The Impreza sedan is nice, and actually has more room in the "boot" than the hatch as it is a good 6 inches longer. Val would prefer the hatch as her last cars have all been hatches and that's what she is accustomed to now.
Keeping in mind that her drive MUST be auto, that pretty much removes anything "sporty" from her list (WRX, MPS, etc.). However the Impreza RS was her choice - body kit, sports seats, 17" alloys, etc., and it is very keenly priced against others in its class. The Mazda3 Maxx Sport and SP25 just have a few features I/we weren't impressed by. Smiley face would be too much to live with, very awkward getting in and out of the back (aged parents that still need to be transported, impending grandchildren, etc.), dashboard very over-powering and crowds knee room in the front passenger cell to the point where Val felt too enclosed, pathetic excuse for an in-dash sat-nav (too small and too far away) -- and I was frankly disappointed in its driveability after all the media hype.
The MPS is still on my list of cars to drive, just so I can say I've tried it. Looks very nice in silver! The extra body kit and bonnet scoop tends to draw the eye away from the smiley face, I think.
In the end, if Holden guaranteed to bring the new Astra to Oz, that would probably be on top of our list, but that just isn't going to happen, is it. There's just something about the Euro build quality against the Japs that makes me like 'em that bit more. That's why we are looking next week at . . . . FOCUS! Sorry guys, gotta give it a look before I discount it totally. Golf is also getting a look, but I've already heard some horror stories about DSG maintenance costs and parts/options/accessories are obscenely expensive. The Golf pricing and the fact that there is only ONE supplier in Adelaide puts me off.