I'm really interested in one of these as I've nevr been a fan of Gold Wheels and big Spoilers.
The only now that might put me off one of these less lary STI's would be if they haven't done anything with the ride. Does anyone know if Subaru are going to soften it a bit for this version, and make it bit less tiresome to drive than the regular STI?

 

Surely you're actually after a WRX (maybe with PPP)?

 

I doubt whether they will alter the handling of the car. After all the objective of this model is to make it discreet hence Type D for discreet. Like ru says if you want softer go for a WRX PPP.

 

You're both probably right, I guess I want the best of both worlds, the grunt of an STI (with PPP because I'm greedy), and the ride of my current WRX, mainly because of the amount of miles I do.

 

Have you considered a high performance diesel like a BMW 330d? Won't exactly set the pulse racing from a standing start but will give decent grunt mid range. The plus side is 40+ mpg and a decent ride. Don't get me wrong I personally would not buy one as I love my STI too much but if you don't have a cheap to run second car to call upon for those long distances it could very well be an option.