Road Test: Subaru Impreza 2.0 WRX STi 4dr

This is the end of an era. The 340R is the last fast Impreza we shall ever see in the UK: dwindling demand means Subaru UK won't import any more WRXs when its current stock runs out some time this spring.

Talk about going out with a bang. The 340R is an STI but more so, magnifying everything that we love and loathe about the hot Scooby saloon experience. A mere £28,594 buys you a splendid 335bhp - up 39bhp on the standard WRX STI, courtesy of a new exhaust system and ECU tweaks - and a 0-62mph time of under five seconds.

That's nearly 70 per cent more power than a Toyota GT86 (not to mention two more driven wheels) for just a couple of grand more. As is customary, all that glorious power arrives in a great spit of turbo silliness, firing you headily down muddy country lanes in a ball of grip-infused, boxer-engined, woolly-steering mania.

Flawed? Yes. Fun? Unquestionably. Wondering how Subaru can offer so much power for so little cash? Check the interior. The doors close with the tinny clang of a can of Aldi beans, the switchgear - though apparently indestructible - has been imported straight from the Nineties. It's easy to find fault with the STI, but the truth is, we'll never see anything like it in the UK again. Sayonara, you turbocharged loon. We're all going to miss you.