In non-WRX form it is a despicably hideous beast but this is the STi and it looks cooking. Ok so it's no longer a super saloon but a hyper five-door hatch, which means Subaru has jumped straight into the ring with VW (Golf), Audi (S3) and Ford (ST) and many others.

Saying that, Subaru claims the body style with short overhang excels in creating down force and aerodynamics. Is it us or does the rear look suspiciously like a BMW 1-series?

STi hallmarks like the flared and vented front wings, wider rear arches, tailgate spoiler, gaping bonnet nostril and M-Sport style quad shotgun tailpipes. Those swollen arches compensate for the wider track (up by 40mm at the front, 45mm rear) and stop those average looking 18-inch alloys from sticking out.

Thankfully BBS rims will be on the options list. There are seven STI colors to choose from, which make or break this opinion-dividing body style. Go for metallic Grey – it oozes menace.

There's still a thirsty boxer under the lid and it's mounted 22mm lower for better road holding. The Tokyo display cars were Japanese domestic market models, featuring 2.0-liter (1994cc) 16v boxers with a twin scroll turbo and Dual AVCS (Dual Active Valve Control System). The result?Over 300bhp.
According to Scooby UK however, the Brit spec STi cars will arrive with a 2.5-liter boxer that develops more torque lower down but – sadly – slightly less power. Just under 300bhp for us. Mind you, it should sound awesome through quad pipes and be more manic with a conventional turbo.

Subaru has put a lot of thought into its materials and it shows. A swoop dash with (in the STi's case) Alcantara and leather clothed Recaros, STi branding, LED door step lights and a DCCD torque indicator. Result? The most handsome Subaru cockpit to date.

Driver's Control Centre Differential. It's far too complicated to explain in a few words, but basically it lets the driver choose automated or full manual modes for the central differential in the legendary AWD system, depending on the terrain and your bravery. It's one of the gadgets that justifies Subaru's marketing message with the new Impreza - it's coined the phrase Subaglue to advertise the Scooby's sticky roadhandling.

The STi also has a front LSD which offers three enjoyment modes, and you can knock off traction control, or VDC as it's known. The tight-gated throw in the six-cog transmission confirms that this will be an uber-focused driving machine.

Also read our previous scoops about Impreza: Subaru Impreza STI and Subaru Impreza STI Finally Unveiled.

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Another week, another Subaru Impreza STi story... But wake up at the back, because this one is official. And there aren't any big surprises in store - the barmiest new Impreza is just as we predicted in our scoop.

The European-spec hatch-only STi uses the same turbocharged 2.5 flat four that powered today's WRX; Japanese officials haven't confirmed the power output yet, but bank on comfortably over 300bhp, probably nearer 320bhp by the time the car arrives in the UK next year. In Japan, the STi gets a 2.0-litre flat four.

How to spot the five-door Impreza STi? It'll be hard to miss the wide-hipped wheelarches, 18-inch alloy wheels, deep spoiler and gaping bonnet air scoop, four-pot exhaust and a subtle (for Subaru) roof spoiler.

Subaru's racing division is very excited by the new STi - the new hatch bodystyle and squarer stance are said to improve the dynamics and handling. As will the new thumbwheel-operated DCCD, or Driver Controlled Centre Differential, which lets you redistribute the torque split between front and rear axles.

The STi will be shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in late October 2007; UK sales will kick off in March 2008, with a price tag tipped to hit £27,000.

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Now that’s a proper hot hatch. This is Subaru’s Impreza STi and unlike your Golf GTI or Renault Megane R26 hatchback rivals, this is four-wheel drive. And it’ll knock the Audi S3 into touch as well; where the Audi musters 261bhp, the new Scooby has close to 300bhp.

We caught the Impreza STi almost undisguised at the Nurburgring. It’ll be officially unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show next month but it won’t go on sale in the UK until March 2008. We’ve snapped the car before but these are the clearest shots yet.

Looks aggressive above and beyond the regular Impreza the STi has massively flared and squared wheelarches. There are also big alloys but thankfully Subaru seems to have foregone oversized rims.
When we drove the regular Impreza we gave it four stars and said it had a ‘unique range of attributes ideally suited to UK back lanes’. It should do, with its conventional six-speed manual, wide track, and technical innovations to the four-wheel drive system.

• Are those quad exhausts I spy?

They are. Subaru showed a WRC Concept at Frankfurt earlier this month that was claimed to be 90 percent true to the production STi.

So remove the decals from that car, give it production wing mirrors and rear spoiler, add a few more exhausts and that’s what you have in our pictures. And check out the rear lights - now with ultra-cool LEDs.

• So what’ll it do mister?

Is 0-60 in 4.5 seconds quick enough for you? Running a 2.5-liter flat four engine, and with a turbocharger to help things along, the STi will have close to 300bhp.
Add in four-wheel drive and a driver-controlled centre differential and grip should be second to none. It’ll also keep accelerating all the way to 160mph, speeds it was well on the way to attaining during this Nurburgring training run.

• How much will I have to pay for the Impreza STi?

Around £27,000. We know that’s steep but the new Mitsubishi Evo X won’t be cheap either.

And one other detail: check out the air extraction vents in the sides of the front bumper.

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