Picture the scene: your husband’s mid-life crisis is in full swing. His baseball caps are down from the attic and he is just back from a music festival with a raft of new heavy metal tunes on his ipod. He then drops the bombshell that he has put a deposit on a new Subaru Impreza. Your jaw drops. As memories of his rally car-esque Impreza of your dating years come flooding back, it is all too much, and you pass out peacefully with the shock.
 
A few hours later, and not before you have asked for a divorce on the grounds of insanity, the offending husband is keen to make amends. He shows you the Impreza brochure. Shock number two. Perhaps he has not completely lost it after all. You see the Subaru Impreza has had a personality transplant, and these days it is a sensibly priced, practical family car geared towards a ‘more mature’ audience. We recently spent a week with the new Impreza to check out its family credentials.
 
A simple, clean exterior design means the Impreza has thin corner pillars and large windows. We were super impressed with how much can be seen through the rear window, large side mirrors and the windscreen. In a market where sexy lines have decimated driver visibility the Impreza is a welcome change, and for that reason alone is worth test driving.
 
The positives don’t end there. Our test car was the six speed automatic 1.6 petrol model, and it is the quietest and smoothest car we have tested so far this year. It is the only hatchback in its class with four wheel drive, an important safety feature for families living on higher ground where grip is low in the winter, or for those who drive on muddy or slippy roads regularly. Fuel economy is 46miles per gallon, which in real life amounts to roughly 350 miles for €50 petrol. The automatic costs just €280 a year to tax, and it is €390 per year for the manual.
 
In the back there is room to fit two tall teenagers comfortably and three at a squeeze, while rear legroom is easily a match for the likes of a Volkswagen Golf. The seat covers can be taken off and cleaned (so no worries if your kids jump in dirty after their football training) and the dark plastics look durable enough to cope with family life. The light clutch and gearbox make the manual Impreza a doddle to drive in town.  The dashboard is not the most modern on the market, but it does the basics very well and there are no confusing controls to make your life complicated.
 
At €24,995 the Impreza is keenly priced and has loads of extras as standard. Climate control, cruise control, a reversing camera, Bluetooth hands free, automatic lights and wipers, and alloy wheels are all standard. A rear window demister can be timed to come on before you leave the house in cold weather and the wipers are also fitted with demisters, so the days of the pot of hot water before the school run are officially over!
 
Oh, and your husband will be delighted to know that it is ridiculously good fun to drive too…
 
Is there loads of storage space?
The boot is on a par with the likes of the Ford Focus, and the seats fold flat so carrying bikes or flat pack furniture is easy. There’s a decent glove box and armrest storage unit, and all four doors have cup holders. The seats are really light and easy to fold flat, while the boot floor is high so loading and unloading is easy.
 
Is it baby friendly?
There are two ISOFIX mounts in the rear, which are covered by clips so they don’t dig into passengers' backs. There are top tethers on both seats which helps prevent the baby seat lurching forward in a crash. The front passenger airbag can also be turned off to accommodate a baby seat.
 
Is parking easy?
Thumbs up here Subaru! The standard reversing camera means reversing is simple, and the amount you can see out the back and side windows is reassuring. We didn’t get that familiar feeling of concern that you can’t see children behind you at the school, which drivers get in many cars these days with small back windows.
 
What about safety?
No complaints here. Alongside the usual front, side and curtain airbags, there is a driver’s knee airbag too. The four-wheel drive system senses if a wheel is slipping and helps retain control, while a brake override system means if you hit the brake and accelerator together by mistake, the power is automatically cut. There are also luggage harnesses in the boot to prevent items becoming airborne if there’s a crash. 
 
Verdict:
Thumbs Up:
Great value, smooth and quiet
Safety in bad weather
Great driver visibility
Husband mid-life-crisis-friendly!
 
Thumbs down
Some hatchbacks look better
The dash is a bit dated
 
Mummypages Ratings:
Baby friendliness: 3.5/5
Safety: 4.5/5
Cool rating: 3.5/5 (husband disagrees!)
Passenger and storage space: 3.5/5
Car park friendliness: 4.5/5
Value for money: 4/5
 
Overall rating 23.5/30
 
Statistics:
Price as tested: €24,995
Fuel Economy and tax: 46mpg / €280 per year
Warranty: 5 years (160,000 kilometres).
ISOFIX baby seat mounts: 2
Seats suitable for adults (excl driver): 4
Seats suitable for kids only: 0

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