#02#Think Subaru Impreza. Images of "our Colin" flashing through the trees, impossibly sideways. Think 555. Think blue with gold wheels, flame thrower exhaust pipes and big spoilers.

It wasn't always that way. When Subaru first came to the UK, it did so with slow, but dependable cars, usually with four-wheel drive aimed at farmers; not as rugged as a Land Rover, but as capable of carrying bales of hay across a field as then driving down to market. Welcome to the Subaru Impreza 1.5 R Sports Wagon, the secret Impreza that harks back to the old days of Subaru.

Sports Wagon is a bit of a misnomer; in Impreza parlance it means estate, not saloon. And that "1.5" should be your biggest clue yet that this Impreza is no fire-breathing rally monster. Think of it in terms of the original brief; the Impreza 1.5 R Sports Wagon has four-wheel drive and unlike its faster brethren, this is a proper off-roading system with high and low ranges.

So, you've just told your mates that you've bought an Impreza. Everyone in the pub is impressed. When they go outside, the illusion momentarily remains. Sure, this estate version has no big spoilers and the pea-shooter sized exhaust is a bit of a give-away, but our test car otherwise looked very smart. The new triple-grille nose looks a lot better in the metal than in the pictures I'd previously seen, although I'm sure the metallic blue hue of our car also helped here. Open the doors; alright it looks a bit low rent in here, but the seats are well bolstered and look supportive, though when you sit in them you realise that they are sized for big farmers wearing a thick coat. Save for the slabs of plastic that surround the window switches on the door armrests, the rest of the materials are up to scratch for the price. #p##03# Ah, the price. You too can be a Subaru Impreza owner for as little as £12,495 on-the-road. That's cheaper than the base model Ford Focus (and less well equipped).

So what's the catch? It's certainly not in the ride or the handling. Ride quality never gave me any concern, but the handling was top drawer. This may be the poor relation Impreza, but there's nothing poor about the way it goes round corners, with all the balance its big brothers are famous for. Turn in is immediate and grip levels amazing considering the conservative 195/60 R15 tyres. Show this Impreza a twisty lane and it really shows off round the corners. But...

Oh, it's so frustrating. It goes round corners like the full-on turbo-nutter versions, but as the road straightens and you floor the throttle... nothing. Well almost nothing. Instead of the turbo-powered launch towards the next corner, the little 1.5-litre engine (with just 103bhp) has nothing left to accelerate with. In the time it takes you to reach the next corner down your favourite road, you could get in the back and read the newspaper. Cover to cover. The 0-60mph figure is 13.5 seconds, so say 14 to 62mph then and it feels like an eternity. Even in first gear, the engine revs build up slowly and clinging on to the 7000rpm red line takes forever. Subaru claims a top speed of 109mph, but quite frankly I didn't have the patience or a long enough straight to verify that.

I'm being unfair; yes this poor little engine struggles if you want to go quickly. But maybe you shouldn't buy the entry-level 1.5-litre version of a car if going quickly is your priority. Let's remember the target buyer. Drive to market in a normal fashion and the Impreza 1.5 R Sports Wagon is much more impressive. The engine has that typical flat-four throb that is pleasant and never intrusive. The ride quality comes to the fore, wind noise is reasonably low and where else can you buy so much space for the money? It might be entry-level, but the Impreza 1.5 R Sports Wagon is very well equipped. There is climate control, alloy wheels, front and rear electric windows (stylish frameless affairs all-round) and an audio unit comprising radio, CD and a cassette player for those who still have yet to upgrade. And uniquely in its market, there is full-time four-wheel drive with a low-range transfer box for when the going gets tough.

The four-wheel drive system features a 50/50 nominal torque split, but in slippery conditions a centre viscous-coupling can vary this ratio in milliseconds sending more torque to the axle with the higher grip levels. Oh how I could have used this car a week earlier when the south east was covered in snow!

The only other downside was fuel economy. The Combined Cycle economy is only 35.8mpg, a figure we didn't get close to. With just a 50-litre fuel tank, we had to fill up again at just 250 miles.

All in all, the secret Impreza is not a bad car. It is very well equipped and spacious for the money, and its handling is beyond reproach. But maybe 1.5-litres is a few cubic centimetres too few. #p##04# 2007 Subaru Impreza UK range overview

Model	UK (£ on-the-road)	Ireland: (€ on-the-road)
Subaru Impreza 1.5 R Saloon	n/a	€22,995
Subaru Impreza 1.5 R Sports Wagon	£12,495	€22,995
Subaru Impreza 2.0 RX Saloon	£16,225	€27,695
Subaru Impreza 2.0 RX Sports Wagon	£16,725	€27,995
Subaru Impreza 2.0 RX Saloon Auto	£17,275	n/a
Subaru Impreza 2.0 RX Sports Wagon Auto	£17,775	€29,695
Subaru Impreza 2.5 WRX Saloon	£19,995	€43,500
Subaru Impreza 2.5 WRX Sports Wagon	£20,995	€45,845
Subaru Impreza 2.5 WRX SL Saloon	£21,495	n/a
Subaru Impreza 2.5 WRX SL Sports Wagon	£22,495	n/a
Subaru Impreza 2.5 WRX STi	n/a	€61,995
Subaru Impreza 2.5 WRX STi Type UK	£26,495	n/a
Subaru Impreza 2.5 WRX STi spec.D	£28,540	n/a
Subaru Impreza RB320	£29,995	n/a