It would take a certain kind of caravanner to tow with an Impreza WRX – perhaps a motorsport fan who tows to race meetings up and down the country. Certainly, they’ll need deep pockets for the fuel bills. Even without a van, don’t expect to better 27.2mpg.

The payback comes when you put your foot down. The 30-60mph time of 10.1 seconds is not just the quickest of any car in this class, it’s one of the quickest on test – full stop. The Impreza tackled the lane change with ease, and the brakes were strong, too. With so much muscle under the bonnet shared among all four wheels, there was no trouble with our hill-start test, either.

However, it wasn’t all plain sailing. The low towing limit means an 85% match isn’t legal, and the meagre boot contributed to a poor score for practicality.