How Brits Have Fallen Out Of Love With The Subaru Impreza

Colin McRae and Richard Burns are sorely missed.

Not just because they were the last two British world rally champions, but because both were excellent drivers in their own right.

McRae really needs no introduction - his "if in doubt, flat out" driving style attracted fans far beyond Britain. He was loved in just about every country, and there can be few up-and-coming rally stars today who don't count him as an influence. The flamboyant gymkhana star and pro hoon Ken Block was both a huge fan, and a friend of the late Scot.

Burns achieved his adoration through respect - not as animated as McRae, he was certainly as competitive, often inch-perfect in a way McRae wasn't, and a speed demon on any surface. His rivalry with McRae also made the sport even more exciting through the late 90s and early 00s.

However, there was always a third star in their success - the Subaru Impreza.

From its world rally debut in 1994 replacing the larger Legacy, to McRae's championship in 1995 and Burns's in 2001 - and Norwegian Petter Solberg's WRC title in 2003 - the Impreza was every bit as iconic as the drivers who won in it.

A performance bargain in the mid nineties, you could go faster across country in an Impreza than in just about any other car - and in all weathers.

We've seen special editions galore - from the McRae-celebrating Edition McRae in 1996, through the madcap 22B, the Prodrive-boosted P1 and the RB5 to celebrate Richard Burns - plus plenty more besides - the Impreza is one of the most lusted-after performance cars for petrolheads.

But with Subaru's decision to no longer sell the iconic car in the UK, it marks the culmination of a steady decline in popularity for the car. Several factors are at play.

The Impreza was never the prettiest of cars, but it always looked purposeful. When the first-generation car was replaced in 2000 by the "bug eye" Impreza, many stood aghast. A facelift, the "blob eye" car was quickly introduced in 2002, and 2006 saw the "hawk eye" facelift.

The underlying issue was that none were that easy on the eye and prices crept ever upwards, which reduced the bargain of its performance. The styling was becoming more complicated with every facelift too, reducing some of the Q-car appeal of the early Imprezas.

For many, the final straw came in 2007 (the year of McRae's untimely death, two years after Burns) - with the launch of the Impreza hatchback.

No longer ugly, the car was now simply bland, and Subaru's official exit from world rallying in 2008 removed the opportunity for the Impreza to really prove itself in competition like its forebears.

WRX and STi versions emerged, but the shock of turbocharged performance was becoming less spectacular, as the humble hot hatchback had comfortably eclipsed the 200bhp barrier a decade earlier and was homing in on the Impreza's 300 figure.

Improvements in tyres and chassis made deploying this power little problem for a competent hot hatch, and they were cheaper too. The reasons to own an Impreza became fewer.

A last-gasp STi saloon that sold in the UK - not even badged Impreza - went down well with the critics, but this one really did look ugly - we can't even recall seeing any on the roads.

And now, it's dead. Imprezas will continue to be sold elsewhere, but the UK really has seen its last one, for the time being at least.

Worse still, it's even harder to shed a tear. Unlike McRae and Burns, whose legacies will always live on, continual decline of the air-grabbing Impreza leaves us feeling rather apathetic at its death.

And unlike the drivers themselves, who are irreplaceable, there are plenty of other performance cars waiting to take the Impreza's crown. Even Subaru's own BRZ, with its back-to-basics, rear-drive approach, seems more like the future of fun motoring than a turbo-nutter rally refugee.

We're not sad that it's gone, but we're sad we don't miss that it's gone.