There are probably a lot of old retreads like me who grew up in the performance
car era and think that with high gas prices, all that fast fun is over.  Well,
let me introduce the Subaru Impreza…proof positive that, it might just be.
Actually, this is the new, redesigned version of the little Impreza 4-door, and it is
Uh, well, it’s OK.
Let's start with the basic 148-horsepower 2.0-liter, flat four-cylinder engine in our test car.
This new version has ditched the 2.5-liter with 170 horsepower, and it shows. 
That will take this little grocery getter to 60 miles per hour in 9 seconds. 
The looks are less Japanese boy-racer and more suburban Mom, to be honest.  But the new look actually kind  of works for me. Great seats and a very functional dash layout complete the package.
So, you get the kind of acceleration you might expect from a ’65 Beetle in a tidy,
all-wheel-drive compact package.  The benefit here must be economy.  Well, yes,
actually.  The Impreza gets 27 in the city and 36 on the highway
according to the EPA.  We saw about 28 per gallon in our week with it.
OK then, it must be a screaming bargain?  No again, A.J.  This package with
all the bells and whistles came to nearly $26,000.  That means to
purchase it, you have to drive right by several dealerships offering what many would consider more car for the money.
I’ve been a little rough on the Impreza, and to be fair, it is alone in this segment offering all-wheel-drive.
But as far as Imprezas go, I am looking forward to the absolutely nuts WRX version that is coming. That little turbocharged rice rocket is truly fun, and certifiably insane.
That’s OK…I  can be patient.