Spy shots of the Subaru Impreza STI

Subaru’s upcoming Impreza STI has been spotted undergoing testing at the Nurburgring ahead of its official launch, tipped to be in April of next year. As revealed during the launch of the new Impreza WRC Concept at last week’s Frankfurt Motor Show, engineers are promoting the hatchback variant of the Impreza as the lineup’s new hero because of its advantage over the sedan when cornering. The car’s five-door body is said to positively affect the vehicle’s ability to spin its tail during cornering, improving track times.

Though it’s hard to spot the new car’s lines under the heavy camo gear, we can clearly see the pumped fenders, rear mounted spoiler and quad exhaust pipes. Power is expected to come from a revised version of the current 2.5L boxer engine, with the final output figure likely to be around the 300hp (225kW) mark. Some markets will receive a smaller 2.0L version with the same power figure but lower torque.

Subaru will have to pull something out of the hat to top its arch rival, Mitsubishi’s Evo Lancer and its new dual-clutch transmission. We’ll have to wait until the car’s official reveal to find out, but, in the meantime, head over to our friends at AutoGespot to see more images of the new STI.