While Subaru has delivered a quality product year after year, its Impreza hasn't always appeared to be as well put together as its reputation verified, at least on the inside. The plastic surfaces were a little harder and shinier than is currently en vogue and panel gaps didn't always meet up in perfect unison. This soft-touch, matte-finish world is known as "perceived quality". And I'm a stickler when it comes to perceived quality, maybe a little too taken in by superficial "substance" than I should be, but

I'm happy to announce that the 2006 Impreza's interior takes second place to no rival, with some of the nicest switchgear in its class and soft-touch plastics just about everywhere. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

nevertheless I want a car to fit like a prince for a pauper's sum, as the old saying goes. Well, I'm happy to announce that the 2006 Impreza takes second place to no rival, with some of the nicest switchgear in its class and soft-touch plastics just about everywhere.

That switchgear actuates a standard AM/FM/CD audio system, plus air conditioning, power windows, powered and heated mirrors, automatic door locks with remote keyless entry, tilt steering, an exterior temperature gauge and intermittent wipers, all standard. Also, the seats are fabulous, steering wheel the best in the business and overall ergonomics so well thought out you'd think it was designed for racing or something.

I bet you can just imagine the tongue in my cheek as I speak, being that most Subee fans know that the Impreza is the basis for the outrageously

That motorsport heritage affects the majority of drivetrain and suspension components in every Impreza model. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

successful WRX line of rally cars, currently piloted by some of the best drivers on the toughest tarmac and dirt roads planet-wide in the FIA sanctioned World Rally Championship series.

That motorsport heritage doesn't merely trickle down to the road cars via brand DNA, but immediately affects the majority of drivetrain and suspension components in every Impreza model. That's what makes the "base" Impreza such a standout vehicle. It feels like a racer, even when equipped with its entry-level 173-horsepower 2.4-litre horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine. But hold on a minute? The base car gets 173 ponies under its aluminum hood? Isn't that similar engine output to top-line performance models from Subaru's competitors? Yup! Sure there are a few compact rivals that produce more than 200-horsepower in sport-oriented trim, but the majority offer somewhere in the vicinity of 160- to 175-horsepower, and most don't offer anywhere near the Impreza's 166 lb-ft of torque.