Introduced on 1st  March 1993, the Impreza, which according to an article in Motor Trend was initially to be called the Loyale, was offered in either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive versions and as a four-door saloon or five-door hatchback.

Subaru chose to continue their longstanding use of the boxer engine in the Impreza.

According to Subaru, their configuration of the engine in-line with the transmission minimises body-roll due to the lower centre of gravity compared with offset engines in most other vehicles.
The boxer design provides good vibration mitigation due to the principles of a very well-balanced engine, the movement of each piston is largely countered by a piston in the opposing cylinder bank, eliminating the need for a counter-weighted rotating crankshaft (harmonic balancer).

Torque steer is also minimised with this type of powertrain layout since the front drive shafts are of equal length and weight.

This formula proved highly affective, with Subaru winning the ...