2019 Subaru Impreza

Plus, the Impreza's engine is in the 'flat four' configuration, which is good for keeping the car's centre of gravity low. No other small car offers that either. 

The Impreza's build quality is verging on premium. From the interior, road noise attenuation is good and the materials used are high quality. If you can stretch beyond the base model, there's an impressive list of standard safety feature too. 

Subaru's EyeSight system, which enables autonomous emergency braking, is not available on the base model 2.0i. For that, you'll need to spend another $2100 to get the 2.0i-L. 

For the extra spend, you get other safety related extras including Subaru's excellent active cruise control system, land departure warning and brake light recognition, which alerts the driver when the car in front has moved away. 

It is good to see the Impreza only require annual servicing, unlike other models in the Subaru range which require six monthly services. The Impreza also only require 91 RON petrol, not 95 like some of its rivals, though it's also slightly thirstier than some rivals. All Imprezas get a space saver spare tyre too.

Impreza hatchbacks will cost $200 more than the sedan, and serving an Impreza is still more expensive than some of its competitors such as the Mazda3, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai i30.

However, it's great news Subaru has finally increased its warranty coverage for all its vehicles to five years. 

Its handling is safe and confidence-inspiring, though the engine could be more responsive to throttle inputs from standstill. 

Still, the Impreza is a unique proposition thanks to its all-wheel drive system, which offers class-leading levels of grip on wet and loose surfaces from a very affordable price.