1994 Subaru Impreza WRX hatchback review from Australia and New Zealand

A well-known fault: AWD solenoid in automatic gearbox failed at about 110,000kms. Cost about $800NZD for the dealer to fix.

ABS electronics glitched and shut down the system - although there was physically nothing wrong. Apparently rare occurrence, though, but expensive to diagnose.

Other wear-and tear items e.g. CV boots and brake pads.

The engine itself is very reliable if properly serviced with good synthetic oil at 10,000kms intervals max.

Top-end (above 5000rpm) performance suffers compared to its sedan stable-mates due to the smaller TD04 turbo used. However that is more than compensated by the quick low-down response in everyday situations.

The auto has unusual gearing that matches the engine at 2500rpm when doing 100kmh at top gear + OD. This makes it a surprising nice highway cruiser and you can leverage that fact to gain better than average fuel economy.

The chassis exhibits typical understeer followed by snap oversteer if the throttle is lifted. Recommend driving around with snow tyres first to fully learn its behaviour.

Once good tyres are fitted, traction is second-to-none - until handling limits are broken at very high speed.

The interior trim feels cheap, nasty, and generally unrefined. However, rattle is minimal for a car of this age as it is generally well put together. The front bucket seats are an excellent fit for me - but they are not for everybody. There is little leg room for rear passengers. The rear seats can be folded down for extra cargo space, which becomes just long enough to sleep in diagonally.

Modding is relatively simple and there are plenty of guides on the Internet, so I won't repeat myself here.