Channel: Kelley Blue Book

Category: Autos & Vehicles

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Description: For the latest Subaru WRX pricing and information: kbb.com/subaru/wrx Okay, automotive enthusiasts and desk jockey critics, get ready because I’m getting a first drive the all-new Subaru WRX. Since it’s the 5th generation, let’s dig into five important things about this newbie Subie. First, The Platform. The WRX now rides on Subaru’s global platform and that should give it a major upgrade when it comes to ride handling and performance thanks to a stiffer overall body structure, more torsional rigidity and a lower center of gravity. Do these things make a difference in the ride and handling? They do! This new WRX shows great composure and control and I feel a lot less body roll around turns. The suspension is tuned for a track-like driving experience. And yes, it’s got the requisite stiffness, but Subaru’s made some tweaks that work. They’ve made an adjustment to the roll center, moved it up a bit to help mitigate body roll. And the stabilizer bar is now mounted to the body of the car. That really makes a difference with body roll, but also allows softer bushings to be used for a more comfortable ride which the WRX absolutely delivers. Second, the engine is a new 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer engine that gets your 271 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque with a broader torque curve from 2,000-5,200 rpms to better harness all of that power for ya. It’s also got new valve springs to last longer while living higher in the rev range and an electric waste gate valve to sustain torque at the low end of the range. Three: I am driving the manual transmission, and this is and shifts are smooth and easy. Throws feel a bit longer than in the Civic Si but that’s a small nit pit. Subaru does employ a CVT as the automatic option but they’re calling it the Subaru Performance Transmission instead. According to Subaru, this Performance Transmission will have 30% quicker “upshifts” and 50% faster “downshifts” than their previous CVT. Now Of course I use those words loosely because the CVT doesn’t have actual gears, it just mimics them. There is also a rev-matching feature under braking say around a turn and it’s said to respond faster when coming out of turn. At the front end the wide hexagonal grille partners with some LED headlights and that WRX hood scoop. Making it look low and wider. The rear gets a low-profile deck lid spoiler and some new taillights. I really like the profile. It also gets a more slopping roofline which does limit rear seat headroom just a little bit. There’s some new functioning aero, including an outlet behind the front wheels that helps with cooling if you’re burning up your brakes on a track. To that end, all the aero on the WRX is functional. Inside the WRX gets a vertical tablet style touchscreen, yes, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. And I want to point out the seats, there’s no leather available but either fabric or Ultrasuede on the Premium trim so you don’t slide around as much as before. Standard are dual 7-inch stacked screens, but you can upgrade to Multimedia Plus and get a larger screen set up. But it’s still got physical buttons for important things like volume and HVAC functions. The seats can get as fancy as a set of Recaros with contrast stitching on the new WRX GT trim level as well as a flat-bottom steering wheel. Speaking of that GT, that’s the highest trim that also gets electronically controlled dampers and other drive settings above and beyond the standard Si settings when you get into Sport or Sport+ mode. There’s an unofficial track mode on all WRX models which delays the automatic controls of the vehicle, or you can turn the nannies off altogether. Driver be responsible! A quick note about the steering feel, Subaru’s introduced a new dual pinion steering that offers up more of a natural feel, and I appreciate that in car that’s sport oriented. But there’s still little or no feedback, which is expected, but still disappointing. Safety fifth here, folks. Subaru’s EyeSight Driver’s Assist technology get some interesting enhancements like an expanded angle of view, advanced adaptive cruise control with a lane centering function and an automatic emergency steering function that will help with evasive driving maneuvers that works with the pre-collision braking system. It’s important to note that these features are only available on the cars equipped with the Subaru Performance Transmission, not the manual. Subaru’s made a ton of changes to really improve driving dynamics, performance and handling and those upgrades in the fifth gen WRX show up big time. This is a super fun car to drive that also checks off a lot of boxes when it comes to a daily driver. 00:00 2022 Subaru WRX 0:25 Driving Impressions 1:29 Engine 3:37 Exterior 4:35 Interior 6:54 Competitors