Subaru Impreza Review (2006)

Mention the name Subaru and boys of all ages will respond with the word Impreza, while grinning inanely.

Upgraded for 2006, the new Impreza comes in a range of saloon and 5-door vehicles with either a 2.0-litre or 2.5-litre engine. The one that causes all the fuss however, is the 2.5 WRX STI - £27, 040 of ‘in-your-face’ grunt. Even with the more restrained new facelift the car is not shy in coming forward. And there’s the rub, not everyone wants to advertise just how much they enjoy their driving.

Enter the Impreza WRX STI Spec.D. The ‘D’ doesn’t stand for demure (that would be too alarming); rather, it stands for ‘discreet’. Well, as discreet as an Impreza can be without losing its identity.

The differences are easy to spot. To begin with, the Spec.D is only available with Crystal Grey metallic paint, which matches the silver, not the usual gold, 17-inch alloys. The rear boot spoiler is reduced to a sensible size and the rear window, roof-vane is absent. Front, projector fog lamps and a ‘Prodrive’ lower front grille complete the picture. Inside, there is subdued, black leather upholstery and matching black carpet in place of the more normal blue.

The so-called, ‘spread-wings’ grille and ‘hawkeye’ headlamps are part of the general revamp, as is the lengthening of the bonnet by 2-inches, and remains unchanged on the Spec.D.

The Spec.D might look a little more subdued than the norm but the turbo-scoop pod on the bonnet gives the game away. Standing in front of the car, you can make out the STI logo through the mesh grill. Lift the bonnet and you will witness a lesson in packaging and plumbing that is very impressive.

Along with the facelift, the engines have been uprated; the normally aspirated Impreza R and R Sport have 2.0-litre units, which have gained a 35PS, power increase to 160PS. The WRX and WRX STI have a turbocharged, 2.5-litre engine, which produces 230PS in the WRX and 281PS in the STI version. On the latter, this occurs at 5,600rpm and the increased torque of 289lb ft (almost 392Nm) peaks at 4,000rpm.