When you talk about Subarus most people think about the heyday of Subaru when they couldn’t get enough high powered, rally car look-alike saloons.

But things have changed and this type of car lost favour with the public as times got tough and customers' buying habits changed. Although Subaru still sold the more sedate four wheel drive estates and kept loyal customers happy.

The new Impreza 1.6 RC is a bit unusual as it is a four wheel drive petrol five door hatchback, which makes it almost unique, and there is probably a good reason for that. Maybe, just maybe, customers don’t want a petrol four wheel drive hatchback, but on the other hand - maybe it is what they have been waiting for?

Subaru UK held their Midlands press event near Bruntingthorpe, the home of a large car auction and also the retirement home to many aircraft that have flown the world for many years, but have now been taken out of service.

The 1.6 RC is available with either a five-speed manual gearbox or with a Lineartronic CVT automatic gearbox, which is the one we drove. The engine produces 114ps and accelerates from 0-62mph in 12.3 seconds for the manual and 12.6 seconds for the CVT. The manual has a top speed of 114 mph, a CO2 of 147g/km and a combined fuel consumption of 44.1mpg. The Lineartronic has a top speed of 111 mph, a CO2 of 140 and a combined fuel consumption of 44.1mpg.

The interior is a bit underwhelming and parts of it felt very old-fashioned, with plastics from a bygone era. The gear shift surround on the automatic looks like an afterthought and not at all in keeping with the rest of the cabin.

When you look at this Subaru next to the other five door hatchbacks available on the market, it seems very dated by comparison. But this is maybe where Subaru can score, as the more traditional buyer may not want all the new fancy things, and could be happier with the older more traditional look and feel.

It was like going back in time driving the Impreza: It felt old and clumsy, and although the figures on paper look acceptable, the power really wasn’t there. You were nervous when pulling out of road junctions or at roundabouts, due to the lag in take-off which was quite off-putting. Press the accelerator and the CVT gearbox just howled at you. It felt like every other CVT gearbox ever built, slow and the engine very high revving while under heavy acceleration.

The Impreza does come with a long list of standard equipment, and for a permanent 4x4 is well priced and it looks good value if you want this powertrain setup. The manual is £17,495 OTR and the Lineartronic £18,995 OTR.

Subaru don’t expect to sell too many in the UK, as their bread and butter are still the WRX STi and large estates, so the small number should be sold relatively easily, as it is unique and will appeal to a certain type of driver.

The planes at Bruntingthorpe did make a wonderful back-drop though.

UK press launch, near Bruntingthorpe

Martin Ward, Manufacturer Relationship Manager