Our friends in Subaru will not be annoyed, but frankly there's nothing exceptional in looks about their supermini, the Justy. It's no different really from most of the supermini ilk: the shape is bland, familiar and probably to the customers, reassuring. Closer examination, though, marks the Justy out as being different - and even exceptional. Three letters, AWD, are what it's all about. AWD stands, of course, for All-Wheel-Drive.
This small Subaru is a rare specimen simply because there's no other supermini that can operate on all fours. Subaru has created a niche in the market and its other models like the Impreza and Legacy are also marketed with AWD. Aside from this speciality, one of the least-known of the Japanese marques has also developed an impressive reputation in motor sport winning countless rallies.
AWD has always been viewed as an expensive sort of option so it's a pleasant surprise to discover that the Justy retails at a very affordable £10,595 ex-works. That buys the three-door GX version. There's also a five-door at £10,995. Prices thus are almost in line with best-sellers like the Ford Fiesta.
Justy comes with a very conventional 1298 cc unit developing 67 bhp and according to Subaru, it has a maximum speed of 96 mph, going from 0 to 62 mph in 13.6 seconds for the three-door and 14.2 for the five-door. Performance, then, like pricing and looks is more or less on a par with the other supermini competitors.
The Justy's AWD paraphernalia doesn't intrude into the cabin: it's all out of sight and out of mind and the driver doesn't have to move a finger. The full-time system uses a viscous coupling mounted in the rear axle which senses power loss and shifts the power around. Most of us think of AWD vehicles as the antidote to ice and snow (rare enough) but their efficacy extends to muddy and wet conditions (very familiar). Subaru justifiably believe that cars like the Justy have an extra safety dimension that deserves wider attention, especially as there's little or nothing in the way of a price premium.
But doesn't AWD mean a fuel penalty because of the extra power involved in driving four instead of two wheels? Not so, argues Subaru, pointing to the new Euro mpg test procedure where in Urban, Extra Urban and Combined tests, the Justy respectively returned 32.8, 47.1 and 44.1 mpg, mostly beating the Citroen Saxo 1.4SX which was 29.7, 52.3 and 40.9 mpg. For the record, our test showed 38.9 mpg on a mixed recipe of some town and a lot of country driving.
The Hungarian-built Justy is easy and competent to drive with a compliant ride and the AWD capability gives its sure-footed strength that no other supermini has. It has a good specification too with power steering, driver and passenger airbags, front and rear head restraints, electric mirrors, a rev counter, and split 50/50 folding rear seat. Central locking is standard only on the five-door version.
Factfile: Subaru Justy 1.3GX AWD
Price: £10,595 ex-works three-door, £10,995 five-door.
Engine: 1298 cc four-cylinder two-valves per cylinder unit developing 67 bhp at 6000 rpm. Full time all-wheel-drive with viscous coupling in rear axle.
Performance: maximum speed 96 mph, 0 to 62 mph 13.6 seconds for three-door and 14.2 seconds for five-door. Fuel consumption as tested 38.9 mpg.
Specification: standard features include power steering, driver and passenger airbags, electric mirrors and split 50/50 folding rear seat. Central locking standard only on five-door version.