Subaru Impreza 22B STI

So here's the deal with the 22B. Subaru built it in 1998 to flex their third straight WRC manufacturers' title and 40th anniversary. Only 424 units. Ever. 400 stayed in Japan, 16 went to the UK, 8 scattered elsewhere. And they all sold out in 48 hours. Yeah. The engine, a widened and stroked 2.2L EJ22 turbo flat-four, was officially rated at 276 hp because of Japan's Gentleman's Agreement. But honestly? Real output was over 320 hp, maybe more. Those bulging fender flares came straight from the WRC car, widening the body by 80 mm. Bilstein inverted struts, gold BBS wheels, driver-adjustable center diff, the whole package. In FH6, the 22B is B-class rally royalty. The AWD and that low boxer center of gravity make it absolutely filthy on dirt and gravel. And in WRC blue with gold wheels? One of the best-looking cars in the game, I don't care what anyone says.

The steering on the 22B? Honest. Not chatty. It tells you what you actually need to know, when the front tires are about to give up, without all the surface noise some RWD cars throw at you. On controller, the impulse triggers ramp up progressively. Light buzz means you're approaching the limit, full vibration means fix your understeer, right now. On a wheel, dial it to 540 degrees. The stock 900-degree setting makes turn-in feel lazy because the real car's steering ratio wasn't designed for FH6's arcade-ish physics. Once you get the rotation right tho, the car talks to you way better.

Look, this car needs a different line than RWD stuff. Your advantage with AWD is corner exit, not mid-corner. Take a later apex, sacrifice a meter on entry, straighten up the exit. That way you're on throttle earlier and harder, and that's where AWD turns grip into gap. On Lake District's long sweepers, slow in fast out is worth a consistent 0.3 per corner. No joke. RWD cars run the geometric line. You run the point-and-shoot line. Different tools, different techniques.

This thing eats curbs. Seriously. Where RWD cars skip sideways over rumble strips, the front axle pulls you straight and the rear just follows. On FH6's tighter circuits where the fast line uses a ton of curb, this is a legit advantage. The chassis handles single hits fine, one wheel up on a curb, three on pavement, no problem. But hit all four wheels at once? Different story. Avoid the stacked curbs on Urban Street's chicane. The car bucks sideways and the AWD can't save you before you're in the wall. Single-curb attacks only.

Don't be that guy who drops a V12 into a 22B on day one. Smart money goes into suspension, tires, and weight reduction first. Get the chassis sorted, then add power. Tires and weight reduction first, then pick your path: grip build or speed build. Budget about 167k CR for the baseline.

Momentum build, extreme weight reduction, all stages, lightweight wheels, carbon driveshaft, and just a little power, ECU and intake only. The idea? Shed mass, sharpen response, let the power-to-weight ratio carry you. You give up top speed but get razor-sharp direction changes and crazy late braking. PI lands around 738. Total roughly 200k CR. Absolutely slaps on tight circuits like Urban Street.

Top-speed hunter? Strip all aero, fit the tallest final drive, max the turbo, hit the highway. The AWD keeps things stable so you can hold full throttle through speed traps without the car trying to murder you.

Honestly, most AWD platforms get more out of bolt-ons on the stock engine than any swap. The factory motor is already matched perfectly to the drivetrain, spend your credits on chassis and aero instead. A fully maxed 22B, every upgrade, no budget limit, runs roughly 280k to 450k CR depending on swap choices and auction house luck.

Manual with clutch for drag builds, standard manual for circuits. The race automatic, tuned to hold gears in manual mode, is actually a solid third option tbh. Mess around and stuff, see what fits.

Stay on pavement. FH6 throws dirt connectors everywhere between roads, but with this car's off-road rating you'll lose more time cutting through dirt than you'd save. Trust me.

Rewind is your driving coach, fr. Nail a corner, rewind five seconds, try a different line. Grind it until it's muscle memory.

For speed zones, raise the ride height 2 clicks. Extra suspension travel soaks up bumps at speed without upsetting the chassis.

Turn off racing line assist once you know the track. The suggested line is a noob trap, it brakes too early and turns in too late compared to what the car can actually do.

The 22B is the holy grail. of Imprezas and FH6 treats it right. DCCD is now functional — you can actually adjust the center diff bias. The gravel physics are better too, making it the rally weapon it was always meant to be.