Subaru Impreza WRX sedan is spunky and comfy

All-wheel drive is popular on sport utility vehicles and trucks, and it has been surfacing as a feature to improve traction and handling of luxury cars.

But even buyers of the smallest sedans — subcompacts — can get all-wheel drive, and they don’t have to spend $30,000 to get it.

Subaru is the only brand to make all-wheel drive standard on every vehicle sold in the United States.

This includes the subcompact Subaru Impreza line, where the starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price, including destination charge, is $18,920 for a five-passenger Impreza 2.5i sedan with manual transmission.

For 2006, Imprezas also have more powerful engines, exterior styling updates, more safety equipment than their predecessors and a first-ever three-sedan selection of the Impreza WRX sporty trim level.

Suzuki is the only other brand to offer all-wheel drive on an under-$20,000, subcompact sedan. The five-passenger Suzuki Aerio has a starting price of $17,594 for an all-wheel-drive, 2005 LX sedan.

Subaru Imprezas are available as both sedans and wagons.

The top of the line WRX STi has become a cult car among young men who like its expressive styling and 300-horsepower four-cylinder engine with high-boost turbocharger.

The 2006 WRX sedan that was the test car seemed to strike a nice balance of spunky power and ride comfort.

Styling of all Imprezas now incorporates a three-section mesh grille with more prominent headlights. In back, there are new taillamps.

But the real news is the power.

The base, 2.5-liter, naturally aspirated, horizontally opposed “boxer” four-cylinder develops 173 horsepower, up a bit from 165, because of the addition of a valve lift system.

The Imprezas that are the next step up, the WRX models, have a new engine altogether. It’s a 230-horsepower, 2.5-liter, intercooled and turbocharged boxer four-cylinder capable of 235 foot-pounds of torque at 3,600 rpm. This is more than the previous 217-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbo four with 217 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 rpm. The change is noticeable, right at start-up.

The test WRX sedan with five-speed manual seemed to be rarin’ to go and didn’t need much time to get up to speed and effortlessly zip along. There was a bit of turbo lag at times, as I stepped on the gas and waited for the power to come on. But once it did, there was strong power delivery.

Best of all, the all-wheel drive helped manage how that power moved the wheels.

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