Even back when the whole world didn't have Twitter, and therefore was less easily irritated, the Subaru Impreza hatchback received a frosty reception. Not only had its arch nemesis from Mitsubishi kept the saloon layout (and looked quite good on it), the hatch version followed the 'Hawkeye' Impreza; to many the sharpest-styled Subaru there was. A low bar, sure. But still.
In 2007 the hatch was gawky and a bit weird. And while nobody ever bought these cars to admire them from afar, the five-door seemed to many like a backward step. That the WRX and STI hatches weren't rated as all that extraordinary to drive - just as the front-drive hot hatch segment was really enjoying a renaissance - only toughened its task.
There were attempts made fairly soon after launch to appease the enthusiasts, with both WRX S and 330S clawing back some ground in terms of driver appeal. But neither really hit the spot. It was time, then, to call in the big guns...
The CS400 was Cosworth's first road car project since the Escort, and no avenue was left unexplored in its pursuit of a great Impreza hatchback. The chassis was overhauled, with new Eibach springs and Bilstein dampers, as well as uprated bushes, lighter wheels and bigger brakes. While improving chassis precision notably, the Cosworth tweaks - inadvertently or otherwise - subtly improved the Impreza's look, the lower ride and snazzier wheels right up in the arches helping just a bit.
Cosworth's big work, though, was where you might expect. The Impreza's 2.5-litre boxer was totally reworked, with new con-rods, bearings, pistons and gaskets; the turbo was larger, the intake system greedier and the exhaust freer. The claim was for 400hp, and consequently the ability to hit 62mph in less than four seconds and the quarter mile in less than 13. Which remains pretty damn quick.
Bring all that expertise and upgrading together, and the end result was... well, it depends who you ask. Impreza CS400 review were mixed; one described it as "fast, fluent and thoroughly impressive; the best fast Impreza for a decade", while another suggested that "the promise of the Scooby Cossie is miles from the reality." So it's hard to be definitive. These damn journalists...
Something everyone did agree on, however, was the CS400's price: at £50,000, it was just too expensive, dangerously close to Nissan GT-R territory back then and twice the price of a Focus RS. Having dropped to £35,000 three years after launch (when we last wrote about a Cosworth), they're now available for... £35,000. Which is perhaps a little unexpected.
The rarity helps, of course, Cosworth only ever making 75 and howmanyleft suggesting that no more than 62 have ever been taxed in the UK - the latest figures putting the number at 38. Bear in mind that it has 236 Impreza P1s recorded by the same measure and it's clear just how rare the CS400 is. Whether that makes a 25,000-mile car worth as much a new Civic Type R or similar - especially given that a few Japanese Domestic Market, Spec C Impreza hatches are also available - will be down to personal taste. It does at least seem like a reasonably safe place for your money, if that's important.
Finally, as with so many vehicles of a similar ilk, let's be glad it exists at all. It represents a lot of effort and expense undertaken for a car which, let's be honest, was always going to struggle for enthusiast approval. It was a fast Subaru that lacked a boot and a spoiler on it, so to many of them it might as well have been decaf Diet Coke - there was no point. But as the mega hatch segment has evolved over the past decade, so the CS400 begins to look ever more prescient, as well as a reminder of when the tuners ran riot on silly Subarus. Sometimes 2010 seems an awful lot longer than 10 years ago...
SPECIFICATION - SUBARU IMPREZA CS400
Engine: 2,457cc, flat-four turbo
Transmission: 6-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 400@5,750rpm
Torque (lb ft): 400@3,950rpm
MPG: 26.9 (standard STI hatchback)
CO2: 243g/km (standard STI hatchback)
First registered: 2012
Recorded mileage: 25,222
Price new: £49,995
Yours for: £35,450
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