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Subaru as a whole has been on quite the sales ride over the past few years, and has become one of the best selling all wheel drive vehicles here in the U.S., especially in the intermountain west. As the Impreza may not set any speed records in the Sport edition, it will conquer pretty much whatever driving conditions are thrown its way. While many others may be down for the count during a heavy snow, the AWD Impreza finds a way to conquer that same storm or mountain.

Being spring time during our test week, we took a Sunday afternoon to try out the all wheel drive of this auspicious little compact and went for a ride up Hobble Creek Canyon, continuing up right hand fork to conquer what has become known as the Hogs Back then dropping down through Diamond Fork into Spanish Fork canyon. The Impreza came through with flying colors without so much as even a flinch no matter how steep or rutted the dirt road became.

We hardly even noticed most of the uneven terrain as the ride was much smoother than we had anticipated, and much more enjoyable than if we had been in a true 4×4 vehicle designed to take on the harshest Mother Nature would have to offer. After our Sunday afternoon in the mountains we wouldn’t hesitate to take the Impreza pretty much anywhere except maybe on the most extreme trails in Moab, the compact Subaru impressed us with its agility and ability to get places.

Subaru has given the 2015 Impreza a mid-cycle refresh of sorts with small changes to the exterior in a new bumper, grill, outboard trim pieces and new headlights. These small changes really amount to getting the Impreza to be more in line with the looks of the Subaru Legacy up front, something that most carmakers excel at in keeping the genes the same throughout the lineup.

The mirrors are also new to add aerodynamics to the car and increase gas mileage, which is where the Subaru really excels in its class, as if getting anywhere wasn’t enough it can do it by pretty much sipping the petrol supply. Before our Sunday trip and Deanne taking a Monday drive to Salt Lake and Alpine for work, we were beginning to wonder if we could possibly use a full tank of gas during the entire week. With an EPA estimate of 27/36/31 mpg we averaged right at 33.5 mpg for the week.

This is all accomplished with a 2.0 liter boxer engine that is horizontally opposed as has become Subaru’s trade mark, it puts out 148 horsepower and 145 lb.-ft. of torque, like we said, it’s not going to win any drag races soon but will get pretty much anywhere. The fact that the motor is flatter than most, allows Subaru to gain even greater ground clearance in the Impreza helping it to get over even the roughest of roads.

But if speed is the name of the game… Subaru has the answer in the Impreza WRX STI, which undoubtedly will impress even the most fickle of speed demons, although these speed enhancements will come at a price as they start pretty much where the Limited ends, at just a touch over $26,000. The Impreza at this level can only be had in the sedan model, something to think about if hauling larger objects is in the cards.

On the interior is where the upgrades really shine in the refreshed Impreza with new sound deadening materials having been added; along with higher quality interior materials and a completely new 7-inch touch screen infotainment system. The new look is user friendly and with all the additions prompted us to put the price of the Impreza in the low 30’s after driving it the first day.

Even with the only upgrade deemed option, package 23 by Subaru, the price was just under $28,000. The Impreza was loaded with all the features that gave us the impression it would cost much more. Standard were leatherette seating surfaces front and rear with heated front seats, Bluetooth phone and iPod connectivity and SiriusXM coupled with HD radio.

The $2,795 option package that was included without test ride included what Subaru calls EyeSight Driver Assist System, which does pretty much what the name implies, it becomes another set of eyes, or two cameras as it were, in the top of the front windshield of the Impreza. But this extra set of eyes are coupled with the onboard computer and will bring the vehicle to a complete stop if the driver is not reacting fast enough to danger ahead.

EyeSight will sound an audible pre-collision warning and brake the vehicle along with managing throttle control or slowing the engine down, in essence not allowing itself to come in contact with the vehicle in front. Videos on the Subaru website are pretty amazing and after spending a week with the Impreza we were believers.

This EyeSight package also included lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control functions that were controlled with this extra pair of eyes. These are both options that we have not seen yet at this price point on one of our test drive vehicles, about the only option we could think of on the safety side that was not included would be blind spot monitoring.

Oh, and there was also the inclusion of a large power moon roof, intelligent key entry with pushbutton start and a complete navigation system, not bad for only $2,795!

The newly refreshed Impreza may not turn heads driving down the street, but it will give owners endless possibilities for different destinations and won’t stop when the weather gets rough. Inside we fell in love with all the features and comforts giving this Subaru our complete vote of confidence, and would consider it a bargain for the money, the perfect addition to any family’s fleet. See one today at Doug Smith Subaru in American Fork at 523 West Main, 801-492-1110.

Base Price: $23,295

Price as Driven: $26,895