The king returns

> See the gallery

Subaru boasts of how its rally-bred super saloon, which has incidentally just turned into a five-door hatch, is more sophisticated and refined than before. As far as we're concerned, it is in almost every respect, but that's not what we're really interested in. Subaru knew this, which is why the company set out to prove this to us by letting us media folk loose in a herd of their new beasts around Zwartkops raceway.

So let's get straight to the juicy stuff.

That 221kW/407Nm turboed 2.5-litre boxer mill screeches off the line with no lag or wavering and runs you through the rev range so quickly and smoothly that it's very easy to get caught out and run it into the limiter just after 6000rpm. The gearstick also has a very short sideways throw, so it's all too easy to select the wrong cog when trying to procure snap changes, but after a lap or two one becomes accustomed to this car's racy nature and can truly indulge in what is one of the ultimate track weapons on the market.

Behaves like a race car should

Just have the car in its sportiest set-up ('auto minus' for the centre diff control and 'sport sharp' for the engine and throttle) and it behaves like a race car should. A torque bias towards the rear wheels results in more aggressive cornering and acceleration. Though slight oversteer is easy to induce when in this mode, it's just enough to position the car perfectly while entering a corner and aiming for the apex. So while offering some of the perks you'd get in a rear-driven car, STI still provides the stability that you've always enjoyed in the safe hands of its symmetrical all-wheel drive transmission.

During the presentation, Subaru's personnel billed the R489 000 new STI as a cheap alternative to an M3 rather than an expensive alternative to an S3 or 135i and while this didn't go down to well with other journos, our comparison test in the August magazine shows that the Subaru folk could be correct after all. Our STI lap time was far closer to that of the M3 and better than that attained in Merc's C63 AMG. So that the STI is a serious track weapon to threaten super saloon is not in doubt. Luckily it's not a wolf in sheep's clothing either.

Devilishly bold looks

The STI's head honcho status has been clearly infused into the styling. Not even the most dim-witted car buff would confuse it with the WRX or other ordinary Imprezas. We criticised the latter cars for their lack of styling imagination, but this certainly does not apply to the STI. In fact, the only bodywork it shares with them is the front doors, bonnet and roof. Unfortunately those clear lens taillights, which look like they're from a cheap accessories shop, are also carried over.

Apart from that, STI looks devilishly bold, with its flared front and rear wheel arches, packed to the brim with 18-inch BBS alloys that can be had in the traditional gold, or silver if your tastes are more restrained. Being a hatch means there's no over-sized 'ironing board' spoiler on the back, instead you'll find a more tasteful large-ish tailgate wing, while the four exhaust pipes set at the outer extremities of the rear diffuser spell 'don't mess with me' in any language.

Under the bonnet you'll find the latest development of Subaru's 2.5-litre quad-cam horizontally-opposed Boxer engine, which in this incarnation features dual variable valve timing and lift control. It is especially beneficial at low to medium revs where it minimises lag, giving the engine the feel of a large capacity, normally-aspirated engine.

Intelligent drive

What's more, Subaru's Intelligent-Drive system allows the driver to choose one of three settings: 'Sport' (the default setting), 'Sport-Sharp' for ultra-quick throttle responses for enthusiastic driving and 'Intelligent' with softer responses more suited to dense traffic in the city. Drive is through a six-speed manual gearbox. The STI is certainly quick enough to run with super saloons. Subaru's official testing at reef altitude procured a 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.18 seconds, while at 670 metres above sea level, it reached 0-100 in 4.86 seconds.

At the heart of Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system is a conventional mechanical centre differential integral with the gearbox, and an electronically-controlled cam-type limited slip differential. This generates a thrust force to activate the differential according to the actual torque differential between the front and rear, and comes into effect when exiting corners and in transient manoeuvres, with the effect of increasing stability.

This Driver Controlled Centre Differential reaches its technical zenith in the latest STI, providing choices that give the driver the opportunity to take more control, or the option of simply choosing one of three 'auto' settings. 'Auto' is the default mode, but the driver can switch to 'Auto minus' for a rearward-bias or 'Auto plus' for the front wheel bias you might want in slippery conditions. Selecting the 'Manual' setting for the centre differential allows drivers to opt for one of six positions, using the same toggle switch to move from a 'Lock' position where torque is spread 50:50 front:rear to a progressively more rear-biased setting. In this position 59:41 per cent (front:rear) of the torque is transferred to the rear wheels.

Vehicle dynamics controls

For the first time the STI adds Vehicle Dynamics Controls (VDC) to the equation ? precisely configured especially for this specific application. In this guise it has three settings, rather than the on/off positions as fitted to other Subarus. The new 'Traction' mode delays the point at which the brakes are used to limit wheel spin but it will not use engine torque reduction as a means to regain traction. This allows for little (if any) loss of straight-line accelerative ability but it does ultimately enhance stability if the car starts to deviate from an ideal line when cornering. VDC can be switched off completely, giving skilled drivers the ability to exploit the car's full potential ? like during track days ? without any form of electronic intervention.

Stopping power is via Brembo fixed calliper brakes with four pistons up front and two piston callipers at the rear. For passive safety, the STI boasts six airbags and it attained five stars in the Australian NCAP crash tests.

The interior has never been a big talking point for Subaru, but the latest STI's cabin is smarter than before, but nowhere near German tactile or aesthetic standards. Front and rear occupants have a surprising amount of space, but the boot is ridiculously small for a car this size. The interior does have its upsides though, like the extremely supportive race-like Recaro bucket seats up front and the fact that ergonomics are rather simple, with all controls laid out rather simply and in easy-to-reach positions.

In essence, STI is without doubt the craziest hatchback on the market, with monster looks backed up with the performance and handling to rival super saloons. Some details and finishes may not be up to luxury car standards, but the STI aficionado is not going to complain about petty things like that ? that?s certainly not why they're buying an STI.