The growth in popularity of SUVs over the past few years suggests that most people buying AWD cars these days have a mindset of “bigger is better.”
Which is fine, except for the fact that it means the humble hatchback is sometimes unfairly overlooked, left to sit on the reserves bench while the bigger players get to shine in the spotlight.
The benefits of hatchbacks, for those who may have previously dismissed them, are plentiful: they’re zippy and sporty in terms of handling and, best of all, they’re a hell of a lot easier to park than all-wheel drive SUVs.
AWD cars: the advantages
There’s a good reason why all-wheel-drive vehicles of all types - AWD sports cars, AWD sedans, AWD performance cars - have also become increasingly popular over the past few years.
For those not familiar with AWD cars, the big advantage they hold over standard cars are that all four wheels have power directed to them instead of just the front two.
This means double the grip as you’ll have added traction on slippery roads or tricky terrain like mud, sand or snow.
Subaru’s Impreza hatchback comes standard with Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, giving it the same kind of ability to grip the road like its bigger siblings, the XV, Forester and Outback. So smaller, yes, but no less safe.
In fact, the focus on safety doesn’t just stop with the all-wheel drive. The Impreza is kitted out with numerous airbags, as well as EyeSight® Driver Assist on certain variants, where two forward-facing cameras constantly scan the road ahead to detect any possible signs of danger.
On selected variants, there’s also Vision Assist, another safety system that comes with a Blind Spot Monitor, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Reverse Automatic Braking, to warn you if you’re about to back into something you really shouldn’t be backing into.
Getting more for less
AWD cars are often on the pricey side, but the Impreza manages to pack in all of the above features into a compact hatch for under $36,000, making it the best value all-wheel-drive hatchback on the market.
Sure AWD SUVs are bigger and AWD sports cars and AWD performance cars may look slick on the road - and this Impreza also benefits from the sporty grip that all-wheel drive also gives those cars - but there’s no denying that the Impreza hatchback is the kind of perfect little package you don’t want to overlook.
CarsGuide
Paid Partnership
03 June 2021
