I'm guessing Car magazine didn't pay any mind to the fact it was "just an impreza" when they named it Car of the Decade.

The car is not just a big engine in an econocar body. It is a perfectly balanced, rally-bred, AWD car with a heritage of winning races.

People have different priorities, but to me an AWD car that goes to 60 in 5.5 and does the quarter in the mid 14's, stock, is worth fussing over. The car just blows away everything else in its class.

And, to be honest, I'm glad they didn't go with the boy-racer looks on this one. It's conservative looks will make it less appealing to the chrome rims crowd, making it more available to people who appreciate the mechanicals.

Just my $0.02
mbs