The WRX RS is powered by a 2.4-litre, horizontally opposed four-cylinder, turbo-intercooled petrol engine developing 202kW/350Nm. The all-alloy unit features direct-injection and dual variable valve timing, its relatively flat design lowering the car’s centre of gravity significantly.

Subaru doesn’t quote a 0-100km/h figure for the WRX but expect it to come up in the high five-second bracket. Maximum speed is 250km/h.

Aside from the standard performance and safety tech, at a minimum the WRX features dual-zone climate control air, adaptive cruise control, 18-inch alloy wheels, sports front seats, auto dusk-sensing LED headlights, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, six-speaker audio, auto rain-sensing wipers, an 11.6-inch multimedia touchscreen and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

The WRX’s cabin treatment is a fairly busy mix of sharpish angles and shallow curves, the dash dominated by an 11.6-inch, portrait-oriented multimedia screen with a separate instrument pod for the driver next to it. The colour palette is mid-grey to black, sports front seats look and feel good and the overall standard of fit and finish is high.

The Subaru WRX is a five-seater with ample room in the front and in the back there’s good foot room, ample legroom but sitting straight, taller people will likely experience a head-to-roof interface in terms of headroom.

Theoretical range for the WRX manual sedan is around 635km and roughly 740km for the CVT auto sedan and Sportswagon.