WRX is wicked, wild and wonderful

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Gone were the jet-fighter wing, gold rims and the squat and cocky, sedan shaped boy-racer. In its place was a rather mundane Impreza hatch that looked like a thousand other commuter chest freezers on wheels.

And the fans howled their outrage. “Bring back the Scooby we know and love,” they cried.

Subaru egg-danced and placated, trying to convince the world that this new Impreza is what trendy Europe wanted and therefore what we should all be driving.

To make matters worse they even brought out a smaller, under-powered 1.5-litre Impreza which failed, rather dismally, and was withdrawn from the local market.

Aikona, said the fans, and sales continued to slump.

And now, two years down the line and after lots of serious midnight candle-burning by the Subaru white coats and head-scratching by the marketing chaps at head office, the Impreza is back with a 2.0R model and a WRX in four-door shape.

Strangely enough, the real sizzler, the STi, remains a hatch-back, a decision Subaru might well regret again…

But let's focus on the new WRX and the great news is that the recently unwrapped version has more punch, more grip and more animal appeal than ever before.

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It looks less like a Bellville or Benoni backyard conversion than the original Scooby, but it certainly is no weedy Monday to Friday commuter pram or weekend shopping trolley.

It might be toned down and a little more stylish, but the big air scoop is back on the bonnet. So is the wing on the boot and the red WRX branding on the bucket seats, along with drilled metal pedals, mean-looking black alloy rims, fat running shoes, dials that jump into life when you turn on the ignition and, best of all (and worth every cent as an optional extra), a gurgling, growling sports exhaust that loudly sings the praises of a glorious 2.5-litre turbo-charged Boxer engine.

And it's got all its race track credibility back. Not only does it look the predator part, but with a 0-100km/h squirt time of 5.5 seconds, it has blasting power to smoke the likes of the Audi TTS (6.4 seconds), Golf GTi (6.9 seconds) and the Porsche Boxter PDK (5.9 seconds) and to run nose to nose with the new Nissan 370 Z (5.3 seconds) and the latest BMW Z4 35i (5.2 seconds).

As is the norm these days, the new WRX costs about R18,000 more than the hatch it replaces (and that's without the optional extra exhaust!), but it brags with a bigger turbo-charger and testosterone power which has increased to 195kW and 343NM.

I recently spent a wonderful week somewhere in the most southern parts of South Africa in a new WRX, hopefully avoiding uniforms and speed cameras, and had an absolute ball.

To me very few cars have the same wild, animal magnetism of a Subaru WRX and its even more outrageous STi and the latest WRX yet again rekindled my passion for these race track and rally-bred flyers.

Very noticeable in the new WRX is the power boost which now kicks in from about 3,600rpm and from there it is just one seamless blast as you flick through the gears.

2.5 Turbo engineclick to enlarge

I like the fact that it has a five-speed box instead of the more politically correct six-speed which the sandal-wearing tree-kissers claim reduces engine energy, uses less fuel and causes less emissions but which is totally impractical if you commute daily between Hout Bay and Sea Point.

Like most Subaru shifts, the cog-swopping process in the latest WRX is not the slickest or the most precise, but once you get the hang of its rubbery feel it's easy to live with.

To match the turbo-charged grunt of the 2.5-litre DOHC Boxer engine squeezed into the tight space below the big bonnet scoop, the suspension has been tightened and improved with a few additions from the parts bin of the ST.

Subaru claims to have sharpened the steering and to have toned it so that it feels better, particular on uneven surfaces. To me it felt a little too light, almost too sensitive, particularly in bouncy bends.

And of course there is always the constant niggle at the back of your head that this beast comes sans electronic protection in any manner of traction control.

OK, so it does have its renowned Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system which is quite phenomenal, but if you are a little too enthusiastic with the pleasure pedal it is not too difficult to get the WRX to wiggle its bum.

And that is the time when you can run out of experience very quickly, so heed the message - this is a spirited machine. It loves to play hard, but you have to be wide awake because whip it too hard and it will bite you, one way or the other.

But show it some respect and you have a drive that will push your heart rate up every time you turn the ignition key and listen to that awesome vroom...

Subaru has jazzed up the cabin quite nicely with flashy red WRX logos on the high-backed bucket seats, drilled metal pedals, a scattering of shiny metal and big dials (with pointers that still swing all the way into the red and back into the black each time you turn on the ignition), sporty steering wheel with audio and cruise control adjustments and now also, for the first time, a sunroof and an optional extra satnav system.

Electric mirrors and windows, aircon (although not the best around) and a touch-screen sound system add a little extra class to the living quarters.

It is a comfortable mid-sized sedan that accommodates four adults with ease and the ride is smooth and comfortable if you are jollying along sedately.

The boot is big enough for the weekly shopping or a couple of cases of wine and even a golf bag.

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In spite of its naughty character the WRX is actually an easy, pleasant car to drive and I bet the pikkies will be the envy of their friends if they rock up at school in the WRX with mummy at the wheel!

Of course the WRX is not perfect. No car is. The doors sound tinny when you close them. On rougher surfaces the ride can be fairly hard. The looks are a little over the top, even in its new slicked back form. It's expensive at R349,000 and if you drive it the way it begs to be driven it is a thirsty beast (in the combined cycle I averaged R13.40 litres per 100km).

But you know what, it's got soul. It's alive and exciting and even a short haul down to the shop for fags and the newspapers is enough to put a silly grin on your mug - and there aren't many cars around that can do that these days...