2008 Subaru Impreza 2.5i

While the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX and Impreza WRX STI make headlines, the Impreza 2.5i sedan and five-door models quietly form the foundation of Subaru's entry in the increasingly important U.S. compact-car segment. Although it may appear that Subaru is trying to make the Impreza more mainstream-friendly, the Impreza is grounded as a Subaru thanks to standard all-wheel drive, even on base $16,995 four-door Imprezas.

New for 2008, the Impreza is powered by a 2.5L four producing 170 hp that may seem high, but remember those 170 hp must cart around about 3100 lb of AWD sedan or five-door hatchback. Most Imprezas will probably be mated to the four-speed auto transmission in the U.S., but a five-speed manual transmission is also available. With four-speed auto transmissions becoming outmoded, we hope Subaru can add a five- or six-speed auto next year or when the Impreza goes through its mid-model change, especially with all-wheel-drive competitors like the 2008 Suzuki SX4 five-door and 2009 Toyota Matrix still offering a four-speed auto.

The Impreza four- or five-door is good for 20/27 city/highway mpg, in line with the smaller 2008 Suzuki SX4 five-door's 21/28 mpg and the 2009 Toyota Matrix AWD's 20/26 mpg. The Impreza's 16.9-gallon gas tank is much larger than most in its class, meaning you'll spend less time at the gas station and more time on the road.

Should something happen to you on the road, the Impreza covers the safety front well. Besides the expected front airbags, the Impreza comes standard with chest side impact and side curtain airbags. The compact Subaru's crash test scores are impressive: 4 and 5 stars all around for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tests as well as scores of "Good" for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's front- and side-impact tests. However, we would be remiss if we didn't mention the fact that base Imprezas -- without the Premium Package -- don't get four-wheel disc brakes or Subaru's Vehicle Dynamics Control. For the record, one of the compact segment's sales leaders, the Toyota Corolla, also doesn't equip base models with four-wheel disc brakes or stability control as standard.

The Subaru Impreza is otherwise a solid package with relatively attractive 16-in. wheel covers and a slightly more refined interior than that of the last-generation model. Naturally, we would like the Impreza's interior more if its steering wheel had telescoping movement to complement the tilt adjustability.

If you want or need the security of all-wheel drive at a low price, the 2008 Subaru Impreza is a solid choice. Add in the benefit of not buying a vehicle that sells fewer than 100,000 units a year and you have a potential value without ubiquity of a Corolla or Civic.