MENTION the word Impreza and the first image most people conjure up is one of a graphics covered, high performance, bright blue saloon kicking up the dust and gravel.

And that's just on a Dorset lane, let alone Petter Solberg contesting the World Rally Championship.

But there is another, more practical, but nonetheless formidable, side to the Impreza name that's the sibling five-door Impreza.

The hatch alternative is often overlooked because it doesn't have the sporting profile or, to be honest, the arresting, no-nonsense looks of the booted version.

But what it does have is the same heart and soul as the saloon one that has been revised this year to make it more responsive, especially in the case of the entry-level R' specification models.

Visually, it has to be admitted that the five-door isn't the prettiest of cars, especially the bulbous rear end, which differentiates it from the saloon.

Frontal changes on both models for 2006 are led by the prominent new spread wing grille and hawk-eye headlights (with 3D cylindrical lamps) which give it a stronger road presence and beefed-up profile.

New front bumpers have concave horizontal corner spoilers to smooth the airflow and are accompanied by colour keyed side skirts, which give the five-door a seemingly taller stance than before.

The hatch actually has a narrower track and therefore a narrower body than the rally derived saloon, but you will hardly notice it.

Inside, Subaru still has some work to do on its cabin design, but the latest Impreza is the best so far.

The dashboard is a combination of glossy plastics, which looks cheap, but everything is functional and family-friendly.

The seating is particularly comfortable, tested over a long journey, and with plenty of rear leg and head room is more than capable of packing in the family.

The appeal of the hatchback of course lies with parents and children, whereupon dad (or mum) can still say he (she) drives an Impreza without letting on that it's not the butch saloon.

On the functional front, while with the seats in place the hatchback actually has fractionally less luggage space than the five-door (365 litres compared to 401 litres), the versatility of the 60/40 split rear seats when folded down swells this to 1,266 litres.

Even on this starter version, Subaru packs the Impreza with plenty of equipment, the R level including: active front head restraints; keyless entry and central locking with alarm and immobiliser and shielded locks; air conditioning; electric windows and door mirrors; radio and single CD and tinted glass.

Under the now slightly longer bonnet is a new 160bhp four-cam naturally aspirated 2-litre petrol engine, which for the new year has received a 35bhp power hike.

The engine is the familiar horizontally opposed four-cylinder Boxer unit with twin overhead camshafts now with an electronic throttle, which makes the Impreza more responsive to right foot application.

This is accompanied by a raw bark note from the exhaust, which is nicely tuned to suit the character if a little flattering to the available performance.

The extra power and strong torque profile means that the Impreza hatch should be fleet footed but to get the best from the Boxer unit you do need to raise the revolutions quite high.

There is some sluggishness in gear (despite the high torque) and there is a need to drop a cog for effective overtaking, which squeezes a bit more sound from the exhaust.

For the record, the hatch has a 9mph (126mph) higher top speed and cuts a second off the sprint time to get to 62mph in 8.5 seconds.

Subaru promises that the additional performance isn't at the expense of fuel economy, remaining close to an average of 32mpg this is very achievable but not especially impressive.

And if you run continually at high speed, the larger 13.2-gallon fuel tank will still only manage about 320 miles between filling station visits.

Subaru has also done some work on the five-speed manual transmission with a shorter (10mm) and firmer (15 per cent) action with double cone synchroniser for first and third gears this makes life a lot easier for the driver.

Because this is Subaru it comes with all-wheel drive and low ratio gearing this being identified by the installation of the rather agricultural transfer lever adjacent to the parking brake.

Access to the low ratio box is probably only going to be needed on the rarest of occasions when the Impreza does anything more serious than travelling over a block pavia in the supermarket car park.

Of more practical use is the full-time all-wheel drive, which is normally split 50/50 front to rear and provides that extra degree of traction on slippery surfaces most noticeable in the winter and wet.

A centre differential with viscous coupling on the manual version distributes the torque to the wheels with the most grip while bringing everything to a comprehensive stop is anti-lock braking with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution.

Carrying over the suspension and chassis from '05, the revised Impreza rides on independent MacPherson strut and coil spring front and independent strut rear suspension with trailing arm and dual transverse links.

Ultimately this provides for a stiff chassis and hard ride, which is ideal for the press-on nature of the saloon but not necessarily best suited to the more family-focused five-door.

This is accompanied by an unnecessary amount of road noise from the tyres, which is one of the few irritations on the Impreza which, with its new face and more power, rewards the enthusiastic driver while still keeping family safe and secure.

FACTPACK:

Subaru Impreza 5-door 2.0R

  • Price: £16,200
  • Engine: 1,994cc / 158bhp
  • Top speed: 126mph
  • 0-62mph: 8.5 seconds
  • Fuel Consumption: Urban: 22.6mpg Combined: 31.4mpg
  • CO2 emissions: 214g/km
  • Insurance: Group 14