So, with the other bases covered it was to Kyalami and our hot laps.

On track, S3's a perfect blend of boost, traction and lateral grip. It's quattro-neutral, predictable and trustworthy on the limit, even if it likes to push a bit. In effect, the S3 is no joke. Far more than just a powerful hatchback it has all the bases covered with surefooted all-wheel drive handling, top-notch refinement and comfort with that force-fed shove. In short, there's not much to touch it.

Besides its rivals here, that is...

The BMW best benefits its twin-turbocharging as it goes about its on-track business with little noise or fuss. There's not much hooligan appeal, but you sure feel the G-forces when flattening the loud pedal. Although there's a little bit of throttle response turbo lag that hardly makes a difference to 135i on the road, it does become a hindrance on track as it battles to keep pace when the driver must balance and steer the car the throttle.

So while it's not quite supercar dynamic, 135i surprises in other areas. A quiet cabin and compliant ride quality ensure the Beemer is more supple than the bone-jarring S3 and on the open road this one's great.

But then we got into the WRC-tuned king of the hill. And to be honest, we were a little shocked at first. On track STi is masterful. Totally predictable, it turns in better than well and doesn't display any of that understeer our esteemed British motoring scribes led us to believe ? you can feel that symmetrical all-wheel drive working together to make it grippier and more compliant than most cars we've thrashed around Kyalami. It's really in a class alone in this company.

And that hissing 2.5 boxer turbo has a monster power band that scoops you out of a corner often two cogs up on what you should be using and does so just as quickly while offering instant throttle response ? allowing you to concentrate on exactly where you're driving instead of 20m in front, as is the case in the BMW...

All that comes together to produce a Kyalami Hot lap a full three seconds quicker than the Audi, two and a half seconds faster than the Beemer. In fact the Subaru Impreza STi will give a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG a good hiding and drive away from an Audi RS4 on track, while the guy in a new V8 M3 will have to be on his toes to stay ahead.

So in essence, the Subaru Impreza STi is a supercar. It is far, far closer to an M3 than it is to the 135i in its dust. And, yes, it can start that 100m sprint half way back around the track as its price suggests and still thump the cars we thought would be a threat to it...

STi is a harder, better-developed and far more effective package than the perhaps more comfortable Germans here, but that's what it needs to be to be the first to wrest the new Superlightweight crown. It does that and then some. The only way a 135i can come back at the STi would be if there were an M version, and we truly hope that happens one day.

Like the BMW, the Audi is far more a pretty boy's toy than an out-and-out M3-chasing track tool for the road. Yes, it is cool, looks great and has all the right spec to carry the pose, but if you drive either of the Germans ? or pretty much anything else ? be sure to steer well clear of the latest Subaru Impreza STi.

Not only does it come close to its esteemed rivals here in quality, finish and spec, but it also quite simply destroys them in out-and-out performance so comprehensively that it totally overcomes our initial fears of being overpriced.

The Subaru Impreza STi is the unrivalled King of the Superlightweights. It blends all of Subaru's comprehensive STi and WRC know-how into a hatchback for the first time well enough to simply brush off these two very well pedigreed Germans.

All that leaves is to prompt Audi and BMW to respond to the STi with something special from their esteemed respective RS and M departments. Right now Subaru has both of them caught with their pants down in pretty much typical STi fashion.