German Car Zone

First Impressions:
The finest of the breed and a fitting tribute to a rally icon.

• 317 hp
• 0-60 mph in 4.8 seconds
• Prodrive-tuned engine and suspension

The best of the best
The long highway cruise back toward London offers scope for reflection. Over the past few years, we must have driven at least a dozen different iterations of the Impreza, from the standard WRX to the outrageous 22B. Some have been better than others, yet we can say without hesitation that the RB320 is the finest of the breed.

Subaru might have simply slapped a few decals on an Impreza and called it a Richard Burns special, but instead it has been true to Burns' legacy. This car gives you the impression that it was tuned by engineers who cared deeply about what they were doing. The end result is a great car and a fitting tribute to a great driver

First Drive: 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STi RB320

Why can't the new WRX look ANYTHING like this one?

I'm tired of all of them, a new version every other month and now an even ugly all-new model to start it all over again. This is the Japanese Mustang, a new version is shown every month!

M

Drive one and you'll understand Merc1.

Scoobs aren't universally appealling and the plethora of limited edition models causes a great deal of confusion in the market - particularly as they're often specific to a local market only.

What has to be appreciated is that these cars aren't mass-market and they're not intended to have universal appeal. They're aimed slap bang at the loyalists who desire ever-faster and ever more focused Impreza driving thrills. This is a seriously hard-core car and not for the faint hearted.

There are many of these legendary limited editions, the P1, RB5, 22B, S204, WRX STI Spec C Type RA (yes, seriously ) and now this RB320 to name but the best that come to mind and they're an all too important contribution to the high performance Impreza persona. These are cars that offer the enthusiasts a new level of Subaru dynamism for those that have outgrown their standard WRX's and STI's but don't wish to switch brands.

So yes, to the general public it's just another Impreza but to each of the lucky owners it's the definitive all-wheel drive point-to-point experience of a lifetime - without having to shell out twice as much for anything close.

I guess I'm too much of a car snob, because I couldn't bring myself to drive, let alone buy something so unattractive.

M

I've driven an Impreza STI (280hp) and EVO9 and yes they are no beauties but you dont buy these becuase of the look, just for driving pleasure.

PS I liked the EVO9 better than the impreza (sorry Martin)

This thing looks like a real mean machine ...!

WRX is (probably) the best "beauty'n'beast" sedan, to come from Japan ever ...!