The Subaru WRX STI Hairy-Chested JDM Throwback You Can't Help But Love

There once was a time when Subaru sold thousands of hot Imprezas in the UK. A time when Colin McRae and Richard Burns dominated rallying in these Japanese hero cars, clocking up wins and championships, all the while inspiring the buying public to put down their hard-earned cash to get a road-going version of these WRC monsters. But, as the saying goes, all good things come to an end.

This year, Subaru’s sales projections for the latest hot Scooby, the WRX STI (the ‘Impreza’ bit was dropped a while ago), are a little more modest: just 600 or so are expected to be shifted in the space of a year. With that in mind, you’d forgive the company for not bothering to bring it over here at all. But it has, and after driving it, I’m incredibly glad it’s here.

Die-hard fans needn’t worry about the new WRX’s arrival, the classic formula hasn’t changed much. You still get symmetrical all-wheel drive, a 2.5-litre turbocharged boxer four-pot offering 296bhp and 305lb of torque, a jolly great spoiler and bonnet scoop and yes, you can spec it in WR Blue with gold alloys. Which you should absolutely do if you buy one.

So what has actually changed? We have a new exterior (which you guys think looks awkwardly similar to the Mitsibushi Evo X), a bigger cabin, quicker hydraulic power steering, a sharper throttle, stiffer chassis and a fettled gearchange. And not a whole lot else.

So, it’s no quicker than the old one, has opinion-dividing looks, and isn’t drastically different. That’s not a good start, but the bad news keeps coming. Let me start with the engine. It makes a pleasing enough din, and yes, it does burble, but it didn’t quite feel as quick as I’d been hoping, particularly with a brisk 5.2 second 0-62mph time. After 3000rpm the turbo lag is dispensed with and you’re shifted around at a decent rate, but there’s not much in the way of drama. The under-bonnet gubbins are just a bit too quiet, as well.

With the prevalence of on-demand-style four-wheel drive products on the market, being in something with proper symmetrical four-wheel drive makes the world of difference

The inside, despite being a roomy and reasonably comfortable place, isn’t all that nice. The dash is a dreary affair, with lashings of nasty plastic carbonfibre fakery everywhere you look. Take away the flat-bottomed steering wheel that’s the fashionable thing to have on any vaguely sporty car these days, and you’d think the designers were stuck in the 1990s. Oh, and then there’s the fuel economy. After a bout of spirited driving, I’d averaged just 16mpg.

But, I can forgive the WRX STI for all of these misgivings. And that’s because it ate up every single corner I showed it during my time with the car, and was an utter riot to drive. With the prevalence of on-demand-style four-wheel drive products on the market, being in something with proper symmetrical four-wheel drive makes the world of difference.

The aforementioned motors have a tendency to feel nose-heavy and inescapably rather like they’re front-wheel drive, but in the WRX, I was able to actually feel the back end start to move when really giving it some stick.

It takes some doing to even get to that point, as the grip levels are astounding. The whole package provides a level of confidence matched by few other cars. The lightning-quick steering also helps liven proceedings, although it’s a little less involving than you’d like.

Then there’s the manic throttle response, which is so sharp it’s almost impossible to get off the line in a sedate manner; here’s a car that wants you to misbehave. And while the engine may not have quite provided the fireworks I’d been expecting, you soon learn to get the best out of it, and cherish that unique boxer noise in a world full of dull inline-fours. Stirring through the gears is a pleasurable thing, too. The six-speed manual box has a short throw but with a suitable heft, which means your shifts won’t be the smoothest at first, but it doesn’t take long to get used to it and appreciate its burly nature.

While the WRX STI hasn’t changed all that much over the years, the rest of the affordable performance car world has moved on significantly. That means there are some very rapid hot hatches doing the rounds that - on paper at least - look like they’ll happily urinate all over Subaru’s bonfire. Many are much nicer inside, more economical, and cheaper to tax. Some - like the VW Golf R - even have four-wheel drive; albeit of the on-demand variety.

With that socking great rear wing and vents covering almost every surface, the WRX STI is about as subtle as a nuclear explosion, and that’s why you should want one

But, rather than having a jumped-up hatchback which most people wouldn’t give a second look, you could have a WRX STI - as it comes in at just £28,995, £4000 less than the old one thanks to a more favourable Yen-Sterling exchange rate. For a car with this level of performance and an incredible permanent four-wheel drive chassis, that’s nothing short of a bargain, even with the foibles.

Subaru isn’t looking to provide a hammer blow to the hot hatch market here, it knows the STI will remain a niche car for people who are already big fans of the be-winged beast. But in many ways, those hot hatch buyers are missing out. With that socking great rear wing and vents covering almost every surface, the WRX STI is about as subtle as a nuclear explosion, and that’s why you should want one.

You’ll stand out from the crowd in one of these, and - trust me on this - every time you glance in the rear-view and see the world quickly disappearing in the middle of that gigantic wing, you won’t be able to stop smiling.