2008 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Sedan

Pros

Very safe, very reliable, and lots of fun

Cons

no sunroof available

I bought my wife a Forester 2 years ago, and it has been an absolutely perfect car. Even after hitting a moose, we were able to drive it back into town.
So, I decided to replace my VW with a Subaru also and picked the Impreza with the Sport package. Yes, the looks are different now, but it grew on me. I think it is more understated and classy now. The handling is absolutely awesome. I don't need a turbo charger to have fun; the standard engine is powerful enough. The seats are very comfortable and hold me firmly in place. A big plus is that even I (6 foot 5) can sit in the back now without problems - the interior space is much improved. So far, it is lots of fun to drive it both slow and quick, and dollar for dollar there is no other car out there with so much value. Unlike my last VW, I can highly recommend this car to anyone who wants a combination of reliability, safety, and sheer fun while being on gas (the mileage improves once the engine is broken in).