We’re going to be visiting the ‘90s during the month of October, starting with a few choice JDM subjects. And to kick things off, I figured we could feast our eyes on the nicest Impreza wagon I think I’ve ever come across. It’s no WRX, it’s no Outback, nor is it a weirdo JDM variant like the Casa Blanca – just a straight up standard Impreza in a lovely shade of dark green with very minimal mods.
I say mods, but that’s even a bit too strong a term. Seems the wheels are aftermarket and there is that metal guard on the rear bumper there that looks tacked on. But really this is just a very clean no-frills Impreza, which is actually getting mighty rare in these islands.
The Impreza was born in late 1992 as part of Subaru’s refashioning of their entire range. For a long time, i.e. from the mid-‘60s onwards, Subaru had two main models: a tiny kei / city car line (360, then Rex / Justy) and a FWD/AWD compact eventually known as the Leone. Said Leone was originally pegged at 1000cc, but by the ‘80s the engine had grown to 1.5-1.8 litres. This left quite a gap between the two main models, hardly helped by the additon of the Alcyone / XT coupé.
Subaru played it very cunningly and carefully: they replaced the upper-trim Leones with the larger Legacy in 1989 and then created the Impreza, using a shortened Legacy platform, to replace the rest of the old guard.
Taking the Leone’s cue, the Impreza was launched as a four-door saloon and wagon only initially. The coupé joined the domestic range in January 1995 as the “Ritona.” Those were the basic body variants, but Subaru managed to cook up a wide variety of flavours of Impreza, from sweet to spicy, or even cheesy.
Of course, the star of the show ended up being the WRX (of which there were many variants), but there were many others. Add a continental kit, some body cladding and a big nudge bar, and you could turn the wagon into a crossover. Or you could stick a pair of round headlights, a chrome grille and a bit of gingerbread, and go full neo-retro mode. The only one that Subaru did not pull the trigger on was the coupé-based Operetta convertible, which they exhibited at the 1995 Tokyo Motor Show, but did not produce.
I’m not entirely sure what size and output of the famous new generation EJ flat-4 is under that hood. In Japan, the list was already pretty daunting: 1493cc, 1597cc, 1820cc and 1994cc were on offer, all with a choice of either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed auto and FWD or AWD.
Only the biggest motor, the 2-litre, was available with a turbo. Overseas spec cars had access to the Legacy’s 2.2 and 2.5 litre engines. A few Japanese-spec WRX STis were also equipped with the 2.2, but the maximum-for-the-JDM output of 280hp could be reached by the 2-litre engine anyway. In this 1994 brochure, the HX model is shown as having the 110hp 1.8, so maybe that’s what our feature car has.
What it also has is the 5-speed manual and an interior that might well be described as factory fresh. Serious question: how does anyone keep a car this clean for this long?
It’s not as if this one is never used, either. I spotted it in a place that I know well and go by regularly, but I only saw it once. So pampered though it may be, it’s not like it’s some garage queen.
In my personal JDM pantheon, there are two car companies that shine brighter than the rest. One is Mazda, because of their bold committal to Wankel engines, and the other has to be Subaru. Every time I hear the extremely distinctive thrum of the flat-4 emanating from an Impreza, a Forester or a Legacy driving past, it’s a little reminder of this carmaker’s long-standing and unique approach to their craft.
Nowadays, it seems the overwhelming majority of first gen Imprezas left on Japanese roads are of the spicier and sportier variety. Well, they’re the brightly-coloured ones that make the biggest noise, so they do stick out. But humble mid-rangers like our little wagon here were the actual majority back in the day, so a few still exist. And in their own discreet way, they’re quite Imprezzive.
Related Reading
Curbside Classic: 1996 Subaru Impreza Coupe – The Acorn And The Oak, by SophieN
CC Twofer: 1975 Jeep Wagoneer & 1996 Subaru Impreza WRX STI – Different Takes For Different Makes, by T87
Curbside Capsule: 1999 Subaru Impreza L – For My Cousin, by Joseph Dennis
CC Capsule: 1999 Subaru Impreza Casa Blanca – Less Than Imprezzed, by T87
COAL: 1993 Subaru Impreza L: The Allure of the Pleiades, by Matthew Streeter
COAL: 1997 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport – Driving Into Adulthood (#4), by Brian Troutman
There are several reasons I’m not a fan of Subaru, but they’ve created some body designs that I really admire, and this is one of them.
That is in nice condition, a lot of Imprezzas showed up in NZ almost used import of choice, but a lot of them had a 1500 engine so no rocketship, I tried to buy a gravel express version at auction but got out bid, plenty left Imprezzas are still a common sight.
Isn’t it funny how some letter or letter-number combinations for model names/trim level denominators just seem inherently right, while others don’t. HX? I guess it’s a step up from an L – it has two letters – but apart from that, well, I guess it doesn’t have to make sense.
Lovely survivor though; beautiful colour. I haven’t seen one here for ages.
My wife drove a ’96 and eventually a ’99, both were the “Outback” models.
These turned out to be her most favorite cars of the time: reliable, easy to maneuver, and good economy.
Now she has a Crosstrek, so the tradition continues.