Subaru WRX 2022 car review

ENGINE: 2.4-litre turbocharged, horizontally opposed direct injection Boxer four-cylinder petrol
POWER: 202kW/350Nm
0-100KM/H: 6.1s
TRANSMISSION: Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (AWD)
ECONOMY/CO2 AT: 8.5L/100km (auto), CO2 192g/km (NEDC)
ECONOMY/CO2 MT: 9.9L/100km (manual), CO2 225g/km (NEDC)
BODY STYLE: Sedan and Wagon
STATUS: Currently available
PRICE: From $59,990 to $64,990

First launched in 1992, the WRX has become synonymous with Subaru’s performance. Globally and on home turf a whole generation of Subaru rally fans adored the blue and gold livery, and Kiwis Possum Bourne and, more recently, Ben Hunt secured multiple championship titles across Australasia pedalling WRXs.

Fast forward to 2022 and the new era of WRX has dawned, and Subaru of New Zealand has given the AA the opportunity to review the heartbeat-quickening, fifth generation, all-new WRX sedan.

There are two, distinctly different body styles available. A wide-bodied dynamic new sedan, the WRX 2.4T, and the highly anticipated, sleek and sophisticated WRX GT wagon.

Performance comes with practicality

WRX’s regal motorsport lineage has been handed down to this latest generation and augmented by a new, completely revised, powerful and responsive Subaru 2.4-litre turbocharged, horizontally opposed Boxer engine. It delivers enhanced performance across the range, equating to an exhilarating 202kW of power and 350Nm of torque.

Subaru’s engineers have thrown in everything from the tried and proven recipe of the last 30 years, including ultimate traction and handling thanks to Subaru’s All-Wheel Drive, the Boxer engine and aggressive styling. Then they’ve spiced it up with the addition of modern-day technological advancements, such as the Driver Monitoring System and Drive Mode Select.

The WRX sedan comes with the choice of two transmissions. A smooth and direct close-ratio 6-speed manual, available exclusively to the 2.4T premium sedan, and the new automatic 8-speed Subaru Performance Transmission, which is standard in both the sedan and wagon models.

Subaru’s new automatic 8-speed Performance Transmission is a newly developed Sport Lineatronic gearbox which is Subaru’s version of Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). It offers automatic downshift blipping control for engaging performance and an 8-speed manual mode with its advanced shift logic taking WRX to the next level.

We reviewed the range-topping tS automatic 8-speed sedan and slightly wished it had been the manual. The CVT transmission, even with its preprogramed gear changes, just does not seem right in a WRX and you need to be in Sport or Sport+ mode to really get the car to feel like a WRX. But there is no sound, just not what you want from a car with this pedigree. Give me some decibels please Subaru.

The stable chassis means a nice firm ride, but again, we felt that the CVT transmission lets it down. Would be a much better driving experience with the six-speed manual transmission.

All grown up

This is the most grown-up WRX ever, designed to appeal to the sort of people who might have turned up their noses at its predecessors exterior styling. While still youthful with its pointy grille and narrow headlights, it appears somewhat more modern with its chiselled fenders and creased taillights. The huge vent hood for the inter cooler still screams a little bit ‘boy racer’.

Both models feature machine-finished 18-inch alloy wheels, self-levelling LED headlights, Steering Responsive Headlights and LED front fog lights.

Passionate Subaru performance car enthusiasts may be disappointed to learn that there is no STI model. However, the new WRX still retains flashes of STI’s brilliance if you want the world to know you’ve bought the top spec model. The range-topping tS (which apparently stands for ‘tuned by STI) features STI branding on the steering wheel and instrument cluster, and the tS wagon also adds STI branded front seats and tail pipes.

Measuring 4,755mm overall, the all-new WRX GT wagon is 85mm longer and 35mm taller than its WRX 2.4T sedan counterpart. The wheelbase is 20mm longer than that of the superseded fourth generation WRX and it is 160mm longer. Overall width is 1,795mm and the cargo area (with the back seat raised) is 492L, slightly on the small side if you are wanting to pack in a few suitcases for a weekend get-away.

Sporty interior

Well-appointed, all WRXs feature dual zone climate control air conditioning, a D-shaped leather steering wheel and leather gear shift. The seats feature Gripper ultra-suede trim sports with bucket seats for the driver and front passenger, which keep the driver’s body firmly in place. The controls are suitably within reach eliminating the need to re-centre the body.

The first thing you notice when you slip into the driver’s seat is the huge 11.6” touchscreen infotainment system with vertical orientation, which features your standard settings for Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ connectivity, satellite navigation (all models), vehicle settings and air conditioning.

In our experience it wasn’t overly user friendly, and it is hard not to notice how it really dominates the cabin. That said, it all depends on the user, some drivers prefer to navigate their way through countless touch screen menus as opposed to the old-fashioned analogue dials.

The sedan’s overall length is up by 75mm and width has grown by 30mm, ensuring comfortable cabin space with increased shoulder room front and rear while increasing rear seat legroom. There’s more than enough room for even tall drivers although the rear cabin is a bit more cramped, but it’s still spacious enough for most people.

While storage isn’t plentiful, there is an expected amount for a sports sedan, with an adequately sized centre console cubby and deep door pockets.

Safety

Safety features are plentiful, with eight SRS airbags, driver monitoring systems with facial recognition and a variety of popular driver-assistance technologies such as forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control.

While there are a lot of safety features, they can be quite intrusive with lots of beeps and prompts – although safety-wise that shouldn’t be such a bad thing, and perhaps is more about the driver’s style than the technology.

Verdict

If you appreciate beautiful things, or you are simply a WRX fan, you will agree it is nice to look at. Still muscular in appearance as it should be being a WRX. Last of the ICE WRXs mean that this could be a collector’s item sometime soon.

Not a fire breathing dragon by any means, even in Sport+ mode, but now a more refined Sunday driver. But is that why you buy a WRX? And a real lack of noise, no screaming exhaust in fact hardly a whimper from the exhaust is disappointing.

There’s much to love about the next generation 2022 WRX line-up. Overall, it is a nice package but then who wants nice in a WRX. You want an ultimate driver’s car, and this is almost it.

Pros:

• Quieter than predecessor
• Improved ride performance
• Slick appearance

Cons:

• Indicator set up takes a while to get used to
• large touchscreen more flashy than functional
• CVT

Safety systems

• Adaptive Cruise Control
• Lane Departure Warning with steering vibration
• Lane Sway Warning
• Lane centring function
• Lane vehicle start alert
• Lane keep assist
• Pre-Collision Throttle Management
• Speed sign recognition
• Intelligent speed limiter
• Autonomous Emergency Steering

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