2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI

With our long-term fleet, we try to maintain a diverse lineup, one composed of a few sedans, a sports car or two, a handful of sport/utilities, maybe a wagon, and at least one truck and one minivan. Oh, and lest we forget, we also like to have an all-wheel-drive turbocharged pocket-rocket on hand that can dash in and out of L.A. traffic, zip a crew up to the mountaintops for a camping excursion or ski trip, yet still be easy to maneuver through a crowded Hollywood parking lot and trendy enough to impress the plethora of snooty Angelinos. Enter the Subaru Impreza WRX STI, a car that fits the bill and then some.

Unlike America's first-generation STI, a big-winged, gaping-hood-scooped sedan, this all-new second-gen comes only as a four-door hatchback, fitted with a modest rear spoiler and a mail-slot hood inlet. Sure, the fenders still bulge and the brakes still say Brembo, but overall the look is subtler, more refined, and less boy-racer. Our long-termer started life as a standard $35,640 STI, but a trio of options quickly bumped the ticket to over 40 large. The most costly extra, a $3800 navigation/BBS wheels package, included an in-dash nav system and forged 18-inch alloys, while a $768 Audio Package 2 (subwoofer, amplifier, Sirius Satellite Radio) and a $404 Popular Equipment Group 3b package (auto-dimming mirror with compass and Homelink security system) made our Subie more safe and sound, so to speak.

At the track, the 305-horsepower STI shot from 0-to-60 mph in only 4.8 seconds and through the quarter mile in just 13.5 seconds at 100.6 mph, significantly quicker than our long-term WRX sedan, which posted 5.6 and 14.4 at 93.2, respectively. The STI put up superior braking and lateral-acceleration numbers, as well-109 feet from 60 to 0 (versus 134) and 0.90 g on the skidpad (versus 0.79). Yet, even with that Porschelike performance, the STI managed to deliver 20.9 mpg over its first 2600 miles.

Referring to our long-term $29,258 WRX sedan, Truck Trend editor Mark Williams says, "This Subaru is my favorite long-term car." Will he and the rest of our staff love the speedier STI more? Will we find it to be as reliable and frugal as its mellower sibling? Will we deem it worthy of its steep $11,354 premium? These are all questions we plan to answer over the STI's year-long tenure.