Subaru WRX STi

Subaru WRX STi

Engine: 2,457cc, four-cylinder

Power: 296bhp and 300lb.ft. of torque

Performance: 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds and 158mph

Economy: 27.2 mpg (combined)

CO2 emissions: 242g/km

Price: £28,995

Young and keen to show my more cultured side by taking in a live performance of folks greatest protest singer and poet, the anticipation was immense.

But when the mumbling, growling man under a wide-brimmed hat started to croak his way through songs which I can only assume were the same hits Id listened to a million times on CD, many started for the exit...35 tickets or not.

Being as tight as a drum, I stayed.

But I cannot truly tell anyone that I have knowingly heard Like a Rolling Stone, Hard Rain or All Along the Watchtower sung live. I just didn’t have a clue.

At times over the past decade hardened petrolheads might have been justified in feeling similarly short-changed by Subaru.

While a characterful boxer engine, four-wheel-drive and rock-solid mechanicals have remained at the heart of its cars, the Impreza name once synonymous with metallic blue paint, gold wheels, a big rear wing and creamy exhaust burble has suffered a desperate crisis of character.

And as successive styling changes saw it morph from purposeful saloon to bug-eyed curiosity and eventually conservative hatchback, it lost its much-loved voice.

As the Japanese brand sought to re-define its Impreza brand, it distanced itself from its rally-bred successes of the past and quietened the boy racers favourite, the range-topping WRX STI.

Now we have a new WRX STI and, although it no longer wears the Impreza badge, it comes with wing, bonnet vent and creamy burble intact.

Those of you who thought about heading out after the opening few numbers might want to take a glance back...

Straight out of the box the new Subaru  now back in saloon guise  looks the part. And at £28,995 it also manages to look like good value.

To my eyes, this is the best-looking Subaru saloon to date. Handsome yet aggressive and overtly sporty it brings back the road racer spirit of old with a hint of polish and sophistication.

It also boasts a useful family car size which falls between a Ford Focus and Mondeo...similar to that of Skoda’s Octavia.

LED headlamps and rear light clusters and electric folding wing mirrors are modern features among performance furniture which includes a striking rear diffuser housing quad tailpipes, 18-inch grey alloys and that impressive high-rise rear spoiler.

On paper, the bare stats add to the allure. There’s 296bhp and 300lb.ft. of torque from the 2.5-litre turbocharged boxer four engine.

Coupled to four-wheel-drive that’s enough thrust to serve up 62mph in 5.2 seconds and a 158mph top speed.

Step inside and there’s an old-school feel to the WRX STI.

Subaru interiors lack the tactility and ergonomic design of their rivals, instead opting for a more utilitarian feel which, nevertheless, boasts solid build quality.

But the aftermarket-looking stereo complete with dot matrix display looks dated and lacks the intuitive use of the touchscreen systems which are now commonplace.

Many of the plastics, meanwhile, are hard to the touch.

Drilled aluminium pedals, part Alcantara-trimmed seats and an abundance of red stitching helps to instate a purposeful, motorsport-inspired ambience.

Heavy controls define the early driving experience, the gearbox feeling mechanical and notchy.

A lack of pliancy from the suspension is no surprise given the WRX STIs purposeful stance.

The burble of those quad exhausts urges you to persevere.

With a few hundred yards under the wheels, this weighty, granular feel translates into a communicative helm which inspires impressive driver confidence.

The driver can hone the attitude of the car by shuffling the torque bias of the four-wheel-drive systems front and rear tyres via a toggle switch on the centre console and Subaru’s SI-Drive system which adjusts the engine map through Normal, Sport and Sport# settings to serve up varying degrees of intensity and playfulness.

Whatever the setting, there’s impressive traction and as the turbo spools into play and strong acceleration served up on a lusty wave of torque which is linear until Sport# is dialled up  delivering its more explosive lunge to the horizon.

Turn in confidently to tie down the front end and the WRX STI can power through and out of a corner in a slightly tail-led stance that awakens memories of gravel rally stages.

In a sector now dominated by powerful turbodiesel engines, the WRX STI offers a unique proposition at less than 30,000.

Where the WRX STIs power-to-pound allure fades is with CO2 emissions of 242g/km and 27.2mpg fuel economy.

Some prospective owners might also baulk at the shortfall in interior quality.

Fusing usable interior space with old-school road racer performance, the WRX STI feels like a car from a previous generation.

It will appeal to kids of the 90s who once aspired to an Impreza but now find themselves with a family of their own.

As fuel prices could still fall below 1-per-litre, though, there may be no better time to enjoy a Subaru boxer four...the legend that has rediscovered its voice.