It's seldom that a car meets its demise and then returns, promising much of what it before, just a little while later. But that's exactly what happened with the Subaru Impreza WRX STI. On April 3rd, 2013, PH published its farewell send-off for the STI; then just a year and a week later, on April 10th, 2014, the first drive of the replacement Subaru was featured. The one that we were never meant to get in the UK, but now were. Curious.
This wasn't simply a rehash, though. While sharing many of the fundamental ingredients, this STI was thoroughly overhauled from the one that preceded it. Torsional rigidity was up 140 per cent, the wheelbase was 25mm longer and the A-pillars were moved forward 200mm. With a scoop and a spoiler and the option of gold wheels, the STI wasn't now going to be mistaken for anything else, though more had gone into redoing the staple Subaru saloon than first met the eye.
That was a sensation born out on the road, too. It was still tough and laggy and required learning to properly exploit, but the quicker steering ratio introduced some more dynamic urgency, the A-pillar move helped visibility and the trio of diffs was more effective than ever. The NotImpreza was back, and in some ways it was better than ever.
That proved to be the case when we ran one on the PH Fleet, too, although giving it to a seasoned Subaru fanboy may have given it an easier time than if it were in other hands. For better and for worse, the STI felt like the anachronism it ultimately was: every drive felt authentic, involved and richly engaging, but of course that's not always the kind of drive you want. When there's 200 miles to do the fierce ride is already irritating and the touchscreen still doesn't make sense, for instance.
But anyone really bothered about the interior ambience could buy a Golf R; what the STI represented - and why it's now missed - is because it proffered an alternative way of doing things. It felt different in a world of cars that all seem to have fallen not far from the same tree, and that's to be applauded. Even when it is a massive pain in the bum.
This STI is about as cheap as we've seen the very final one offered, an early (2014) car with 61,000 miles for sale at £14,495. Despite perhaps a less favourable reputation than earlier Impreza-badged STIs, retaining half its value after this amount of time is a fair achievement. It's comparable to the Golf, basically, this 2015 car on the same miles and available for £1,000 more - about the same as it would have when new.
And although the Golf will do everything required of a modern used hot hatch for £15k, just as an S3 will as well, if you want that done with a bit of edge and excitement as well then the Subaru has to be worth considering. It's not perfect, but it isn't trying to be - and that's exactly the point. It was always a flawed performance car to some extent, its weaknesses were exposed by the relentless development of the hot hatch, and to some the later NotImprezas don't live up their illustrious forebears. But as a reminder of why the 300hp Subaru saloon was such a good idea, and for offering an alternative take on the established all-wheel drive norm, the WRX STI was nothing if not worthy of our attention. At half its original price, it's arguably worth more of it than ever.
SPECIFICATION | SUBARU WRX STI
Engine: 2,457cc flat-4 turbo
Transmission: 6-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 300@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 300@4,200rpm
MPG: 27.2 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 242g/km
Year registered: 2014
Recorded mileage: 61,000
Price new: £28,995 (OTR, before options)
Yours for: £14,495
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