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

3.9/5

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

3.7/5

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

3.9/5

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

3.5/5

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

2.6/5

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

4.1/5

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

3.6/5

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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Reviews from our editorial team

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