Some first impressions from the drivers seat in the new Impreza. This is the Japanese version, of course, as the American car has not been launched yet. Or is even finished yet, for all we know. And as it is the Japanese version, the specifications are likely going to be different from Japan to America. For one, it is a turbocharged 2.0-liter flat four, instead of the turbocharged 2.5-liter flat four that will hit American shores. It also uses a single twinscroll turbocharger, heavily related to the turbocharger in the Legacy GT.

That is not the only bits that are related to the Legacy. The entire front end looks to have been neatly lifted over and used nearly intact. Not only the engine, but the suspension as well, and likely the steering wheel and rack. So it is unsurprising that it feels much like being behind the wheel of a Legacy, except that it is a lighter and more nimble Legacy. Never fear, that is not a bad thing! It feels much nicer than the outgoing Impreza for this. Turn-in is much better, and is a bit more aggressive than the soft Yokohama tires it comes with stock. The rear end has a lot more bite as well, which leads to a bit of understeer during aggressive maneuvers. Body roll is damped much better than the older car as well.

Power delivery is quite good for a car of this price class. While it does not feel the claimed 246hp, more like 230, it does scoot along quite well. Torque comes in very early and smoothly. Smooth is the name of the game here, with the peaky delivery of the old car eliminated entirely. It removes some of the generic turbo excitement, but replaces it with a much more pleasurable driving experience. Speed builds deceptively and you do find yourself going quite a bit quicker than you thought you ought to be.

Refinement is the name of the game here. It simply feels more refined. There is more space inside, not just in width, but in height. At 6ft high, I still had loads of head space, enough for a full race helmet with room to spare. Priorities, you know. The interior design and materials are much nicer than before, you feel as if you are getting your moneys worth. It's quieter, no noisy thrashing around from the engine bay. No boxer beat either, which is a bit of a shame.

While it may have lost some of that unique character that the previous car had, a lot of the discarded character is no great loss. In it's place is a legitimate player in the small, sporty hatch wars.