That said, the RS's acceleration isn't quite as lively as we might have expected based on its size and engine power. The discrepancy might be explained by gearing, or by the character of the boxer engine. There's plenty of acceleration-producing torque in the middle of the power band, yet the engine is weak at very low rpm, and it runs out of steam well before its 6200-rpm redline. Gear ratios also contribute. While most cars will reach 60 mph in second gear, the Impreza RS requires an upshift to third just past 50 mph, adding as much as 0.4 second to the O-60 times. Although the RS has shorter throws than a standard Impreza, its shifter isn't the world's most precise, and it's fairly easy to miss a gear in the heat of a spirited drive. Yet overall, with its fat power band in the middle of the rev range, the Impreza RS is more responsive, and more entertaining, than a host of other subcompact automobiles.

Its suspension offers some nice surprises, too. Most small cars tuned to improve handling come with stiff rides. The Impreza RS, on the other hand, is tuned in the tradition of rallying where race courses are often dry creeks or dirt logging trails full of bumps and deep chuckholes. So the Subaru's springs are fairly soft and there's quite a bit of suspension travel. That means a comfortable ride to go with handling that's quite good, once a driver gets familiar with the car.

The Impreza RS leans over quite a bit during hard, sudden cornering, yet weight transfers from side to side progressively, in a controlled fashion. It doesn't flop. The steering is quick, and while it lacks the feel of a sports car, the Impreza RS turns into a corner crisply. Its basic handling characteristic is understeer, or what enthusiast drivers call push. That's a safe, progressive process that intuitively makes a driver slow down if he or she goes into a corner too fast. Yet with all-wheel traction, the RS can safely--and quickly--negotiate corners that might be too much for a standard front-drive subcompact.