Here's one facelift you won't need to squint in order to notice. Subaru's Impreza range gets a new corporate look for 2006, and it's a facial renovation worthy of an appearance on TV's Extreme Makeover.

Grafted onto the prow of all Model Year 2006 Imprezas are rakish new headlamps which Subaru says are shaped to recall hawk eyes. These flank a redesigned grille with wing-like elements that allude to the company's aircraft heritage - like a number of car manufacturers (such as BMW and Saab), Subaru began life in the aerospace business. Unlike them, it continues to make jet aircraft, which is something now reflected in the front-end styling of the Impreza.

There are redesigned tail lamps to look out for too, as well as Subaru's corporate logo newly stuck onto the boot. Corner spoilers have been incorporated into the front bumper, and optimising cooling efficiency has allowed Subaru to lower the height of the bonnet air-scoop to improve visibility.

The new styling is accompanied by a host of important updates, and the most crucial of these is a new engine for the fire-breathing WRX and WRX STi models. Gone is the turbocharged 2.0-litre flat-four that kept a thousand aftermarket tuners busy. It's been replaced by a new, cleaner-burning version with a bigger bore that takes capacity up to 2.5-litres.

Still breathing through a turbo and intercooler, it's available in two states of tune offering 230bhp and 280bhp for the WRX and WRX STi respectively. The 1.6-litre engine continues its duties in the Impreza TS.

With the STi model yet to arrive on our shores, we drove the WRX 2.5.

DRIVING IT

The notion that a WRX is a tricky beast that's difficult to tame is, quite frankly, bollocks. If anything, the opposite is true in the sense that it's a surprisingly easy car to drive swiftly. It's peerless at connecting corners rapidly, then sailing around them in a manner that builds plenty of driver confidence.

As before, Subaru's All-Wheel Drive (AWD) philosophy is liberally applied here, with a 50:50 power split between front and rear wheels that varies according to the traction needs of each end of the car.

While AWD doesn't contribute much to corner entry, the Impreza's balance means it doesn't shy away from attacking bends. The engine's flat-four 'boxer' layout keeps the main masses near the bottom of the engine bay, resulting in a low centre of gravity, and that keeps body roll to a minimum. Thanks to the quick steering, it dives into corners with enough zeal to keep a keen driver on his toes, and the Bridgestone Potenza RE010 tyres give masses of grip.

Thereafter, the advantage of having four driven wheels comes into play; boot it out of a bend, and there's never untidy wheelspin or a struggle for traction. Instead, you get all that turbo power put down nicely and a clean, rapid exit from the corner.

The new engine is an excellent partner for the chassis, too. While it's nicely grunty even when off-boost, it flexes its muscles around 2,600rpm, and hits hard all the way to 4,900rpm or so, giving you a fairly wide sweetspot to play with. The power delivery is linear enough so that you're unlikely to be caught off-guard by a sudden rush of acceleration.

It would be a mistake to think of the WRX as a pussycat, though. Ultimately, steady nerves, quick reflexes and decisive driving inputs are what you'll need to get the best from the car.

INSIDE IT

Cosmetically there isn't much to look out for, and the interior is almost completely carried over from the 2005 Impreza. Two-tone seat fabrics and off-black cabin trim are the distinguishing features of the new model.

Ergonomically, Subaru likes to do things its own way - the parking light switch sits behind the steering wheel, for instance - but the controls and switches are a cinch to operate. The Impreza has always offered decent cabin space, too, so rapid travel for five is always an option.

It's the new engine that makes the biggest difference to the interior experience, though, for it's smoother than the 2.0-litre unit it replaces. In fact, the entire drivetrain seems to have taken on an added layer of refinement. The transmission works more quietly than before, and the engine itself is unexpectedly hushed.

The ride may be firm, but it doesn't jar the spine, so overall the Impreza is an effective marriage of high-performance and civility.

DOLLARS AND SENSE

Xenon lights are a nice new touch for the WRX, and as with the previous model the equipment list stretches to include twin airbags and an in-dash six-disc CD changer. The 205/50 R16 tyres might seem weedy, but they're a nice match for the car's output and we recommend you stick with them - overdo the tyres and you risk wrecking the steering feel, upping the fuel consumption and introducing tramlining on lousy roads.

It's the basic proposition of affordable performance at which the WRX reigns supreme, though. It's one thing to offer plenty of turbo power at this sort of pricing, but to package it with AWD, suitably strong brakes, and surefooted handling? Car companies like Subaru are every petrolhead's best friend.

VERDICT

Cynics point to a car's facelift and see obligatory updates carried out to keep buyers interested. In the WRX's case, though, the new engine has been particularly worthwhile, for it makes the Impreza a genuinely better car than before.

In a few weeks though, the STi model makes it debut here, and while we don't yet know how much it will cost, the 50 extra horses it offers come with bigger wheels, beefed-up brakes, aerodynamic tweaks and more. We can't wait to see what that will be like, especially if the 2006 WRX we've just driven is a measure of Subaru?s progress with the car.

NEED TO KNOW

Model: Subaru Impreza WRX 2.5
Engine type: 2,457cc 16V flat-four
Max Power: 230bhp at 5,600rpm
Max Torque: 320Nm at 3,600rpm
Gearbox: Five-speed manual
Top speed: 230km/h
0-100km/h: 9.0 seconds
Price: $91,500 with COE
Warranty: 3 years / 60,000km
Contact: Motor Image Enterprise, 6473 0333

Similar Cars We've Driven

Volvo S60 2.0T $127,000 with COE
The Volvo is a fair bit more expensive than the WRX but it does offer far higher levels of refinement and practicality. The turbocharged five-cylinder engine is a gem, too, and seems to make 180bhp go a long way.

Opel Astra 2.0 Turbo $98,888 with COE
The manual gearbox-only Astra Turbo also packs a big turbocharged punch, but packages it in a far less aggressive bodystyle. The Astra is a good handler in basic trim, and the addition of the 200bhp just adds to the fun.

THE TOYOTA-SUBARU CONNECTION

You've heard of Subaru, the brand, but maybe not Subaru the car company. Why is that? Subarus are made by a company called Fuji Heavy Industries Limited in Japan, and apart from well-loved and rally-proven cars, the company is a maker of everything from planes and helicopters to pre-fabricated houses and garbage trucks.

It's a publicly-listed company in Japan worth over $6 billion, and up until October this year its biggest single stakeholder was General Motors. The American giant bought 20 percent of Fuji for access to its All Wheel-Drive (AWD) technology (although why the world's biggest carmaker couldn't simply develop its own AWD system remains a mystery), but recently sold its stake for a loss in order to raise cash.

One party agreed to pick up 8.7 percent of Fuji for about $531 million: Toyota.

It's not Japan's number one carmaker's style to take over rival car firms, so the move is likely to be something of an alliance: Toyota announced this week that a Subaru factory in the US would churn out up to 100,000 Camrys a year, enabling Toyota 'borrow' manufacturing capacity to meet demand without heavy capital investment.

Fuji's aerospace division might also be of interest to Toyota, which is carrying out aviation research. Most interesting of all, Fuji has agreed to send engineers to work at Toyota on vehicle development.

It's possible, then, that selected Subaru and Toyota models will have shared DNA in future. And when Japan's most dynamic carmaker collaborates with the richest and most-efficient one, the results can only be positive.

This could be the start of a beautiful friendship.