Subaru Impreza Cosworth – Cosworth Impreza STI CS400 – announced

This is as much as you're going to see of the Cosworth Impreza for now

You always know that when a production car gets the Cosworth moniker added you should be able to count on a more than useful increase in performance. Just look what the Cosworth Sierras and Escorts could do in comparison to their more prosaic siblings, and you have an idea of what Cosworth should be able to do with an Impreza.

But the Impreza already has some more than fettled performance versions you can stroll in to your Subaru dealers and walk away with, so just what will a Cossie Scooby offer that the Impreza doesn’t already deliver? According to Subaru the Cosworth Impreza offers “…Supercar humbling pace” and will give “…performance-car fans the thrill of a lifetime“. Big claims, but they look pretty credible.

The Cosworth Impreza’s 2.5 litre flat-four delivers 395bhp (400PS) at 5,750rpm which translates in to a 0-6-mph of 3.5 seconds (0-62 3.7 seconds). To put that in to perspective the none too sluggish Impreza WRX STI gets 295bhp (300PS) and takes 5.2 seconds to get to 62 mph.

These performance figures turn the Scooby in to “…one of the most accelerative all-wheel-drive hatchbacks ever” so – rather sensibly – when the Imprezas get delivered to Cosworth in Northamptonshire to get the Cosworth power boost they will also be fitted with a set of 6-pot callipers with 355mm discs all round, which have been developed in partnership with AP Racing.

The Cosworth Impreza STI CS400 will be on sale in June and Subaru are promising that a wide range  of upgrades have also been made to the suspension and exhaust and to the styling. But they’re keeping that under their hats until a bit neeraer the time. What we do know is that there will be just 75 Scooby Cossies built, so if you want you probably need to get a shimmy on. How much? Subaru aren’t saying, but we’d guess around £40-45k.

Which isn’t cheap. But at just £5-10k more than the Focus RS500 it does give a lot more bang for not a lot more buck.

By Cars UK