No we haven’t kitted our WRX long-termer out with fancy Proflex rally shocks or anything of the like. We were on a Bakkie photo shoot last week and stumbled across a super-smooth patch of dirt. We had the WRX on the shoot too and simply had to try our hand at some impromptu rallying. Some might say it is sacrilege to put a road car like this on the dirt but we simply say we are paying homage to its WRC title heritage.

On the dirt the AWD Subaru comes into its own as the back end lights up. Belting into a corner and upsetting the apple kart with a heavy handed turn-in is good fun.

The front, although with normal road rubber, has surprisingly good grip and combines with body roll to make the weight transfer is quite dramatic. The forces compel the backend to lighten up and start to pendulum. The only solution is an armful of opposite lock and to plant the right foot on the loud pedal. The result is some awesome sideways shots and a big-smile. On dirt the WRX is also easier to get going, as it doesn’t bog down on all fours.

All good things must however come to an end, and the petrol light on the dash brought the curtain down on this adventure. Petrol is a real problem with our WRX. One minute it is there and the next it has been burnt and blown out the brilliant sounding pipe. Other than that the only real gripes are that I can’t work out how to zero the trip computer, the clutch feels a touch heavy round town and on a cold morning the windscreen surround creaks like nothing else.

Oh, the boot is also impractically small and why they couldn’t get this right bothers me. Subaru obviously want to sell to the masses but must think the masses don’t go grocery shopping.

The ride is a brilliant compromise between sporting and comfort, a feeling that is echoed by the bucket seats that mange to support without castrating you every time you enter the car. Feedback through the steering wheel is also a major plus point.

I hated the hatch look when I first saw it on a WRX but it has grown on me. It doesn’t look like a Scoobie but it does look like a good hot hatch. The sound, with an aftermarket pipe, is still that brilliant low-down boxer growl and the way the power comes on is surprisingly linear for a force-fed lump at altitude.

Despite its desire to be a volume seller the WRX is proving to be a good fun car on and off road. Every WRX needs a play session on a sandy strip — it is not afraid to get dirty, only the photographers moan about that.