Suitability Parameters:
Speed Merchants: Yes
Fashion Victims: No
Treehuggers: No
Mack Daddies: No
Tuner Crowd: Yes
Hairdressers: No
Penny Pinchers: No
Euro Snobs: No
Working Stiffs: No
Technogeeks: Yes
Poseurs: No
Soccer Moms: No
Nascar Dads: No
Golfing Grandparents: No

Also Consider:
• Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
• BMW 135i
• Lotus Elise/Exige
• Volkswagen R32

Vitals:
• Manufacturer: Subaru
• Model tested: Impreza WRX STI
• Model year: 2008
• Base Price: $34,995
• Price as Tested: $39,440
• Engine type: 2.5 Liter DOHC Boxer Four
• Horsepower: 305 @ 6,000rpm
• Torque: 290lb/ft @ 4,000 RPM
• Red Line: 6,500 RPM
• Transmission: 6-speed manual
• Curb Weight: 3,395 lbs
• LxWxH: 173.8" x 70.7" x 58.1"
• Wheelbase: 103.3"
• Tires: 245/40 18
• Drive type: AWD
• 0 - 60 mph: 4.8 seconds
• 1/4-mile: 12.7 seconds
• Top speed: 155 MPH
• EPA Fuel economy city/highway: 17/23 MPG
• NHTSA crash test rating: N/A

Also see:

• 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Part One

• 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Part Two

Acceleration: ***
Below 4,000rpm, you've got nothing, above that it flies, but a 4.8 second 0-60 time is now unremarkable in this class. Whilst hooning, you're working the gearbox hard and never notice the turbo lag, everywhere else, you do. In sensible mode, it never becomes easy to pull away smoothly, making you hop and jerk like a 16-year old just learning how to use a clutch.

Braking: ****
Competent and confidence inspiring, if somewhat unremarkable. The relationship between gas and brake pedals makes for easy, intuitive heel and toeing.

Ride: ***
Abysmal, but nothing less than what you'd expect from a car of this caliber. On the plus side, the STI always feels in control, no matter how rough the road gets, just keep a firm hand on the steering wheel. It also has a reasonable ride height, which means you wont be grinding out the undercarriage on every driveway lip and speed bump.

Handling: ****
Ultimately extremely capable, but pushing it hard initially requires an unnatural level of trust as the chassis lacks that nth degree of feedback. The STI rewards a firm, experienced hand like few other cars while still providing plenty of thrills for the inexperienced, and it never feels like it's going to bite.

Gearbox: ***
Notchy, requiring a firm, accurate throw. The clutch is suprisingly light, which, if it weren't for the engine's lack of fervor at low rpms, would make for easy stop-start driving.

Audio: *****
It's not the radio that makes this car sound special, it's the engine. Since when did 4-cylinder turbo boxers sound this characterful and just plain special? The stereo with Aux input sounds pretty good too, but you won't want to turn it on, it covers up the engine noise.

Toys: ****
Right where you'd expect to find an iDrive knob or climate controls in a lesser vehicle, the Subaru features a knob to adjust the throttle response and a switch to adjust the degree to which the differential locks up. In fact, the only thing keeping the STI from a five star rating is the painful lack of a manual intercooler water spray button and Active Yaw Control. Oh, and if tweaking the throttle and differential settings ever gets old - trust us, it won't - the touch-screen sat/nav system works pretty well, too. There's an acceleration meter located somewhere in the depths of the touch-screen, but it's gimmicky and we prefer trusting the seat of our pants.

Value: ***
At $39,440 with BBS wheels and sat/nav, the STI isn't the performance bargain it once was. Still, this level of performance doesn't come any more practical. If you're prepared to put up with the harsh ride, road noise and turbo lag, you could get away with using it as an everyday car. A BMW 135i is similarly priced and more luxurious, but lacks both the space and pace. A Lotus Elise would provide a similar thrill level, but has only seats two and starts at $46k. Crucially, however, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution comes in about five grand less than the Subaru.

Overall: *****
More than the sum of its parts, the 2008 Impreza STI offers a truly special drive, all the more so for its numerous foibles. It's refreshing to find a vehicle this rewarding in such a compact, practical body. The controversial looks will keep it from mass-market acceptance, but don't be afraid to take the plunge, it'll flatter and reward both mediocre and experienced drivers by offering a package that's always safe and fast, but ultimately somewhat challenging to get the most from.

Also see:

• 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Part One

Palm Springs is kind of like Las Vegas without the seediness. A desert oasis that attracts people looking for golf and happy-ending-free massages rather than poker and hookers. It's still the kind of town where every fourth car costs more than your typical friendly, deprecating hotel staffer will earn in a lifetime of fluffing pillows and decanting fruity cocktails. Up here, on 74, where the views are beautiful and the driving better, the cars that the citizens of Palm Springs own are out in force, ferrying their over-the-hill occupants up and over the long way out of town.

But today, the STI and I don't have time for old men possessing Ferraris or driving their Porsches badly. Today, we've got ground to cover and the tools to make it happen. Quickly.

When I say I drove the STI backwards, what I mean is that pulling out of the hotel parking lot, I switched the throttle mapping into Sport Sharp, the differential to max, the traction control off and gunned it. By the time we reached the first hairpin, the STI and I had already found the rev-limiter and arrived at an agreement. I was going to drive it hard, and it was going to let me.

At about 4,000rpm, the turbo starts spooling up and the STI begins to make real power. Its mad rush forward is accompanied by a roar from the intakes in front of you and a scream from the four exhausts behind. But up here, with the throttle to the floor, there's not time to appreciate the 2.5L boxer's glorious howl. Hairpins arrive sooner than expected, demanding hard braking. The rev-limiter arrives faster—once the engine gets going, get ready to shift. Heel and toe, normally blunted by the decay caused by lack of practice, falls into place, of necessity.

Ten minutes in and the frustration I've felt driving slower cars through New York City or the cramped confines of the Catskills is completely gone. Reawakened are the reasons I do this, and the reasons I don't. Rounding a fast right-hander in third, then fourth gear, pushing all four wheels to hold the line, I pass an unexpected overlook on the left. Gathered are at least a dozen motorcycle cops, stopping for an afternoon coffee. Speed allows only a glance, but it's long enough to see heads turn in the kind of synchronicity usually reserved for Wimbledon. My mind's eye pictures sprayed coffee as well, but the rest of me is already at the next corner, struggling to hold the throttle steady to the apex. Speed is my friend, keeping me safe from whatever lies behind. Far behind.

Turn right off route 74, and 234 will take you through Idyllwild and back down to I-10, scarcely pausing for a straight along the way. You come out about 20 miles from Palm Springs, about an hour later. Making this either the slowest, or fastest trip I've ever taken.

Onto Los Angeles' main east-west thoroughfare and into plain old Sport mode, the differential adjusted for straight-line stability. The sat/nav reads 99 miles and nearly two hours to go. It takes me four.

Enraged by the six or so hours they spend in a car every day, LA's population doesn't much like being held up at much below 80 once the snarls and bottlenecks clear. Traffic flows fast out here, requiring a readjustment from the East Coast's overbearing slowness. Back home, driving something this red with this many bulges at anything near 80 mph would be unthinkable, a literal beacon for every state trooper lurking by the roadside. But, speed is still speed and red is still red, even in California. I take it relatively easy; my self-imposed speed limiter is set at 85.

That's not much slower than I was taking those hairpins on 74, but there I was focusing on the road. Here, stuck in traffic I'm focusing on the car. The wide, grippy tires snare every ripple and rut, pulling the car along with them. The suspension bounces and crashes along those same imperfections. Keeping the STI in a straight line requires a firm hand and quick reactions.

Apparent now too is the engine noise. On the highway it's an ever present grumbling, adding to the road noise emanating from all four tires.

Evaluated subjectively in this environment, the STI would fair poorly. The engine's too peaky for easy speed changes, the ride is just plain awful, and you can't hold a cup of coffee with one hand and steer with the other. A pot hole could send you off the road. But, I drove the car backwards, getting the opportunity to see it in its most favorable environment - the mountain road - first. Right here, on the highway, in traffic, the STI sucks, but overriding every bad input is the memory of the magic this car is capable of. Every jolt, every groan, every floored throttle with no acceleration just serves to remind me of what the STI can do when its in its element, and for that I love it.

Part Two will appear on Monday, stay tuned.

Photography: Grant Ray