The Impreza will never be the compact sedan Bahrain buys by default, but it is the only one in the class where all-wheel drive comes standard on every trim. That single fact explains everything else about who should own one.

Subaru Forester review: the compact crossover that actually has the ground clearance

Most compact crossovers in this class have never seen gravel. The Forester's 220 mm of ground clearance and standard AWD mean it actually can — and in Bahrain, where the desert edge and the farms south of the causeway are a weekend away, that difference is not marketing.

Subaru Outback review: a wagon wearing an SUV's ground clearance, for the buyer who already knows

Almost nobody in Bahrain cross-shops the Outback against a RAV4. It is bought by a smaller, more deliberate crowd who wants a wagon's low centre of gravity and long roof with SUV-grade ground clearance underneath — and once you understand that, the whole car makes sense.

Subaru BRZ review: the one Subaru without AWD, and the reason to actually want that

Every other Subaru in Bahrain sells itself on all-wheel drive. The BRZ is the one built to be tail-happy on purpose — a light, naturally aspirated, rear-wheel-drive coupe in a market that has mostly forgotten what one feels like.

Subaru Legacy review: a genuinely good sedan, discontinued before Bahrain noticed

The Legacy was the best-driving mid-size sedan Subaru has made in years, and almost nobody in Bahrain bought one. Now that it is discontinued, the used-market case for it rests entirely on whether you value how it drives more than you value a healthy resale market.

Subaru Tribeca review: a sales-flop crossover, now a used-market curiosity in Bahrain

The Tribeca was Subaru's attempt to compete with the Highlanders and Pilots of its era, and it never came close commercially. A decade after production ended, the honest question for a Bahrain buyer is not whether it drives well — it does, reasonably — but whether anyone can still service it properly.

Subaru WRX review: the rally sedan that grew up without losing the point

The WRX name still means something to a specific kind of Bahrain buyer, and the current car earns it: a turbocharged flat-four, standard AWD, and a manual gearbox in a market where most performance sedans have given up offering one.

Subaru XV (Crosstrek) review: a small crossover with a big car's ground clearance

The XV undercuts a Forester on price and size but keeps the same 220 mm of ground clearance and standard AWD, which makes it an oddly capable small car for a Bahrain buyer who wants Subaru toughness without Subaru-sized running costs.

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Subaru Models & Reviews

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Impreza

Forester

Outback

BRZ

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Tribeca

WRX

XV Crosstrek

Reviews from our editorial team

Subaru Impreza review: the compact sedan that treats AWD as standard, not an upsell