Idk about the newer ones but the 90s and 2000s models had a lot of low end torque that made them fun to me to drive. Didn’t have to rev the snot out of them to get them to play. I only knew MT versions and don’t know if that translates well today. I found them to be solid cars once they moved away from the GL/Loyale cars into the newer legacy/Impreza variants. I beat the snot out of a 2.2L legacy wagon, both on, off, and over the road and it never let me down. if you desire AWD, they’ve got well-sorted and capable systems.
regarding HGs, even with mine they could be quirky. Subaru‘s character of quirky was as unique to Subaru as Volvo’s type of quirky is unique to Volvo. one of mine did consume some oil and it was not consistent and I never figured out it’s rhythm. Both of mine had unique characters that I’m not sure I could complain. I liked them while I had them. I’d chalk potential HG issues as a real possibility, but if you like the rest of the car, it can be fixed. And idk as much about the newer ones, but mine were very easy to get good wrench angles on once you learned how to get the other layers off the engine. I could do a timing belt with water pump and oil pump inspection (tighten bolts and replace front seal) in 2.5 hours (the second time).
regarding HGs, even with mine they could be quirky. Subaru‘s character of quirky was as unique to Subaru as Volvo’s type of quirky is unique to Volvo. one of mine did consume some oil and it was not consistent and I never figured out it’s rhythm. Both of mine had unique characters that I’m not sure I could complain. I liked them while I had them. I’d chalk potential HG issues as a real possibility, but if you like the rest of the car, it can be fixed. And idk as much about the newer ones, but mine were very easy to get good wrench angles on once you learned how to get the other layers off the engine. I could do a timing belt with water pump and oil pump inspection (tighten bolts and replace front seal) in 2.5 hours (the second time).