Subaru Cars

Subaru Impreza Turbo

For many the Impreza Turbo was the car of the 1990s. It made its debut in Japan in 1992, with the engine from the bigger Legacy, a car which had already proven itself in rally competition. The Impreza hit the UK market in 1994 , the same time as Colin McRae romped home to win the World Rally Championship in one. From there the model has gone from strength to strength, and it's easy to see why.

Though the interior is bland and the exterior barely more dynamic, the driving experience has sold this car to thousands. With limpet-like grip in corners, the handling is nothing short of sensational, while the punch from the turbo is virtually lag-free, partly down to the high compression ratio of 9.5:1. Four-wheel discs with ABS make for excellent braking, while the 4WD split torque evenly front/rear, unless conditions change, whereby it alters the split to where the grip is best.

Subaru Cars

Subaru Cars

Subaru SVX

The SVX is a curious car in that it came out of the blue from Subaru. Though I lie company had previously produced their XT Coupe which ran from 1985 to 1990, the car was not a beauty, yet in most ways the 1991 SVX made up for Dial with Italian styling. Uniquely it used glass all around with hidden pillars, which gave it great visibility for such a low-slung supercar.

The SVX's drive train was another one-off, featuring a flat-six engine mounted at the front and driving all four wheels. The torque was automatically split between front and rear wheels depending on grip, and MacPherson struts at each corner helped with space allocation for the 4WD set-up. Handling was superb and the traction phenomenal, with minimal body roll in corners. Alas, sales weren't good for the car, even when cheaper models were introduced, and by 1996 it had gone.