STUNG by costly premature facelifts of the previous-generation "bug-eyed" Impreza and now the terrible Tribeca, Subaru’s in-house design team has played it safe with a conservative new skin for the third-generation Impreza, which launches from September 2007 in hatch-only guise. Billed as the first genuine Impreza hatch (rather than "sports wagon"), the MkIII is available in four grades only - R, RX, RS and the turbocharged WRX - until the flagship STi arrives in January. It features a stiffer yet lighter five-door bodyshell with a five-star ANCAP crash rating and stability control as standard across the range. Apart from a $50 increase at base level, pricing is down across the board. Throw in superior ride quality, more interior space, improved comfort and refinement and Subaru’s trademark all-wheel drive system, and the new Impreza makes a compelling value statement. Pity, then, that the WRX incites little of the excitement for which it became famous.