Not too long after announcing the return of the WRX STI sedan to the UK this May with a substantially lower price than its precursor at £28,995, Subaru today also confirmed the return of the regular Impreza, albeit only in hatchback form with a single engine and trim grade.
The new Impreza RC five-door hatch comes with standard all-wheel drive (the only car in its class to do so, according to Subaru), and a 1.6-litre Boxer petrol engine with Auto Start Stop delivering 112hp (114PS) and 116lb-ft (150Nm) of peak torque linked to a five-speed manual or a Lineartronic CVT transmission.
With the manual gearbox, the Impreza RC will (….slowly) whistle its way from 0 to 60mph (96km/h) in 12.3 seconds and continue up until it reaches 114mph (183km/h), while it can return a fuel economy of 44.1mpg UK on the combined cycle with CO2 emissions of 147g/km. The Lineartronic improves efficiency to 46.3mpg UK and lowers CO2 emissions to 140g/km.
Prices start at £17,495 (on-the-road) for the five-speed manual model and from £18,995 for the CVT, with standard equipment features including Subaru’s Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) electronic stability programme, automatic on/off headlamps and rain-sensing windscreen wipers, windscreen wiper de-icer system and dual-zone air-conditioning.
In tune with the rest of the options that buyers have, only three exterior paint colors will be on offer, named Satin White, Ice Silver and Quartz Blue.
By John Halas
PHOTO GALLERY
