Remember good old Harold Macmillan, he of "you've never had it so good" fame? Well, his automotive equivalent must exist somewhere inside the UK headquarters of Subaru, recently moved to a sparkling new home near the NEC at Birmingham. For it was at Subaru that someone came up with the bright idea of offering its five door Impreza Sports Wagon with a 1.5 litre engine, four wheel drive with transfer box, giving 10 forward gears and two reverse, and speccing the car up to the hilt. Best of all was the price - just £12,495. And buyers have loved it. The initial supply sold out very quickly and Subaru had to rustle up some more pronto. It's for this reason that I haven't written about it until now. There was no point telling you about it as you couldn't get one. But now you can, and if the idea of a sensible all wheel drive car appeals then get on and order one. When you consider that the excellent Fiat Sedici 4x4 costs quite a bit more and doesn't come with anything like the Subaru's low range box then you realise what a bargain the Japanese car is. It's the family model for serious off-road types, although I hesitate to think when they might actually get round to using the low range set of gears. I suppose it's a bit like Range Rover ownership, but on a smaller scale. Range Rover owners know their cars will take them anywhere, even if the furthest they go is the school or the supermarket. Subaru owners can now have the same belt and braces approach but for about a fifth of the cost of buying a Range Rover. The Impreza will pull 1.5 tonnes, which is a decent size trailer or caravan. If you want to use it for launching boats on slipways, then the adjustability and manoeuvrability of the car in low range, plus its ability to pull up steep slopes, could be a real bonus. Added to that, of course, you have the halo effect of the Impreza WRX and STI models, the ones that all the kids drive round in these days, doughnutting their tyres into oblivion. You, too, can boast that you have a Subaru Impreza - just don't mention its slightly wheezy 1.5 litre engine! It's that engine that's the Achilles heel of this car. You just have to work it so hard all the time to get anywhere that it's a bit of a nightmare. If you want more power in your Sports Wagon, you can always opt for the 2.0RX with 158 bhp rather than the puny, seven stone weakling 103 bhp of the 1.5R but you'll pay for the privilege - £4,230 to be precise. It's hardly likely to cost you any more at the pumps, though, as the 1.5R struggles to best 30 mpg. With its better power to weight ration the 2.0RX is likely to achieve the same, it's just that its extra performance will ensure you arrive at the pumps earlier. Don't get me wrong, though, as I like the 1.5R. Subarus have appealed to me since Bob Edmiston, the big cheese at IM Group, first started bringing them here is the late 70s. They were downright weird then, rather than just odd these days, but you couldn't help like them. What other saloon or small estate could you use then to drag you across a muddy building site or pig field? In fact farmers will be happy as a pig in the proverbial with this latest small Subaru. It may not have room in the back for their prize sow but it's a 4x4 that doesn't tell porkies about its abilities. Maurice Hardy Annette's View We've been back and forth to Cornwall for more than a year now as my mother has been very ill and are such regulars at our B and B (Tregondale Farm, Menheniot - a quiet and luxurious haven apart from when the South Devons are mooing in the morning) that the place has become like a second home. Trundling into the yard in a Subaru felt like a very appropriate thing to do - Stephanie, our hostess, always has an eye open for what we are driving but the Subaru came into its own for more than just being a correct rural runaround. The journey back that weekend was awful. Wind and driving rain ensured the conditions could only have been more difficult if there had been deep snow. Even if there had been snow the Subaru would have coped, of course. The Impreza may be an image car these days to most drivers but underneath all the glitz and go-faster glamour is a car that can deliver when times are tough. Most people prefer the saloon but the sensible choice is the five door estate. It looks small but has more load space than the old Rover 75 estate, which took up more road space. Liking the Subaru may be an acquired taste for some, but it's a taste worth acquiring in my view. Car: Subaru Impreza 1.5R Sports Wagon Does it fit your ego?... 0-62 mph: 13.5 secs Top speed: 109 mph Bhp: 103 @ 6400 rpm Torque: 105 lb ft @ 3200 rpm ...and your wallet?... Price: £12,495 Urban: 27.2 mpg Extra urban: 44.1 mpg Combined: 35.8 mpg CO2 emissions: 184 g/km Insurance Group: 9 Best bits: it'll go anywhere; it's sensible; it's cheap.