged in a box formation – and a starting price of $31,490.

It’s grown a little from the previous model, and the cabin is much more upscale and enjoyable, but the real enjoyment comes with the way it handles Australian roads. It feels surprisingly plush for an affordable baby hatchback, is quiet and refined on all road surfaces, and gets economy that will dip below 7 litres/100 km on a long highway run.

And that’s the great thing about the Impreza. It’s a car you could happily drive every day, in any traffic, and also head for a long-distance drive knowing you will arrive safe, calm and happy.

The latest equipment upgrade includes the now-compulsory wireless smartphone integration, with an 11.6-inch touchscreen set nicely into the centre of the dash without overwhelming the forward view, and a host of drive-assist systems bundled under the ”Eyesight” tag first adopted by Subaru when it introduced its clunky and intrusive first system.

Subaru Australia says the new Impreza has a more sporty focus for people who enjoy driving, most likely an anti-SUV claim, and it still has the hotrod WRX to provide an appropriate halo for the model.

The new Impreza has a more sporty focus for people who enjoy driving. Photo: Supplied.

Sporty is in the mind of the driver, of course, but the Impreza is solid and sensible in twisty conditions. It has good grip, excellent brakes, and the signature all-wheel drive means it always does what you want.

The engine is less impressive, with only 115 kW, and the ”Lineartronic” gearbox – Subaru speak for the constantly variable transmissions preferred by Japanese carmakers – is still dozy unless you take manual control through the eight ”gears” pre-set in the system.

So it’s not a car for people who want to go quick. But is that a problem? Of course not, because the Impreza is an eminently sensible hatchback for people who want a nice car with good back-seat space for kids and the flexibility of a large load space beneath the tail.

SUV fans can find something at Subaru, and its Forester and Outback are much more car-like than the hulking trucks from most other brands, but it’s the Impreza that is a bedrock car and one that is easy to enjoy.

The new Impreza is another evolution, and nothing particularly special, but that’s not a bad thing. For many people, who want more of the same from Subaru, it’s a good thing.