He and co-driver John Kennard are hoping that running this latest specification version will give them the edge on the tough Portuguese roads as they begin their second Super 2000 World Rally Championship (SWRC) event today.
"It's great to have the upgraded engine for Portugal," Paddon said. "Combined with the developments we will make during testing, we hope to have a very fast car." Paddon (24), who moved from Geraldine to Spain earlier this year, said preparations for Rally Portugal were going well after two reconnaissance days.
"While two-thirds of the route is the same as last year, Friday's new stages certainly serve up a challenge. They are more technical and quite rough in places with a lot of large rocks littering the road."
In 2011, in a new Subaru Impreza, Paddon and Kennard won the Production World Rally Championship (PWRC) category in Portugal with the largest winning margin (7min 9.3sec) in PWRC history, then went on to win the overall championship title.
Paddon has had some solid driving time after recently winning and coming second in two Italian rallies.
Although he was piloting a Group N Mitsubishi and not his SWRC car, having Italian co-driver Fabrizia Pons on board for the first event was a "fantastic" bonus, Paddon said.
"Fabrizia obviously has a wealth of experience and was able to give me some pointers on improvements I could make to our pace notes system. Some of these suggestions we then put into practice the next rally with John."
Paddon was looking forward to returning to his favoured gravel surface, after making his SWRC debut on Sweden's snow and ice, where he placed fourth in the category.
"This year is not only about winning the championship, it's also about showcasing our speed, which we did not do in Sweden," he said.
After the rally, Paddon will return to prepare for Rally New Zealand in June.
