In fact, quite the opposite. Subaru drivers practically leap up and down with glee at the first sight of flakes: finally, a proper justification for buying a car with the best all-wheel drive system on the planet.

There's a race for the keys, a dash out the door, and then that satisfyingly, sublimely secure sensation that Subarus give you in the snow. And then you show up to work to find out that everybody else just stayed home.

However, through the rest of the year that Subaru AWD can be a liability at the gas pump, and the nicest thing you used to be able to say about the interior and exterior designs was that the engineers certainly seemed to focus on the drivetrain instead.

With this new Impreza, Subaru hopes to break free of the niche-vehicle segment and compete on an even footing with efficient or attractive mainstream offerings like the Mazda3 and Honda Civic. Design

The first surprise? It's a good-looking Subaru.

Say what you'd like, Subarus are usually pretty homely affairs, with enthusiasts not-unkindly identifying Impreza modelyears as Pignoses and Bugeyes. Sure, the be-winged and flared-out WRX and STi variants have a menacing appeal, but the base Impreza is a fairly bland proposition.

Or rather, it used to be. With this new Impreza, Subaru finally got curb appeal right. Granted, the sedan variant's lines are conservative - and perhaps even a bit derivative of the Civic and Elantra - but in a world of over-wrought stylistic cues, it's a look that will surely age well.

The Sport version of the hatchback is particularly well executed, but both sedan and hatch wear the new angular lines, "hawk-eye"-style headlights and trapezoidal

corporate grille much better than their larger stablemates. Environment

Surprise two: the interior doesn't look like something out of a 1970s ex-Soviet farm vehicle.

While the competition (particularly Hyundai/Kia) has leapt ahead with softtouch materials and upscale interior trim for a downscale price, Subarus have previously had plastic not-so-fantastic innards that scratch easily and inevitably start rattling like the dashboard was stuffed with diamondbacks. It's all been a bit agricultural.

Not so with the redesigned Impreza. While there are niggles (the controls for the heated seats are tiny and mounted too far back for shorter drivers to operate), the overall effect is such an enormous improvement, it's like it wasn't even built by the same car company.

Soft-touch materials abound, the controls are nicely chunky and easy to operate with gloves on, and the cabin ergonomics are, again, conservative but attractive. A separate upper instrument binnacle displays fuel economy and other trip-computer information, and in Sport and Limited trims becomes a small, full colour multi-function display that would be perfectly sited for showing iPod functions - unfortunately, it doesn't.

Visibility is also significantly improved, even though it was never really a problem in the old model. While the new windscreen is more sharply raked for better aerodynamics, the beltline has been lowered

all-round leading to a bigger greenhouse. The front-pillars have also been narrowed, and side mirrors enlarged by 25 per cent or so.

While the 2012 Impreza has only a slightly longer wheelbase than the outgoing model, Subaru has made much of available interior space with various tweaks.

Both the front and rear door openings have been expanded - particularly impressive is the amount of accessibility to the rear seats: parents with infants or young children take note. Rear cargo room is excellent, especially in the hatchback model.

Performance

The various styling and interior trim appointments will no doubt please the Subaru faithful, but Subaru is also eager to woo buyers away from Honda, Toyota and Mazda showrooms. To get shoppers in the door, the Impreza has to get competitive on fuel-economy.

That means this new Impreza actually has less power than its predecessor, with a smaller-displacement 2.0-litre boxer engine producing 148 horsepower and 145 foot-pounds of torque; that's 22 fewer horsies and 25 fewer of whatever animal best exemplifies pound-feet of grunt. Donkeys, I suppose.

Not to worry, Subaru insists, the new Impreza is actually faster than the outgoing model because it's been lightened (by 160 pounds or so). Fair enough, but we need to append an asterisk to such a statement.

The new Impreza is faster than the old one - but only if you compare automatics.

Subaru's Lineartronic CVT now replaces the durable but dim-witted four-speed transmission from the old Impreza and it's a big improvement. Opting for the five-speed manual will have you noting a drop in oomph from last year.

On the plus side, the Impreza is now the most fuelefficient all-wheel-drive vehicle for sale in Canada, and quite competitive with its frontwheel-drive rivals at a rating of 7.5 litres/100 kilometres city and 5.5 l/100 km highway.

And, getting the Impreza out on the roads, it's not like the power deficit is really noticeable. The boxer engine still pulls willingly and retains some of that thrummy Subaru character, and both the fivespeed manual and the CVT help make the most of what's on tap.

The automatic can be manually shifted using paddleshifters on everything except the base model, and it's worth noting that this transmission is at least as good as Nissan's, the current leader in CVT technology. It's smooth and relatively quiet, and manual downshifting works well for engine braking.

The real story, however, is just how well the little Impreza handles. It's a bit noisier at speeds than some of the competition, but it's just as much fun to drive on a wet road as a Mazda3. The steering is heavy and direct, and despite the reduced weight, there's still that suction-cup Subaru grip to inspire confidence.

Taking it up the ski hill into the slushy and foggy conditions of Seymour, the Impreza gets better and better as the roads get worse and worse. Unlike electronically controlled AWD systems, Subaru's full-time mechanical setup doesn't wait for slippage to re-direct the power, but is evenly distributing energy constantly.

Even shod with all-season tires, the grip is impressive, and the CVT offers a "secondgear" start for enhanced traction from a stop.

Features

Starting from a base price of $19,995 for the 2.0i sedan ($20,895 for the hatchback), the Impreza is well-sorted for standard equipment with air conditioning, power windows and door locks and cruise control. All the safety features you'd expect are also included on the base package: stability and traction control and a full complement of airbags to swaddle you from head to knee should all else fail.

Moving up to the Touring package at a cost of $1,700 will net you such niceties as alloy wheels, heated seats and an upgraded stereo, as well as must-haves for most people like Bluetooth and iPod connectivity.

The Sport package adds on larger alloys, a power moonroof and aero-look, with leather seating trim and HID headlights coming in the Limited package. Fully equipped, a Limited Impreza five-door with the CVT option will tip the scales

at $28,095 plus freight, much the same as a top-line Mazda3, although it should be noted that navigation is not currently available at any level in the Impreza.

Green light

Better fuel-economy; better style; spacious interior; unbeatable AWD grip; sporty handling.

Stop sign

Just-adequate power; some interior design fumbles; road noise higher than average.

The checkered flag

Better than ever, the 2012 Impreza builds on core Subaru values and introduces enough style and efficiency to lure savvy shoppers into the showroom.

Competitors Skyactiv Mazda3 ($15,795)

Subaru's not the only company concerned with fuel economy, and while the Impreza's new efficient layout is good enough to handily beat the 2.5-litre-equipped Mazda3, Mazda's new, hyperefficient Skyactiv technologies move the goalposts forward somewhat.

What's more, the Mazda still remains king of the funto-drive hill with excellent dynamics, peppy engines and slick transmissions. But it's a close race as the smallest Subaru is surprisingly good, and just keeps getting better as the roads turn worse. Hyundai Elantra ($15,849)

It's the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada 2012 small car of the year, and for good reason: the Hyundai Elantra is a smooth little car that's great value for money, stylish and packed with features.

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Elantra take the crown for best car of the year overall. However, not only does the Impreza offer available AWD and a better drive, but it's also arguable which car is the better value as the Subaru will doubtless maintain a greater percentage of that initially higher cost on resale.