Sedan stands up to Subaru

After an absence of 12 months, Subaru has added a new sedan to its Impreza line-up.

The sedan is initially available only in naturally aspirated models. The WRX is due to arrive in December, but a hotter STi sedan is not on the cards, Subaru spokesman David Rowley says.

Despite being out of the market for 12 months, Rowley says Subaru lost few customers.

“If you look at the combined sales of the old sedan and hatch we have been selling 200 more a month of just the new hatch,” he says.

“We hope the sedan will take sales to another level.

“Even though the market has shifted a bit towards hatches we still think there is room for growth.”

Prices of the R, RX and RS sedans are identical to the hatches, which means prices start at $24,490 for the R sedan, rising to $31,490 for the RS sedan.

About 20 per cent of buyers are expected to opt for the new sedan, Rowley says.

Like the hatch, the sedan has a five-star crash rating and electronic stability control is standard.

So far this year Impreza sales are up 12.5 per cent, averaging more than 1000 a month, despite the lack of a sedan option until now.

Subaru managing director Nick Senior says the Impreza is one of the country's fastest-growing models.

“It is hugely encouraging that the sales mix of Impreza hatch has been fairly equal across the three variants, compared with the previous generation's bias towards the entry-level cars,” he says.

Subaru expects the sedan to add about 200 Impreza sales a month.

The Impreza sedan is 35mm higher and the wheelbase 95mm longer than the superseded version.

For the first time, the sedan gets a split/fold rear seat to increase cargo-carrying capacity.