2022 Subaru WRX First Drive: Heritage just isn’t enough
When the affordable sports car market enjoys the awakening of its glory days, with classics who are revived (Integra, anyone?) And also a new sport-line name board in the price range of $ 30,000-ish appears every week, it makes everything more challenging. Manufacturers who never give up on the performance of everyone to distinguish their offerings in this crowded market. And Subaru all new 2022 WRX, now entering the twentieth year of American production, has a harder job to do than almost all its legendary predecessors. Not only need to make an interesting case for himself to new children in the block, he must appeal to those who cleverly remember the glory days of McRae blasting a monsters through Scottish forests.
Subaru’s consistency with the WRX formula continues into this fifth generation car, but with a few bends. The basic ingredients of the 2022 model will be very familiar to old WRX fans: a turbocharged-four boxer is located in the Gulf of Engine and it, as usual, the four wheels of wheels in the split of torque 50:50 (although the transmission automatically shifts a little more power backwards, with Torque split 45:55, front / rear). Look deeper, and there are more similarities: displacement now crashes 400CCs from the outgoing model, up to 2.4L, but even though the engine size increases power hardly changes with a torque of 271 hp and 258 lb-ft on torque.
The weight is also almost identical, with the latest base model sedan only packs on three extra pounds of his older brother, for the weight of the edge of 3,297 lb. Like 2021 WRX, a six-speed manual or distribution of the torque of the subaru variable CVT directly automatic power from flat-four to four corners. Prices are still without notice, but I would expect it to be similar to the model out too, the possibility of coming only with a little under $ 30,000 after the destination fee for the basic trim.
On the specification sheet, then, it sounds rather like an older and retired brother. However, putting the eyes on it, however, makes it clear, it is a bolder step than statistics that might imply.
For the first time in life two decades WRX, it no longer shared one panel with Impreza was born from. Every fold on the sheet metal is merely engraved for a sporty turbo sedan and, personally, I appreciate the freedom felt by the designer with the latest cars. It continues the feelings of adult sports cars from the outgoing generation, without falling into the bland commuter area (in the last generation of blood vessels) or adding too many children’s racers who try hard (yes, I’m looking at you, Bugeye, as you love) .
Wider flares that lead to a modest, complicated textured taillights help provide the character line of the 90s of the 90s boxes without looking at a combatty comedically angry. The complete visual package works well together, especially in brighter colors that showcase the corner cladding cleaner.
The interior was also revised significantly during the fourth generation, with a traditional double screen central console of old subaru cars replaced with a touch screen oriented at 11.6 “which was oriented to portrait embedded in the dash above the base. Unfortunately, the lowest trim gets two screens Touch is very small, surrounded in the same dashboard design; the base model feels much cheaper in the result of losing a larger screen of the console is clearly intended for. However, whatever the buyer selected, Carplay Apple and Android Auto is standard.