In 21st Century terms the Subaru STi must rank as one of the finest when it comes to technical advancement. Once seated in those clasping Recaro seats and dialling in your preferences on those Playstation-like chassis and wheel-drive adjustment controls, you feel all-conquering.

And believe me that proved to be the case, too.

That 2.5-litre flat-four quadcam may not rev as freely and liberally as the previous 2.0-litre gem but, man, it does leave you with a superiority complex on any road, anywhere. It’s a masterpiece.

On the track, with its new dial-in parameters dialled in to suit, the STi has become what Michele terms as, "masterful – totally predictable, it turns in better than well and doesn’t display any of that under-steer our apparently esteemed British motoring scribes led us to believe". And he should know, having raced an under-steering-prone WRX.

Its lap time of 2min 06.3sec says it all — and just over half a second slower than the mighty M3. OK, true dyed-in-the-wool Scooby hot-heads bemoaned the Mazda3-like shape after the more butch-like tough-looking shape of its predecessors, but in STi guise it still sends a strong message with those beefy, muscular flanks and aggressive rear-end treatment.

But the biggest gripe against this hotshot-king of the middleweight division must be its gut-wrenching R480k price. Another may be its cabin, which although more attractive than before does not score that well when compared to rivals.

Subaru Impreza STi
Price: R489 000
kW/Nm: 221/407
0-100km/h (g): 6.0 secs
Top speed (c): 255km/h
Hot Lap (g): 2m06.3

» On to the next contender: Toyota Yaris TS

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