UP to now you would have had a better chance of getting Gordon Ramsay to stop swearing on camera than persuading your granny to buy a Subaru Impreza.

The mere mention of the Impreza name instantly conjures up huddles of young street racers drooling over the flared-arch, spoiler-laden, gold-wheeled street racing, rally car lookalike.

Little wonder really, when the Impreza has been the weapon wielded for years by the Prodrive-run Subaru World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship.

And while the new Impreza range retains its turbocharged firebreathing WRX and WRX STI flagships, there is a clear move to extend the Impreza appeal to a much wider range of buyers.

Enter the 1.5-litre version with toned down styling, decent fuel consumption and a price tag of less than £12,500. Most importantly it retains Subaru's acclaimed boxer' engine layout. With its cylinders horizontally opposed, it gives the car a lower centre of gravity for improved grip, reduced body roll and more agile steering response.

Also retained, thanks to the boxer layout, is the wonderful growling exhaust note which mimics that of the more aggressively-styled members of the Impreza range. All new Imprezas share a more practical five-door body, which is shorter and wider than the previous model and gives more interior space. Subaru says its aim is to compete more directly in the European market with rivals such as the Honda Civic, VW Golf and Mazda3, while offering the added traction advantage of four-wheel-drive. A low-ratio, dual-range transfer box, fitted to all models, effectively provides ten speeds, particularly useful when towing or covering difficult road surfaces.

The interior is smart and business-like, with a flowing fascia like that on the large Tribeca 4x4, double-stitched seat cloth, metallic interior decoration and padded armrest cushions.

Switchgear is easy-to-use, red-lit instrumentation is clear and, even on this entry model, there are refinements like height-and-reach steering wheel adjustment and a vehicle information display.

Standard equipment includes all-wheel-drive, alloy wheels, climate-control air-conditioning, radio/CD player and driver, passenger, side and curtain airbags.

The car is most distinctive from the rear where its array of light-emitting diode tail lamps proves eye-catching.

The car got off to a flying start in Japan, where sales hit 3,829 in the first week - 150 per cent of the planned monthly sales target. There might even have been a granny or two among them.

Auto facts Subaru Impreza 1.5R

  • Price: £12,495
  • Ins group: Four
  • Fuel consumption (Combined): 37.7mpg
  • Top speed: 109mph
  • Length: 441.5cm/173.8in
  • Width: 174cm/68.5in
  • Luggage capacity: 10.6 cu ft
  • Fuel tank capacity: 13.3 gallons/60.4 litres
  • CO2 emissions: 176g/km
  • Warranty: 3 years/60,000 miles