Can you imagine Arnold Schwarzenegger playing any of Sir Anthony Hopkins’ signature roles?
The Oscar-winning Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs, the impeccably restrained James Stevens in Remains of the Day or the schizophrenic mathematician in Proof?
No? Do you think those roles might have been slightly beyond the governator who only ever garnered critical acclaim for his portrayal of a monosyllabic cyborg?
Yep, I agree, Arnie wouldn’t have pulled it off in much the same way as Hopkins might not have been so good at terminating things.
Obviously, playing to one’s strength is as important for artists as it is for carmakers, though in these troubled times just about everyone is going to try their hand at everything as evidenced by sports-car maker Porsche unveiling its first four-door sedan (the Panamera) a few months ago.
So you can’t really blame Subaru for turning the focused Impreza sedan into a soft hatch three years ago as the hatch market is a profitable one and the company was obviously trying to attract a broader clientele.
Unfortunately, the plan backfired as traditional Subaru Impreza buyers weren’t Imprezzed enough to buy the hatch version and regular hatch customers stuck to already established hatches such as the Honda Civic and VW Golf.
Now, however, Subaru has its groove back and has launched an Impreza sedan that once again feels like a finely tuned instrument.
The Impreza range consists of a 2.0-litre model and the popular WRX has been upgraded and now has an output of 195kW of power and 343Nm of torque. But the range-topping STi will strangely only be available as a hatch.
During the short launch drive the WRX sedan felt perfectly composed though it did feel a tad harder to drive than the hatch it replaces. And yes, it felt a lot more confident in sharp bends and that’s something that was definitely lacking in the hatchback.
The new range features all-wheel drive as standard as well as ABS, airbags, cruise control and multi function steering whereas the suspension has been upgraded to give the car improved handling characteristics.
Given that Subaru is opening a new dealership in Jo’burg, the new Impreza sedan might already be attracting the old clientele back to the brand and one hopes that Subaru will, in future, stick to the genre in which it has established itself as a respected player.
Prices:
2.0-litre sedan manual R249 000
2.0-litre sedan auto R259 000
2.5-litre WRX sedan manual R349 000
STi hatchback R545 000