► We welcome the Subaru WRX STI to our fleet
► Iconic blue metallic paint is missing the gold wheels
► We join the Subaru cult which is thrust upon you at purchase
The first time I drove our new Subaru, I filled up with petrol and as I walked into the shop a guy at the cash machine shouted ‘Nice car mate!’. When I came out three minutes later he was standing by the car, staring at it with his young son. ‘I’ve had a few of these,’ he said in hushed admiration. He went on to tell me his entire Subaru history.
Welcome to the WRX Club: membership is automatic upon purchase, and the entry fee is £28,995. Since that first night it’s happened a lot, and I realise now I’m part of a cult. While a Lamborghini or Ferrari attracts people who want to take selfies, and a classic car is an invitation to ask questions, the Subaru is a honeypot to a very specific type of enthusiast, of a specific age, who wants to have a specific conversation. Knowledgable, passionate and clearly with plenty of disposable income, these are the guys (they’re all men) who have kept the Subaru brand alive in the UK, despite a range that’s become – let’s be honest – a bit ‘patchy’ in recent years.
Let’s browse the showroom, shall we? The Impreza lives on, but 20 years after McRae won his Championship and almost a decade since Subaru withdrew from the WRC in 2008, the Impreza is now a lame-looking 1.6 hatchback. Beside it there’s the increasingly ugly Forester; the Legacy-now-just-called-Outback; the bizarrely named ‘Levorg’; the hard-to-pin-down XV; and the BRZ coupe. Alongside this really random bunch of misfits is the WRX, the most reassuringly familiar car of the whole lot; but even here, Subaru messes with your mind by not calling it ‘an Impreza’ – it’s just called ‘WRX STI’. Talk about putting your brand through the mangler. I’m still amazed that when Subaru withdrew from rallying you could show someone a blue and gold blur and they would immediately know what car they were looking at. In terms of global recognition, Subaru owned a colour like Ferrari owns red. It was worth gazillions in brand recognition, and since then they’ve let it all wash away in a tide of anonymous hatchbacks and bizarre estates.
But that legacy hasn’t completely gone (not that Legacy – that’s called an Outback now). I ordered the WRX in blue, after all. I am a man of a certain age, and I am now part of a cult.
I ordered blue, yes, and I would have ordered gold wheels too, if they’d been on the menu; but you soon discover, as you flick through the WRX brochure, this is a strictly single-model car, specced up in standard trim with barely any extras to choose from. The 18-inch gunmetal alloys; the rear wing; the leather and alcantara interior – all standard. The Alpine sat-nav and music system looks aftermarket, like it was fitted by Halfords, but that too is standard.
Overall then, it’s a bit bling, a bit boy racer, a bit of a blast from the past. But then you drive it on the road… My god, this thing is brutally quick. It may be ‘only’ 296bhp – in a world where cars such as the Ferrari 488 are producing over 600 – but in the real world… in the wet!… the Subaru can still produce the Shock and Awe. I’m looking forward to getting to know it better. I just hope I can hang on to my driving licence.
Logbook: Subaru WRX STI
Engine: 2457cc 4-cyl boxer turbo, 296bhp @ 6000rpm, 300lb ft @ 4000rpm
Gearbox: 6-speed manual, 4wd
Stats: 5.2sec 0-62mph, 159mph, 242g/km CO2
Price: £28,995
As tested: £28,995
Miles this month: 990
Total miles: 2987
Our mpg: 22.3
Official mpg: 27.2
Fuel this month: £165
Extra costs: £0
How we speeced the WRX STI
No engine choice
Choice? There’s only one WRX model these days, with virtually no options. So 296bhp 2.5-litre turbo boxer it is
Colin’s colour!
WR Blue Pearl paint – no-cost Classic Subaru colour, one of four choices: blue, white, grey or black
No trim choice
Leather and alcantara trim – no cost. One model, one interior, one standard Japanese ‘sporty’ design with red highlights
No gearbox choice
6-speed manual – no cost. No droning Continuously Variable ‘CVT’ option for the WRX
No spoiler choice
XXL rear spoiler – no cost. No, we didn’t specially order it – they just come like that