Is there a more bewildering car than the Subaru Impreza WRX and WRX STI of 2000 to 2007?
Not only are there three versions (two facelifts and a larger-engined model known as, according to their headlight design, bug-eye, blob-eye and hawk-eye), but there are also saloon, estate and wide-track bodies, not to mention Prodrive Performance Pack (PPP) variants and countless custom-tuned examples whose claimed power outputs inevitably tumble in the face of a rolling road. Add official special editions and it’s clear you need to know your Imprezas before you set foot on a seller’s forecourt.
However, perhaps overwhelmed by instructions not to drop the ball, the designers did just that when they gave the new car a pair of ugly headlights. Immediately, it became known by enthusiasts as the bug-eye. A couple of years later, they gave the Impreza a fresh set of peepers, only to have the car renamed the blob-eye. At least engine power rose to 222bhp. More important, the WRX STI was rolled out. It produced 261bhp and had a strengthened six-speed gearbox in place of the WRX’s five-speeder. Experts reckon this engine is the best. The STI also got quicker steering and a limited-slip front diff.
In 2005, Subaru hoped to turn the page on bug-eye and blob-eye with a third, heavily revised version that became known, more flatteringly, as the hawk-eye. Out went the venerable 2.0-litre turbo boxer to be replaced by a much modified but, some insist, more fragile, 2.5-litre unit. WRXs produced 226bhp and STIs 276bhp.
The hawk-eye also had a wider track, which is why it’s also known as, in the way Impreza owners like to call a spade a spade, the wide track.
Just to confuse you, the last of the blob-eye cars were known as STI 9s. Some reckon they’re the best of the best since they use the hawk- eye’s running gear and later cars’ switchable Driver Control Centre Differential (DCCD) – which allows the driver to send 65% of the power to the rear wheels – yet retain the 2.0-litre STI engine.
Those are the standard cars but there’s a welter of special editions, too, chief among them the RB320 and GB270. With prices starting at £3000 for bug and blob-eye WRXs with full service history, perhaps now’s the time to get an Impreza in your life.
How to get one in your garage:
An expert’s view - LEN CARLYON, SUBARU4YOU: “I run a 1994 model putting out 480bhp and love it. The Impreza isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and the 2000-2007 generation had its styling issues. However, it’s light, nimble and nippy. It’s tough and reliable, too, if you look after it. Pound for pound, there’s little to beat an Impreza, but if you’re looking at one tuned beyond, say, 350bhp, check the mechanicals have been upgraded to match. Whichever model you go for, there’s a huge community to support you.”
