We review the Subaru WRX STi from price to economy and all its features

SUBARU roar back into the limelight with the new WRX STi.

And I was there for its first press drive in the UK and Ireland at the picturesque setting of the Manor House Marine in Fermanagh for the launch.

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Back with a bang ... new Subaru WRX STi

As well as the new WRX STi, Gormley Subaru in Dungannon had an exciting line-up of Subarus’ waiting for us to test — the Outback, Forester, XV and the sporty little rear-wheel-drive BRZ.

But the WRX was the main focus of the day and this time Subaru have really stuck the boot in as their flagship model reverts back to a saloon. Thankfully Subaru have the ditched the contentious hatchback version and the all-wheel-drive, road-going rally car is back to its best.

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Aggressive styling ... WRX ditches hatchback styling

Also ditched is the Impreza name, the car will simply be known as the WRX STi, but with its dramatic, aggressive styling it would be hard to mistake it for anything else — and everybody calls Imprezas Scoobies anyway. My two sons, Ben, 9, and Jacob, 6, can spot the distinctive sound of a Scooby from a 100m away and nine times out of ten it’s a blue WRX with gold wheels that will rumble past, with that unmistakable burble from the boxer engine.

It’s good to know that the new WRX sounds as good as it looks despite exhaust noise and emission regulations — the ‘rumble in the concrete jungle’ is music to my ears and that’s when the car is idling. Give the accelerator a good blip and the noise from the quad exhaust instantly puts a smile on your face.

The WRX looks stunning sitting still thanks to its low stance, huge bonnet scoop, bodykit and vented front-wheel arches, Brembo brakes plus massive rear wing and diffuser, but just in case you were in any doubt that this car means business, Subaru have added a generous helping of STi badges around the bodywork to stamp home the message.

There will be four colours available, WR Blue Pearl, Crystal White Pearl, Dark Grey Metallic and Crystal Black Silica.

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WRX Factor ... premium, spacious interior

Under the bonnet the WRX is fitted with an evolution of the existing 2.5-litre horizontally-opposed boxer engine found in the previous model but it’s more efficient, cleaner with better acceleration.

Power is 300bhp at 6,000rpm with 407Nm torque at 4,000rpm, which see the WRX sprint from 0-62mph in only 5.2seconds, on to a licence-losing top speed of 159mph. Fuel economy is decent if you behave yourself with a combined 27.2mpg with 242g/km CO2 emissions.

The WRX may have the acceleration times and top speed of a supercar but it can be docile to drive around town with light steering, slick gear changes from the six-speed manual box and a relatively light clutch, the only reminder is the stiff suspension and rumble from the exhaust and engine.

Find an open stretch of road and things get really exciting as the WRX turns into a different beast. The grip form Subaru’s legendary Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive allows you to safely push the WRX in slippery conditions.

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There’s a new Multi-mode driver-controlled centre differential, incorporating a viscous limited-slip differential that gives the driver a manual mode plus three pre-set ‘Auto’ modes to choose from, according to road and track conditions and driver preference — with the option of 50/50 per cent, front and rear torque distribution — or increases steering responsiveness with torque distributed to the rear of the car for some controllable, tail-out action.

There’s also Subaru Intelligent Drive system that offers three custom driving modes to alter engine and throttle response.

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Sounds as good as it looks ... awesome WRX exhaust burble

The WRX employs the same 17-inch Brembo disc brakes as the previous model but the brake booster has been tuned to provide quicker brake response and the master cylinder has been enlarged by seven per cent to increase braking power.

Interestingly the discs are the same size on all-round with four-pot callipers on the front and two-pot callipers on the rear.

There’s new 18-inch alloy wheels which are 15 per cent stiffer than before and 1kg lighter, shod with custom-made 245/40 R18 high-performance Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tyres, and good news for fans of gold rims as they will be available as an option too.

The WRX offers more room inside, the boot is a useful 460 litres, it offers four-door saloon car practicality with all-weather ability thanks to its 4x4 drivetrain and it cost £4,000 less than its predecessor — it really does have the WRX Factor.

My only complaint was the 4.3-inch multi-function display could have been a bit bigger and that I didn’t have long enough behind the wheel — fingers crossed for a seven-day test sooner rather than later.