ROOMY and pleasant to drive, the current Subaru Impreza is a four-wheel-drive hatchback with enough plus points to outweigh its drawbacks.

There’s no doubt this fifth generation version is a significant improvement over the last car, although it lacks the same sparkle as the performance-orientated Imprezas of yesteryear, which will forever be associated with rally legend Colin McRae.

The modern-day Impreza places greater emphasis on practicality, offering more space inside than its predecessor, a more refined cabin and decent road manners.

Its appearance is also an improvement on the fourth generation car, with some sharper styling on show.

Buyers have a choice of two engines – a 1.6-litre petrol version and the more powerful 2.0-litre stablemate.

The smaller engine, tested here, was refined and well-behaved at lower speeds, producing relatively little noise around town.

However, once you need to get a move-on, it feels rather lacklustre – an impression backed up by an official 0-62mph time of 12.4 seconds. McRae wouldn’t have won many rallies with that acceleration.

On that basis, looking at the stats, you’d probably be tempted to give the 2.0-litre version a go, as it performs the sprint to 62mph in under 10 seconds and isn’t noticeably less efficient in terms of mpg or emissions.

The fact the 1.6-litre engine doesn’t pack a greater punch is ever more of a shame when you realise that just about everything else about the driving experience is, well, excellent.

Yes, the Impreza’s superb chassis, direct steering and tremendous grip levels would comfortably match an engine with a lot more bhp.

Revisions have been made to the rear suspension mounting points, the stiffness of the underpinnings and the torsional rigidity of the body. It all adds up to a car that’s agile and trustworthy in the corners, with hardly and body roll or understeer.

The steering is delightful, offering great feel, weight and accuracy, helping the car feel controlled in all situations.

Another plus point is the fact the Impreza comes with four-wheel-drive as standard - far from the norm for a C-segment hatchback in this price range. As a result, it feels sure-footed, even on greasy road surfaces.

While the high quality of Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel-drive system is beyond doubt, opinion is more divided on one of its other favoured features - the continuously variable transmission (CVT) box.

Many driving purists have little time for CVT, pointing to the strained noise and a feeling reminiscent of gear slip under heavy acceleration.

That said, Subaru’s Lineartronic is the best CVT system on the market, in my opinion, which means it doesn’t detract from the driving experience enough to overshadow the other attributes.

Once inside, there’s a clear improvement in the quality of materials used throughout the cabin when compared with the fourth generation model. The dash is clean and well laid-out, while there’s very little by way of scratchy plastics.

There’s plenty of space too, with front seat occupants able to stretch out and two six-foot adults able to sit in the back comfortably. The middle back seat passenger will find legroom cramped due to the all-wheel drive system transmission tunnel. Meanwhile, the boot offers plentiful space, being five litres larger than before.

Reliability and safety are two things on which Subaru prided itself.

Central to Subaru’s safety package is the Eyesight system which, combined with a strong chassis, saw it score highly in safety tests.

In conclusion, sharp looks, great interior space and a gem of a chassis overshadow a lethargic engine to make the Impreza a good all-round package.