Subaru World Rally Team driver, Mikko Hirvonen has said that to drive a rally car well, "the car needs to become a part of you". Experienced drivers such as Mikko and Petter Solberg are able to 'feel' the handling of a car and instinctively know when to change gear, turn, brake and accelerate.

But, it's not all about intuition in the Subaru Impreza WRC. Not only does the driver feel how the car is handling through his driving, but the car can also tell the driver what's going on via a computer screen located above the steering wheel where the speedometer would usually be. This screen provides important facts about how all of the car's systems are running and replaces all the dials and gauges found in a normal car.

Of the seven different pages of data that can be displayed, the driver uses just two during an event - one for the stages and one for the road sections. There are two switches to control the unit, one to scroll through the pages and another to adjust the brightness.

Sitting on the stage start line, Petter and Mikko will switch to the stage screen which, including ten pieces of information, will enable them to instantly check speed, gear, rpm, battery voltage, throttle-pedal position, exhaust temperature and differential settings with one easy glance. Bright red lights are included at the bottom of the screen which light up each time the revs get too high to prompt the driver to change gear.

After the stage is complete, drivers flick back to the road section screen, which includes all the other data as well as a bigger speedometer, fuel level indicator and a boost pressure gauge. While the speedometer enables drivers to check their speed on road sections, the boost pressure gauge enables the driver to check that the car is running at the right pressure at the right rpm. On such a technical machine as the Subaru Impreza WRC2004 monitoring the systems is vital to ensure optimum performance. A good example? Well before switching off the engine, drivers let the engine run for a short time and keep an eye on the exhaust gas temperature, as if the unit is switched off when it's too hot, the turbo can be damaged.

Another screen the drivers use is the differential settings page. Showing how the three differentials (front, rear and centre) have been set up, the screen enables the driver to see what each is doing, in real time, as the car is actually being driven. Armed with this information, drivers are able to suggest changes to alter the handling characteristics.

The final four screens are used predominantly by the team's engineers. Especially important during service stops on WRC events, the screens display detailed data on all vital areas, such as the transmission system, engine, brakes and differentials. By monitoring and understanding what's going on inside the car, engineers are able to fine tune its performance, as well as pick up any problems before they turn serious. Other information that engineers take from the screens concerns the temperature of the cockpit, exterior, the exhaust, catalytic converter, power-steering system and gearbox. They can also monitor the rates of acceleration and lateral movement, or yaw.

Not to be left out, the co-driver also has an individual screen, which gives information important to his role. The biggest feature is the stopwatch, kilometre trip meter, and the fuel gauge.

It's a little more advanced than the dashboard units in your average road car.