Subaru Technica International's Forester may not muster the sheer bravado and muscle of the Cayenne, but across country it's a fair bet it wouldn't come up too far short. It is, after all, much smaller and lighter than the Porsche leviathan. Inheriting parts and DNA from the Impreza WRX STi doesn't harm its cause either.

Under the bonnet is a 2.5-litre flat-four turbo as used in US-spec Impreza STis. However, bearing in mind the Forester's higher centre of gravity, Subaru has decided to detune the engine from 300bhp to a slightly more restrained 261bhp. Even so, you're still getting plenty of STi tricks, including the customary red manifolds, and strengthened block and pistons. There's also Subaru's AVCS variable valve timing and the Impreza STi's brilliant close-ratio six-speed gearbox.
Not that Subaru started quite from scratch in penning this quick blue 4wd brick. In Japan, Subaru produces the Cross Sports with lower suspension as a go-faster alternative to the standard Forester. The Cross Sports sits more than an inch lower and gets a different grille and the new STi picks up and runs with all that.

Ready for action, you have to say the Forester looks pretty cool in its STi warpaint, with those unique alloys also playing their part. Bridgestone Potenzas help keep the STi anchored to terra firma. And straightaway the STi feels a serious performance item. The high-backed STi sports seat grips you strongly and the drilled pedals and wheel indicate the car means business. Up ahead there's the big, traditional bonnet hump. Alongside, the equally traditional frameless windows.

Twist the key and the EJ25 engine wurrs into life. The clutch is short and firm while the STi 'box is an absolute master for tight, short-travel precision as it clicks into gear. So good in fact, it often has you flicking through the gate just for the sheer hell of it. It also feels a quality piece, built to last.
As does the Forester STi's engine, which delivers the same kind of rasping, easy-revving feel as in the Impreza. But if you're thinking think that at 2.5 litres here must be the ultimate Subaru turbo of its kind, it ain't quite so. Honours for that go to the formidable 2-litre twin-scroll turbo unit in the latest Impreza WRX STi.

While that's tuned for outright power, the Forester is more about torque.
Fear not though, as it's still genuinely quick, especially in the heart of the powerband between 3000 and 5000rpm. The clue here is a torque figure of 279lb ft peaking at just 3600rpm and max power arriving at 5600rpm, so in reality you find you don't have to push much beyond five grand to be really cracking on.

How fast? Subaru Japan doesn't do performance numbers but it would be a surprise if we're not talking a sub-7sec 0-60mph sprint and 130mph-plus. Rapid, in other words. And as you'd expect from its STi transformation, the Forester has a chassis to match.

This part of the equation includes strengthened front and rear cross members, STi struts and Sure Trac LSDs front and rear, but what really comes over is how the Forester feels so strong and together, truly all-of-a-piece. STi hasn't gone down the hard and rumbly route on chassis set-up, which is noticeably firmer than the cooking XT but still supple enough to serve up a respectable ride.

But, sitting lower and with stronger grip, the STi feels really well planted and even more car-like, turning in smartly and with little discernable roll or understeer in fast corners to spoil your enjoyment.

The Forester comes with STi's Quick Steering (2.6 turns lock-to-lock) which initially comes over as a touch light and artificial-feeling, though it proves very consistent and accurate once you get used to it. The Brembo stoppers, however, are just sensational: perfect for weighting, power and fade- resistance. In the big picture, it's these superlative brakes, together with the charging performance and transmission, that really put the STi on the map.

Not destined for anywhere but Japan, officially at any rate, the Forester STi costs a shade under 3 million (a ridiculously good value ΂£14,784) and sets a new benchmark for the 'soft- roader' brigade. Not that there's much that's soft about the Forester STi; a high speed holdall that's practical, characterful and a rollocking good steer.