The Mitsubishi Evo is a high-performance car for ‘our’ generation; an attainable, down-to-earth antidote to supercar elitism, and a car with such a powerful cult following that this boxy Japanese saloon has risen from Far Eastern obscurity to drivers’ deity in little more than a decade.

As for the Impreza, well it doesn't look much, but then that's not unusual with Imprezas – the ‘bug-eye’ Impreza had a hasty restyle almost as soon as it went on sale – and in a few months we’ll all be warming to the slightly gawky face and podgy profile of the newcomer. In fact, let’s all save a lot of heartache and agree right now to give in to the creeping inevitability that pretty soon the new Impreza will look, well, half decent.