Overall rating:

Subaru pinches an ex-Prodrive employee to give its WRX STI a power boost to 316bhp. Throw in satnav and you've got the WRX STI 320R, which Subaru is currently offering for the same price as a standard WRX STI. More performance and you're less likely to get lost, but it does feel like the marketplace has shifted a bit and left the WRX behind.

Key Facts

Pricing: £32,995
Engine: 2.5-litre turbocharged boxer four-cylinder
Transmission: six-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Body style: four-door saloon
Rivals: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, Renaultsport Mégane 250, Audi RS 3 Sportback
CO₂ emissions: 243g/km
Combined economy: 26.9mpg
Top speed: 158mph
0-62mph: 4.9seconds
Power: 316bhp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 332lb.ft at 3,400rpm

In the Metal:

Never before has a company executed such a full-circle return to its roots than Subaru with the WRX STI. The hatchback bombed comparatively, meaning the UK importers rushed in this saloon to pick up where the old Impreza WRX models left off. It may no longer wear the Impreza badge, but it looks every inch the old-school fast saloon that Subaru built its brand with in the UK. Thing is, there's no rallying kudos anymore, and the performance marketplace does feel like it's moved on a bit. Still, it looks suitably menacing, and if that's desirable to you then the WRX STI isn't without appeal.

Inside it lacks any though. We've forgiven Subaru's interiors in the past for their unique performance proposition, but it's getting ever more difficult to ignore the shiny hard plastics and general low-rent feel.

Driving it:

There's no denying it's quick - WRX STI models always have been. The 320R pack makes it even more so, and brings some flexibility to the engine's performance. There's a touch less turbo lag, Subaru's ex-Prodrive employee and his team having done an impressive job with the engine. The result is a 0.3-second drop in the 0-62mph time to 4.9 seconds, while the full output of the 2.5-litre turbocharged boxer engine is more accessible more of the time. Subaru had a Cosworth STI CS400 on hand too, and despite its 394bhp the 320R is the quicker, far more fluid car to drive thanks to the relative lack of turbo lag.

That flexibility, allied to Subaru's four-wheel drive system and surefooted handling, does make for an incredibly brisk point-to-point car. Greater steering feel would enhance this further, as would a gearbox with a crisper, quicker shift.

What you get for your Money:

Subaru might have thrown in those extra horses and a satnav for free but the WRX STI is still an expensive proposition - both to buy and run. All that standard kit doesn't make up for the interior, either, which is difficult to stomach in a car costing north of £30,000.

Worth Noting

If you've got a WRX STI already and want the additional horsepower of the 320R then you can have it retro-fitted. It's little more than a quick change of a chip in the ECU. There's no badging or plaques to be seen either, Subaru resisting the temptation to turn the 320R into a numbered, special edition.

Summary

If you're after a WRX STI then Subaru's generosity is to be congratulated. It's not cheap overall though, with as much fun available elsewhere for significantly less; you'd have to work the 320R very hard to shake off a Renaultsport Mégane 250. But if old-school, rally-derived four-wheel drive machines are your thing the 320R isn't without appeal.