Subaru have been producing cars since 1954. The company began with just 20 units of the Subaru 1500, followed by the tiny 360 in 1958, the Sambar in 1961 and the ’1000′ in 1965, which was the first Subaru to be powered by a boxer engine. The brand’s rise to success really began in 1989 with the introduction of the first Legacy and the entry of a RS model into rallying in 1990. The rest, as they say, is history, with Subaru going on to achieve three manufacturers titles in the World Rally Championship (WRC), in as many years, with the iconic Impreza WRX STi.

The spectacular driving styles of rally legends Colin McRae, Richard Burns and Petter Solberg, together with the flamboyant styling of the Impreza rally car, meant success on the world’s rally stages translated into success on the showroom floors too. But Subaru hasn’t won a WRC manufacturers title since 1997 and in December 2008, official retired from the championship.

In 2007, Subaru introduced it’s third generation Impreza. Initially only available in hatchback form, the Impreza’s performance on the showroom seemed to mimic that of the WRC team’s, prompting Subaru South Africa to conceed that, “While the hatchback continues to be available overseas, we have taken the decision to switch exclusively to the four-door because of feedback from the marketplace”. This is a good thing, because it means the WRX STI is back in its full-size glory. Yes, I said ‘WRX STI’ and not ‘Impreza WRX STI’. The reason is due to Subaru’s new international policy of distinguishing WRX and WRX STI from Impreza as an ‘extreme performance’ platform.

‘Extreme’, the latest WRX STI is. A 55 mm wider body, 250 mm high rear wing and aggressive styling that shouts “I’m looking for a fight”, mean the WRX STI is the most wicked looking Subaru to date. It’s a case of form together with function, as the bodywork incorporates numerous aerodynamic aids. Air ducts just ahead of the front wheels, for example, ensure that the air pressure under the nose remains low by helping to prevent the build-up of air inside the wheel arches. The underbody is smoothed to channel the air rapidly to the diffuser and thus aid wind-cheating ability, while the greater overall length of the sedan helps in this regard too. The bonnet scoop feeds air to the intercooled, turbocharged, 2.5-litre engine, but it’s so huge I felt like warning pedestrians to stand back as I drove past, for fear they may be sucked in, pulverised by the boxer engine’s pistons and dispelled as a puff of carbon from the quartet of polished stainless-steel exhaust tips. Clearly other road users shared the same fear as the majority dashed into the left-lane as soon as an opportunity arose. Few, if any, compact sedans create as much of a stir on the road as the WRX STI.

Built using the fundamental Subaru components of Symmetrical All Wheel Drive and a horizontally-opposed Boxer Engine, the WRX STI is a wolf in wolf’s clothing. The 2.5-litre, turbocharged, flat-four is carried over from the hatchback STI and pushes out 221 kW and 407 Nm of torque. Putting all the power to good use is done via a 6-speed manual gearbox that feels a little notchy, but together with the linear clutch action, works best when you give it firm instructions to match its mechanical character. Channeled to the four-wheels via an adjustable mechanically-operated limited-slip differential (LSD), the STI’s power and traction endow it with a 5.2 second 0 – 100 km/h sprint time and 250 km/h electronically-limited top speed.

Subaru’s legendary handling is delivered courtesy of the Driver Controlled Centre Differential (DCCD), which allows the driver to adjust the torque distribution between the front and rear axles from a default split of 41:59 front-to-rear, up to 35:65. However, the automatic mode worked best, performing countless calculations every second to find balance between under- and oversteer tendencies.

Of equal importance is the car’s connection with the road and with the new STI, Subaru have made a number changes to the suspension. Firstly, the front and rear tracks are 35 mm and 40 mm wider respectively. The anti-roll bars have been increased in diameter to 21 mm and 19 mm, together with stiffer spring rates. In addition, harder rear subframe bushes, as well as a change to competition-style spherical bearings used between the lower control arm and the front subframe, contribute to improved stability through changes of direction. Subaru has also reduced unsprung mass by shaving 1.2 kilograms off each lower control arm thanks to all-aluminium construction. Likewise, the seven-spoke BBS forged aluminium wheels are 900 grams lighter per wheel, facilitating quicker steering response.

In practice, the STI is for more comfortable than one might expect from such an overtly sporty sedan, managing to traverse most bumps without transferring any knocks through to the cabin. However, the STI could still do with a flatter cornering stance, as competitors like the Renault Megane RS Cup and Ford Focus RS feel reassuringly unerring in this regard. However, the front-wheel drive hot-hatches have no answer to the STI’s mid-corner grip, which feels never-ending. The ventilated brakes lack initial bite and require a heavy foot to achieve the best results. Thanks to the four-wheel drive, the car allows late and heavy braking, although after such hard work the brakes developed an irritating squeak that took more than a few kilometers to disappear.

Guiding the STI through corners is easy enough thanks to the accurate steering, although the action feels a little vague and not quite as direct as hoped. Considering the innate levels of grip available and depending on your setup of the DCCD, on/off throttle inputs can be used to safely and effectively adjust the car’s attitude mid-corner in situations where others might simply break traction. The STI takes some practice before you’re able to extract the best from it, but rest assured you’ll always be going fast, especially with the torquey engine that once past 2 500 r/min delivers punch right up to the redline.

In contrast with the extrovert exterior, the interior is all about the ‘go’ and not much ‘show’. The steering wheel is appropriately thick-rimmed and covered in leather with red stitching, as are the Recaro sport seats that are comfortable and ideally supportive. The driving position is comfortable and the aluminium pedals are conducive to fast footwork. The instrument cluster features a centre positioned rev-counter, along with prevailing Si-Drive and DCCD mode indicator. Chrome highlights are to be found on the door handles, surrounding the engine start/stop button and gear lever, but the brushed aluminium-look plastics are a mediocre attempt to add life to a decidedly dull interior for a car of its price tag. Standard equipment includes satellite controls on the steering wheel; a vastly improved 6-speaker sound system that is less gimicky and easier to use; electrically-operated windows; sunroof; 6 cup holders and not much else really, it’s pretty functional.

However, forget about trying to justify the STI’s appeal to your in-laws on a duty-bound Sunday afternoon cruise. If they’re not deaf when they hop in to your pride and joy, they could well be when they climb out. The lack of insulation in the boot, together with the optional sports exhaust system means the cabin is filled with a constant drone, for which the most logical remedy I could find, was to drop a couple of cogs and burry the right pedal in an effort to break the monotony. Unless you can find it within to keep the revs as low as possible, the STI ‘s appeal as a daily drive is compromised for this reason, although using this tactic you could expect decent fuel economy of around 7.8 L/100km.

The Subaru WRX STI is wonderfully simple in its functional and unashamedly sporty, but it’s for this same reason that it battles to find much middle ground. It may hold the title of fastest four-door saloon around the famed Nurburgring Nordshleife (7m55s), but unless its been driven hard, as intended, the STI is compromised when it comes to true all-round ability. Added refinement will go a long way to broadening the STI’s appeal, which lacks the levels of palpability expected in the half-a-million rand price range.

What we like…

• Revelling in the H4′s engine note when you’re in the mood.
• Adjustable LSD to suit your driving style and/or conditions.
• Bold and brash styling.

What we would like…

• Better insulation to reduce wind noise and drone from the exhaust.
• Improved interior plastics and maybe even a soft-touch dashboard to increase perceived quality.

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