Subaru Impreza 22B STI (1998): a rally-inspired icon

I’ve always been a Subaru fanboy since the Impreza v Evo wars of the ’90s and noughties, so I suppose it’s inevitable that the sight of Sonic Blue Mica paint and gold BBS wheels triggers a powerful Pavlovian response. If you’re into your Imprezas, it truly is the Holy Grail.

There’s nothing intimidating about the 22B. Just swing open the light, frameless door, drop into the yielding cloth-covered seat and drive it. Probably as if you’ve just stolen it. Same as it ever was.

Some Imprezas had greatness thrust upon them, but the 22B was conceived with greatness in mind. Based on the two-door Impreza STI Version IV Type R, the special wide-bodied, limited-edition 22B went on sale in Japan in early 1998. All 399 cars sold within just a few days, or just half an hour depending on which fevered account you believe.

> Audi Sport Quattro v Subaru Impreza 22B v Toyota GR Yaris

A run of 16 Type-UKs (featuring taller gearing) were subsequently built, plus five for the Australian market and a trio of #000 development cars sold to Prodrive rally heroes Colin McRae, Nicky Grist and David Lapworth. McRae’s car recently sold for £480k, but even an average (if there is such a thing) 22B with less stellar provenance will now set you back £250k, with perfect low-mileage cars well into the 300s.

The 80mm wider bodywork is the defining feature but the 22B is packed with hardware upgrades. The 2.2-litre EJ22 engine mated increased swept volume with forged pistons, while a short-geared transmission from the RA models was matched with beefed-up driveshafts and prop. Official power figures stated the 22B developed 276bhp (280PS), as per the Japanese restrictions of the day, but it almost certainly produced more. Some suggest the number was as high as 350bhp, but somewhere around 300 is more realistic. Torque was a stated 268lb ft and spread across a wider range of revs than the regular 2-litre. It goes like stink.

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Other highlights include the first street car application of Bilstein’s ‘upside down’ dampers and Eibach springs, while the Super Quick Steering had a more direct 13:1 ratio than regular Imprezas. Fat 8.5-inch wide, 17-inch diameter BBS Elektra wheels wore 235/40 tyres and filled the blistered arches to chunky perfection.

Despite the passage of considerable time, the 22B’s essential appeal remains intact. It’s a humble thing inside with lots of plastic, but the view out is still evocative thanks to the large windscreen, shallow dashboard and hungry bonnet scoop. Glance in the door mirrors and you’ll see the sun glinting off the tops of the broad wheelarches, while the rear wing still makes it hard to see whether you’re being followed by friend or foe.

Twist the ignition key and the familiar starter motor churn is a nostalgic preamble for the four-cylinder boxer engine’s throbby dugga-dugga-dugga idle. Snick the gearlever into first, feed out the light clutch and the 22B pulls away with a slight jerk. You’re almost immediately into second, then third and fourth, the shortness of the tightly stacked ratios bringing exaggerated urgency to proceedings whether you like it or not. Things calm a little once you’ve completed the slightly snaggy upshift to fifth, the rangier top gear allowing you to squeeze into the generous reserves of torque.

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In many ways the 22B was born for roads like this. Agile and composed, with quick wits and faithful responses, it works with the terrain more freely than modern equivalents, but never lets the surface get the upper hand. The steering is light and a fraction slower than you might expect, but there’s decent feel and a wonderful sense of elastic, malleable grip.

You quickly submit to the 22B’s energy and excitability. It has a playful, puppy-like eagerness that is impossible to resist. Bumps and crests only add to the fun, so rather than wincing and backing off, you take them on with a wicked grin, safe in the knowledge that the Impreza’s modest mass (1270kg) and inherent poise will make short work of rough-and-tumble topography.

The brakes have lovely feel and encouraging response, but sustained use will have the pedal go fractionally soft. They never wilt, but it’s the one area of the 22B that betrays its age and saloon car origins. Especially in a world of carbon-braked supercars like the GT‑R and LFA.

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Corners can be taken in a variety of ways. Keep things settled and rely purely on the front end and the 22B cuts to the apex, dropping its outside shoulder in the form of moderate body roll and transitioning from a neutral to mild understeer stance as you power towards the exit. Attack with more verve and you can bring more weight transfer into play, a lift of the throttle as you turn in giving the nose more bite and provoking the tail into a small slide. Catch the swell of boost just right, steel yourself to keep your foot in and the 22B adopts a more hunkered attitude, inside-front wheel unloaded, outside rear pushed into the wheelarch. It’s one of the great driving sensations, and one the ultimate Impreza delivers more reliably than most.

The thought only really came to me once my time in the 22B was done, but the great joy of this car is that its abilities and appeal are timeless. The experience remains intact today and lives up to past experiences because time and the march of technological advances cannot erode the things that make it great. Lightness and compactness will always yield dividends. That engine will always have the same unique warmth of character and generosity of delivery. The gearbox will always snick between ratios with the same satisfyingly toothy engagement.

Above all, point a 22B down a great piece of road and it will always be pure, unadulterated, infectious, unpretentious, indomitable fun. Not for fleeting moments of wild acceleration or face-distorting cornering g, but sustained periods on real roads in all weathers. That it also happens to be a product of the greatest era in modern rallying and is associated with true driving heroes only makes it greater.

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Subaru Impreza 22B STI specs

Many thanks to Richard Groves. This story was first featured in evo issue 327.