Introduction

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.

Walkaround

The 2006 Impreza models have been restyled to reflect what Subaru calls its new brand identity. The centerpiece is a prominent three-section black mesh grille, which is supposed to reflect Subaru's aircraft heritage (more accurately, the aircraft heritage of parent Fuji Heavy Industries). Some reviewers have described the new Subaru look in unflattering terms. We're indifferent, at least to the Impreza's grille. It certainly would not deter us from owning one of these cars. The new grille is flanked by comma-shaped light clusters, encased in tinted lenses. The taillight clusters are shaped similarly to those in front, with the red, yellow and clear lenses of individual lights gathered under a smoked cover. All models now have aluminum hoods to trim weight and improve weight balance front to rear (not something you expect on the typical small car). The fenders on all Impreza models are flared more aggressively, and the wheel wells are filled nicely with standard 16-inch rims. The Impreza Outback Sport has a bit more space between the tire and the fender lip. That's because the Outback's ride height is raised slightly to allow more upward wheel travel. The Outback is easy to distinguish from the other wagons, thanks to its chrome grille and two-tone paint. The side molding, bumpers and lower body are finished in steely gray metallic, and the rear bumper has a truck-style vinyl pad, or step. The Impreza WRX now features the sculpted side sills previously reserved for the mighty STi. By appearances, this is our favorite Impreza, particularly in the soft gray metallic paint that adorned our test car. The 17-inch spoke wheels add purpose. The body-colored side mirrors, new smoked light lenses and softly shimmering paint (not to mention impressive overall panel fit) meld to create a jewel-like finish that would flatter cars costing twice as much. The WRX STi has been stripped of what many considered its calling card: the big gaping scoop in its hood. Subaru says improved aerodynamics feed the STi engine and intercooler all the air they need through a narrower scoop identical to that on the standard WRX. Perhaps, but saving the cost of tooling a separate hood for the low-volume STi probably helped. The STi was created as the homologation car, a required street-legal copy of Subaru's winning World Rally Championship cars. Those who care will notice the STi's slightly lower ride height, or the badges or the little spoiler at the trailing edge of the roof. And if none of those things are enough to announce the presence of the fastest Subaru ever, no worries. Absolutely no one will miss the giant, two-step rear wing. The STi's rear spoiler may be the most audacious in autodom. And if the wing doesn't shout "Look at me!'' loud enough, there are optional gold wheels, just like those on the WRC race cars. They may not be particularly attractive, but they're genuine.

Interior Features

The 2006 Subaru Impreza sports new fabrics and subtle new features inside, yet the effect of these and some hidden noise-suppression improvements add up to a sum greater than the parts. The interior is one of the most obvious signs that the Impreza has grown up. The cabin is well designed, judged both by appearance and function, and it's also very well finished. The overall effect is that of a car selling in the $30,000 range, rather than an economy car priced in the low teens. The dash in the base Impreza 2.5i is trimmed with a dark gray metallic material. It's plastic, to be sure, but it looks good and doesn't come off as cheap. The new features enhance this upscale ambience: A sophisticated anti-theft system is now standard, as are cabin air filtration and an outside temperature gauge. There's no change in the basic layout for 2006, and that's okay. The instruments and controls were revised for '05, and they work great. Everything is easy to find and operate, but the package doesn't seem Spartan or simplistic. The wipers are located on a stalk to the right of the steering column, headlights to the left. Audio controls, particularly with the standard stereo, are on the small side, but the radio is placed prominently above the climate controls in the center stack, and closer to the driver's reach. The three climate control knobs are BIG. Even the standard mechanical/vacuum dials on the 2.5i work smoothly; the electronic switches for the automatic climate control in our WRX test car felt like the dials on some high-end home stereo systems. The front seats in the 2.5i, taken from the old Impreza RS, have as much bolster as the so-called sport seats in some cars. The seats in the WRX have even more bolster, with a single-piece back that integrates the headrest. The gauge cluster hints that the WRX is a serious driver's car. It's tucked under a semi-circular hood, just as it is the 2.5i and Outback, but the tachometer sits square in the center, race-style, while the speedometer is secondary, to the right. The WRX dash trim is a lighter silver metallic, and this Impreza comes standard with leather on the steering wheel, shift knob and hand brake. Front seats in the STi crank it up another notch. They're very firm, with bolster and shoulder wings on par with some aftermarket sport seats. The inserts are upholstered in loud blue Alcantara, with a heavy knit fabric (in black) on the bolsters. The big tach speaks volumes about the STi's intent with something you don't see every day: a 9,000-rpm redline. Despite the race-car design ambience, Subaru has finally accepted the reality of production cars sales and equipped the STi with a 140-watt stereo and CD changer. The Impreza's rear seat is roomy for the class. The rear roof pillars are shaped such that getting in requires a steep head bob, but inside headroom and legroom are tolerable for people up to about six feet in height. Two such people. There are three three-point seatbelts in back, but the Impreza is too narrow for adults to use all of them at the same time, unless those three people are on very, very good terms. With 11 cubic feet of storage space, the trunk is as roomy as it gets in this class. Think of the Impreza this way. Two people can carry all the luggage they'll conceivably need for a trip of any length, traveling comfortably throughout, with room to pick up a hitchhiker if they wish. The Impreza wagons have a 60/40 split fold-down rear seatback, with cargo retaining bars, a grocery-bag hook and cargo cover in all models. The Outback Sport also has 12-volt power point in the cargo area. With the rear seat in place, the Impreza wagon has more than twice the cargo space of the sedan (23.8 cubic feet). Fold the seat and it opens 61.6 cubic feet of cargo volume behind the front seats. How much is that? Almost as much as a full-size Cadillac Escalade SUV with its third seat removed (64 c