It didn't take long for the Impreza to feel its old self again, though. It may be no RS6 in a straight line but on anything other than wide motorways the performance gap is considerably narrower. Short gearing keeps the turbo on the boil and when it comes to attacking a really testing stretch of British blacktop there aren't many better places to be than in the snug driver's seat of an STi.

Over the past month my admiration for the Impreza has really grown. I'd thought it a bit of a dynamic mixed bag at first - choppy ride, too much understeer, lacking in fluidity - but somehow we've gelled in the last couple of thousand miles.

Maybe I've learned to drive around some of its foibles but now after a spirited drive I'm always grinning like an idiot, whereas before I'd be a little disappointed. As long as you judge turn-in speed correctly the STi really is great fun and very, very fast. Oh God. I'm starting to sound like a stereotypical Impreza driver! Are you still listening? You're not leaving already are you...