Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
After three years of testdriving the latest and greatest mean machines around the island, it’s certainly true to state that no two test drives are ever the same.
Some are great, some average, and some actually prettyterrible. However, there have only been a very select few that have left me with a sinking, depressing feeling of having to return the car to the showroom.
I can now add the 2017 Subaru Imprezato that list after spending a couple of days with this sleek,sensual superstar.
In my mind, the Imprezahas always been thestereotypical ‘boy racer’ car, with its iconic blue-and-yellow livery and fat rear spoiler. In England at least, back at the turn of the century, it was the car to own if you had a freshly-printed driving license and no family responsibilities to burn your cash on.
The 2017 iteration is totally different, as more of aroomy four-door, family-friendly sedan. The aggressiveness has been toned down, although when this is done to account for the Japanese company’s signature hexagonal grille and hawk-eye headlights, it’s forgivable. Plus, who doesn’t like some curves?
It’s a beautiful car, but it’s what’s inside that truly matters.
The Imprezadoesn’t disappoint, as one of the comfiest models I’ve experienced. The seat is one you can snuggle into, while the armrests either side are at the perfect height and softly-cushioned.The leather-wrapped steering wheel and gearshift knob ooze class, as does the rest of the tightly-packaged centrestack and dashboard.
It also increases comfort knowing that if something bad does happen, you’re well protected. The Imprezadebuts the Subaru Global Platform architecture, which is designed to deliver significantly higher levels of driving agility, increased protection against crashes and added levels of ride comfort … not a bad thing for driving in this part of the world!
Soon to be rolled out across all of the marque’s fleet, it increases body structure rigidity by more than 70 per cent, whilst also boasting a 40 percent improvement in crash energy absorption than the previous model.
Further safety features include an Anti-Lock Braking System, Brake Assist System, Vehicle Dynamics Control System, Electronic Brake-Force Distribution and more.
Under the bonnet, the four-cylinder engine packs 154BHP and 196Nm of torque. Whilst not the fastest off the line, it’s an incredibly smooth all-wheel drive with an equally buttery transmission when you slip the car into manual and use the paddle shift.
The 6.5-inch display is simple, easy-to-use and hoards a suite of features such as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, USB, AUX, radio and more. It’s all controllable with steering wheel-mounted controls too, which Iused to crank the volume up to high levels. On that note, the Impreza’ssound system passes the ‘Kristian Heavy Metal Workout’ test with aplomb!
Usually the endless traffic jam that is the Bahrain highway gets me in a rage, but as the sun was beginning tocast the last of its orange glow at the end of a busy working week, I was for once grateful of the bumper-to-bumper queues.
It allowed me to spend the last fleeting few moments with this treasure and put it through its final paces. It was a sorrowful moment handing over the keys in the Subaru showroom in Sitra, although this was somewhat soothed by the friendly faces that greeted me there.
As I said earlier, test drives vary in quality, and the ‘showroom experience’ is as much a part of that as the car itself. The guys at Subaru offer unparalleled expertise when it comes to this, and it still remains by far my favouriteplace to pick a car up from.
Other dealers take note, a cup of tea, a friendly chat and a thorough debriefing on the car goes a long way towards customer satisfaction!
The 2017 Subaru Imprezais available now starting from a startlingly impressive BD6,195 – an absolute bargain. For more information, visit the Motorcityshowroom in Sitraor call 17736222.
