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From press release

With 17 days to go to the DTM season kick-off, held on 04th May at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg, Robert Wickens set the final fastest lap time of the official ITR tests contested at the same venue.

At the wheel of his DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé, only Wickens of the 11 drivers involved in the Thursday tests set a time below the 1:33-minute mark. Behind the Canadian, reigning DTM Champion Mike Rockenfeller in his Audi RS 5 DTM and Wickens' fellow Mercedes-Benz driver Gary Paffett came second and third respectively.

Robert Wickens, Mercedes. (Photo: DTM)

The best of the BMW M4 DTM drivers, Augusto Farfus, finished sixth behind Audi pairing Adrien Tambay and Jamie Green. Farfus' fellow BMW-drivers Bruno Spengler and Maxime Martin followed in seventh and eighth position. Mattias Ekström (Audi) as well as the two DTM rookies Vitaly Petrov (Mercedes-Benz) and Antonio Felix da Costa (BMW) completed the time sheets.

The fastest lap of the entire four days of testing at Hockenheim was set by Marco Wittmann on Tuesday when he crossed the line in 1:32.132 minutes. While Bruno Spengler, who completed a total of 174 laps (795.876 kilometres) on Thursday alone, proved to be the busiest. Over the course of the two days he was involved in the test action, the Canadian completed 298 laps, representing a total mileage of 1,363.052 kilometres.

"We still have a bit of work to do before the start of the season, said Spengler. We will analyse all the data we collected during testing in great detail over the next three weeks in the run up to the opening race at the Hockenheimring. It is still hard to say how strong we will be with the new car in 2014. However, one thing is certain: we will be well prepared come the start of the new season.”

At the same time as my esteemed colleague was off driving the new 2015 WRX in the Californian sun, I was stuck at home in well-below-zero temperatures and snow behind the wheel of a '14 Subaru Impreza. While the two may seem worlds apart, they are borne of the same basic instincts, and that's saying something.

To me, the Impreza has always been the underdog -- the one no one saw coming -- and in its latest iteration, I think that's never been truer. Is it the best compact out there? No. However, it's definitely one of the top contenders, and I don't think enough consumers are aware of just how good this car can be.


What is the Subaru Impreza?
The Impreza just passed its 20-year mark in North America, and in those two decades it's managed to make quite the impression, but not necessarily in its base form as just the Impreza. Garnering a cult following for its WRX and STI versions, the Impreza offers up driving dynamics and AWD in a compact package that's seen some radical redesigns over the generations.

Now in its fourth generation, the Impreza has branched off and is no longer associated with the WRX and STI as they are now stand-alone models free of the Impreza name. Will this help or hinder the model? Time will tell.

2014 Subaru Impreza Price and Specs
With no less than eight models to choose from, there is a Subaru Impreza for everyone. At the bottom of the group sits the 2.0i 4-door with a starting price of $19,995. And at the very top, the 2.0i Limited Package 5-door hatch sits very pretty at $27,795.

Right in the middle of it all was my particular tester, a Subaru Impreza 2.0i Sport Package sedan with a starting price of $23,895.

No matter which vehicle you choose in the lineup, you'll be graced with Subaru's excellent 2.0L horizontally opposed 4-cylinder BOXER engine that's good for 148 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque. While a 5-speed manual transmission is standard, Subaru's Lineartronic CVT with manual mode is an option.

Driving the 2014 Subaru Impreza 2.0i Sport
Full disclosure: My very first car was a Subaru Impreza. It was a base model with a manual transmission. I loved it for its AWD and its fun-to-drive nature. It could be as civilized as it could be feisty when asked; and by partnership I've also spent the better part of a decade with a WRX parked in the garage. So, I may be a bit biased here (you've been warned).

Granted, this 2014 Subaru Impreza was no turbocharged WRX, but it was quite nice to drive. For starters, it had life. It was eager to go; so eager in fact that depressing the throttle from a parking spot was almost shocking as it would jump forward, ready to get the show on the road. When compared to the Prius and Rogue I'd driven the week before, it was a pleasant departure from stunted throttle response.

In all honesty, Subaru's Lineartronic CVT is very nice. It's not obnoxiously loud and is responsive. And despite the manual mode option in my Sport Package tester, I was happy to let the transmission perform as it pleased.

Steering is precise and while the body roll is apparent, I understand the Impreza is meant to be a comfortable cruiser, not a corner-munching track star (that's the WRX and STI's jobs).

The AWD is as high-performing as ever, and no matter what our Canadian “spring” threw at me that week, the 2014 Impreza took it in stride.

Inside and Out of the 2014 Subaru Impreza 2.0i Sport
As I mentioned above, the Impreza has seen many facelifts over the years. This latest Impreza is perhaps the most generic looking one of all.

Through a series of “dumbed down” design choices, Subaru has opened up the door to the masses and made their cars more accessible and acceptable to a greater buying public. Where flared wheel arches and a fairly aggressive front fascia may have been off-putting to some buyers, a gentler look and softer edges and sidings appeals to a great number.

Inside, the 2014 Subaru Impreza offers up standard fare and is both comfortable and practical. There's nothing spectacular to write home about, but it is roomy. The back seat offered up ample space for my son's baby seat and the door openings are blissfully more practical than they were on the '04 Impreza.

Comparing the 2014 Subaru Impreza 2.0i Sport
In terms of competition, the Impreza is up against some strong names: Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra and Ford Focus. However, what it has going for it is AWD and an all-year drivability some crave, as well as the practicality, fuel economy, and design those in the market for cars such as these are looking for.

From GMM

Giovanni Malago says it is unlikely Ferrari will recover from its competitive slump within the 2014 season.

The Italian olympic chief's name is now well-known in the F1 paddock, after Ferrari this week quoted him as saying he dislikes the sport's 'new' face.

"I hope the people who run the sport look again at the rules because the way formula one is now, it has much less appeal," he had said in the quotes faithfully reproduced on Ferrari's official website.

Now, Malago has admitted he doubts Ferrari can emerge from its competitive slump within the 2014 season, despite Marco Mattiacci having been drafted in with Fiat's backing to replace boss Stefano Domenicali.

"I think that in formula one, as well as in (grand prix) motorcycles, unlike many other sports, it is difficult to overturn your results in the same season," he is quoted by Tuttosport.

"In football," Malago explained, "you can improve and aim to win the championship, but this hardly ever happens in formula one."

The two Ferrari F14 T in Bahrain. (Photo: WRi2)

But Steve Robertson, the manager of Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen, does not agree.

He said the "new generation" of V6-powered cars are only "at the beginning of their life cycle".

"Every team is aware of the massive improvements they can make to their cars," Robertson told Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper.

"I do not think any team will begin already to focus on their car for next year, at least in the same way as they might have done in the past," he insisted.

Ferrari-powered Sauber driver Esteban Gutierrez, however, agrees with Malago that the Maranello marque will struggle to catch up in 2014.

"All the teams with Ferrari engines know they are working hard, making changes, but so far it's not enough," the Mexican is quoted by Spain's El Confidencial newspaper. "It will not be an easy year for Fernando (Alonso)."

That fact is evident on Alonso's face in the Shanghai paddock.

The dark glasses-wearing Mattiacci finally made his first appearance in a Ferrari uniform on Friday, but several metres separated him from the team's Spanish driver as they walked the length of the Shanghai paddock together.

Marco Mattiacci, Ferrari, in China. (Photo: WRi2)

Earlier, Alonso's first statements about his new boss were far from glowing.

On Thursday, he said he wasn't even sure Mattiacci was making the trip to China, while revealing he has been talking with the departed Domenicali "all the week long".

And when asked about Mattiacci's inexperience, Alonso answered: "It's too early to say if it will be a very good thing or very bad.

"I don't really have much to say. I drive the car," he later added.

At an exhibit on the auto show floor here, I sat inside a Cadillac XTS sedan equipped with General Motors' new 4G LTE wireless connection. But I couldn't help but think: GM should have put the 4G demo unit in a Chevy Silverado or GMC Sierra pickup.

GM plans to shift its global Cadillac chief back to focus full time on his former lobbying position in Washington as the automaker deals with fallout from defective ignition switches linked to at least 13 deaths, a person familiar with the plans...

A lawyer for GM said for the first time this week that the company is moving to develop a program that could compensate individuals affected by a faulty ignition-switch in millions of recalled vehicles.

General Motors says that cars being recalled because of faulty ignition switches can be driven safely before repairs, based on more than 80 tests, but the automaker has not addressed a problem long known to potentially shut off the engine: a simple...

General Motors said global vehicle sales rose 2 percent during the first quarter. Increasing deliveries in China helped make up for declines in the United States and Brazil.

The 2015 Subaru Outback took a bow at the New York auto show on Thursday.

Production of the hot-selling 2014 Jeep Cherokee was temporarily disrupted today after workers at a key supplier walked off the job this morning in a union dispute.

Not long after the last transport departed New York Harbor with a cargo of unsold 164s, an Alfa Romeo executive was probably quoted as saying, "we will return next year!" We have been eagerly anticipating the return of Alfa Romeo for the last 19...

Volkswagen has given the second-generation

Infiniti plans to market the long wheelbase Q70 as a luxury sedan that simply offers a roomier back seat -- a premium sedan with the roominess of an SUV.

General Motors doesn't have to take the unprecedented step of telling car owners that 2.59 million vehicles it recalled are unsafe to drive until faulty ignition switches are fixed, a federal judge ruled.

Honda's upcoming Fit-based subcompact crossover will be called the HR-V, the company said today in releasing the first image of the vehicle.

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