In the dating world, everyone understands the secret code: "She's got a great personality." It's a nice way to avoid saying "Your girlfriend is ugly."
In the motoring world, the Subaru Impreza's got a great personality. When they do a ranking of the easiest jobs in the world, a designer at Subaru must be up there with the likes of the Irish winter Olympics coach and the Louth football trophy cabinet cleaner.
It's been six years since the last edition of the Impreza was launched, and the culmination of the Impreza design team's efforts comes down to two features: a new front grille and revamped light clusters. It's hardly the sort of effort that warrants the press release description of a "dynamic facelift".
If Subaru management is looking to monitor costs, it should spend some time accounting for the activities of the design team. Even at Rolls Royce's design studio you don't get away with this sort of output.
Admittedly there are some people who clearly work hard at the Japanese firm: the engineers.
They've continually offered up enjoyable cars to drive, even if most of their attention seems to focus on the high performance end of the range. In this "revamped" Impreza, engine power has been increased by an impressive 28 per cent - no mean feat when you're talking about a normally aspirated 2-litre engine.
However, the problem with the Impreza is that for all its increased power and engineering quality, the overall package is up against some really impressive competitors.
First, the positive feature of the Impreza: it's a pleasure to drive.
Admittedly the test car featured the rather ordinary four-speed automatic gearbox that doesn't really get the most out of the engine, but the handling is arguably better than most other cars in its market, thanks in part to the low-positioning of its "boxer-style" engine and the good balance it creates in the car. Then there's the four-wheel-drive - or all-wheel-drive as Subaru calls it - that keeps you on the straight and narrow.
As we've already mentioned, power output has been improved and the Impreza RX now offers up 160bhp with a 0-100km/h time of less than nine seconds with a manual transmission (though this falls to 11.6 seconds with the automatic gearbox).
So to the negatives: it's time to return to the design again.
While the range topping WRX and STI versions are loud and rather garish, the base versions look like Japanese cars of the 1980s. The test car was the sports-wagon estate version and on its arrival our better-half looked lovingly at it before saying it reminded her of her father's Toyota Corolla from 1989.
That's not the sort of double-edged compliment you want to hear when you've parted with €30,000. Inside the car the dated look continues with a rather fiddly little radio with no steering wheel controls that demands you take your eyes off the road to change it. The plastics are basic fare and the seats functional.
The fact is that if you park it alongside competitors like the Ford Focus estate, Mazda 6 or even the Seat Altea, it's a look that only a mother would love.
However, design is personal and perhaps there are thousands of motorists out there longing for the look of the 1980s Corolla estate. The next criterion to judge this particular sportswagon on is space, and here it doesn't sparkle either. Load space in the rear is 356 litres with all five seats up and 1,266 litres with the rear row flipped down.
Compare that to the likes of the Ford Focus estate (482 litres/1,525 litres) or even the stylish non-estate look of the Seat Altea (409 litres/1,320 litres) and you start to see that it's not as practical as one would hope from something that aims to be family-friendly.
The trade-off with the Impreza is a dated look and relatively low level of standard features in return for a well-engineered and undoubtedly ultra-reliable car. The question potential owners need to ask is whether engineering excellence is enough to woo them.
The problem is that while four-wheel-drive is undoubtedly a boon for some buyers, those that really need it will probably look to the likes of the plethora of modern pick-ups now on offer for the same price as this Impreza.
At the end of the day, while the range topping WRX and Sti versions have developed their own niches, at this level the Impreza doesn't seem to make much sense. It's as if all the efforts at Subaru are concentrated on producing the high-performance versions, with these entry-level models built as an afterthought.
Overall it's a nice car to drive, even if the automatic gearbox lacks smooth changes as you work your way up from a standing start. All the engineering benefits of the low-set "boxer-style" engine make a difference in the corners but then again this turbo-less affair is never really destined for rallying.
If it's performance you're after then you won't mind borrowing another €5,000 and opting for the likes of the VW Golf Gti or Ford Focus ST.
In fact you don't have to go to that extreme: our choice in this price segment would be the Seat Altea. It has the exterior styling, the boot space and at this price, the relative performance with the 2-litre FSI petrol engine.
And if you're a politician keen to gather up the green vote prior to the election, you have the option of Ford's Focus FFV - in hatchback or estate format - which runs on either regular petrol or bioethanal E85 (if you happen upon one of the four petrol stations here that sell it).
At €21,349 for the estate version, that leaves you with enough money to add a nice set of alloys and various other additions, still coming in well below the €30,000 price tag for most of the competitors. If you judge the Impreza Sportswagon on its looks then you're never going to buy it.
If you judge it for its load-lugging qualities then it's not going to make the grade either.
As a big fan of the rest of the model range, it's disappointing to see how little effort has been put into this particular update.
Subaru has given the Impreza range a facelift at a time when it needed an overhaul. Up against the competition, the regular Impreza seems rather old hat.
