LIKES
- Feisty turbo power
- Should be agile
- Expect steering to satisfy
- Lots of safety features with CVT
- Practical and sporty
DISLIKES
- Styling can polarize
- No manual for GT
- Manual models lack active safety tech
- Awaiting STI
BUYING TIP
- The 2022 Subaru WRX goes on sale early next year.
The 2022 Subaru WRX promises even better performance from the original rally-inspired compact.
What kind of car is the 2022 Subaru WRX? What does it compare to?
The redesigned 2022 Subaru WRX is a performance four-door sedan inspired by rally cars. A turbo-4 provides the power and standard all-wheel drive ensures it goes to the pavement efficiently. The WRX competes against cars like the Hyundai Veloster N and Elantra N, Honda Civic Type R, and Volkswagen GTI.
Is the 2022 Subaru WRX a good car?
We expect it to continue its tradition of canyon-carving fun in a plain-brown package. The WRX STI will have a more overt personality when it arrives. We’ll rate both when we get behind the wheel.
What’s new for the 2022 Subaru WRX?
The WRX gets a new design for 2022, and the even faster WRX STI awaits the same treatment. Additional changes include a larger turbo-4 engine, a revised CVT with quicker shifts, a new GT model with adaptive dampers, and more standard convenience and safety features.
Inside, the cabin is dominated by a large vertically-oriented 11.6-inch center touchscreen within a shield-like bezel. A small-diameter flat-bottom steering wheel, metal pedals, and dark hues give the interior a sporty look.
The 2022 Subaru WRX adopts the stiffer Subaru Global Platform that underpins everything but the BRZ. The 2.0-liter turbo-4 gives way to a 2.4-liter turbo-4 that debuted in the Ascent full-size SUV. It spins up 271 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. That’s only 3 more hp than last year, but Subaru says it’s more responsive than the outgoing engine due to the added displacement and a new wastegate and turbocharger air bypass valves.
The turbo-4 is backed by a choice of two transmissions, a 6-speed manual, or a CVT that the company calls the Subaru Performance Transmission, or SPT. The CVT has fixed gear ratios that have been lowered for better responsiveness this year, and Subaru says upshifts are 30% quicker and downshifts are 50% quicker. The CVT also has active rev matching on downshifts, and Subaru includes a new oil cooler on all but the base model to improve track performance. Power goes to all four wheels with torque vectoring on the rear axle.
Adaptive dampers are a first for the WRX, and they’re standard on the GT, which also comes with heavily bolstered Recaro front buckets, matte gray wheels, and the CVT as the only transmission choice.
While the CVT won’t be as fun to drive, it does come with more safety features. They consist of adaptive cruise control, active lane control, automatic emergency braking, and blind-spot monitors. Manual models come only with blind-spot monitors. Subaru will also offer an automatic emergency steering system to avoid objects when traveling at speeds below 50 mph.
How much does the 2022 Subaru WRX cost?
The GT model joins base, Premium, and Limited models. Subaru hasn’t released pricing or standard equipment. We do know that the base model will come with a center touchscreen, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a 60/40-split folding rear seat, and 18-inch alloy wheels.
In Japan.
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