Subaru Impreza WRX STi

The rally-bred Impreza is devastatingly capable across country, but how does the latest WRX STi rate on the smooth tarmac of a racing circuit? That was only one of the questions we were keen to answer in this year’s performance car mega-test.

Facing a soaking wet track, our testers made a beeline for the secure handling of the Subaru – and it didn’t disappoint. In damp conditions its turbocharged boxer engine and four-wheel-drive chassis provided endless fun, allowing us to slide the car predictably out of slow corners at will. The manually adjustable torque split between the front and rear wheels made the Impreza even easier to manipulate.

Unfortunately, the latest STi has a split personality. When the track dried up, so did the fun. In dry conditions its nose runs wide all too easily if you enter a corner too fast, and the incredible traction of its four-wheel-drive set-up puts a stop to the all-wheel drifts that come so easily in the wet – and continue whatever the weather in Mitsubishi’s Evo X.

Then there’s the STi’s over-light steering. It takes many miles to gain complete faith in the set-up and, when you do, it still doesn’t tell you enough about what’s going on under the front tyres. It’s hard not to be impressed by the Impreza’s blistering all-weather performance, but its 27.4mpg economy and lacklustre handling left it trailing its more entertaining and polished rivals. Subaru owners had better start a rain dance!

CLICK HERE FOR AN EXCLUSIVE ON BOARD HOT-LAP IN THE SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STI