Meet the all new Subaru WRX STI [Gallery]

Hooligan racers of the world rejoice: your favourite car is ready for a new outing. Yup, Subaru’s just unveiled a new version of the WRX STI.

Making its debut at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), currently underway in Detroit, the new WRX STI isn’t exactly what you’d call a radical departure from its predecessor.

Instead, Subaru’s talking up the elements that have always mattered most to it: performance, performance and, um, performance. The Japanese manufacturer says it tested the new version of the car under various driving conditions in several countries, including the now mandatory spin around the Nürburgring.

Even an apparently cosmetic change, such as the “nose-cone” configuration, which combines the grille and bumper cap into one unit ahead of the hood, is meant to aid performance. The only real, pure design tweak appears to be narrower headlights, apparently meant to “evoke a raptor’s stare”.

Inside, things are a tiny bit roomier and the new steering wheel integrates switches for audio and Bluetooth control. The “electroluminescent gauge panel” meanwhile gets a new 3.5-inch central LCD screen that displays various functions, including low-level warnings for oil and windshield washer fluid and the selected gear.

Additionally, the 4.3-inch central LCD screen provides a multitude of vehicle system functions, including a standard rear camera display, a boost gauge display, audio (on non-navigation models), Bluetooth and climate control settings, and a VDC screen showing traction control operation.