Few environments are better suited to shake down a new Subaru WRX than California's redwood country. These are the slick, pucker-worthy conditions, where this rally-bred sports sedan, rooted in the promise of confidence in any and every road condition, is meant to thrive. And thrive it does.
Subaru uncovered its fifth-generation WRX back in September, revealing a familiar, carefully iterated package. There's a turbocharged boxer-four upfront, six-speed manual or optional CVT (called the Subaru Performance Transmission). Of course, power is sent to all four corners, because Subaru. When first launched in 1992, the WRX started life as a souped-up version of a little ubiquitous economy car, but it’s since evolved into a separate beast entirely.
This is the first generation of WRX that shares no panels with the lesser Impreza sedan. But like every other Subaru except the BRZ, the new car rides on Subaru’s Global Platform. To beef up the chassis and structure for performance car duty, the automaker snuck in additional spot welds around the shell and added copious amounts of aerospace-grade structural adhesive (we simply call it "glue"), stiffening the WRX's torsional rigidity by 28 percent. This means less chassis flex, allowing for a better-handling car. Subaru says the added adhesive helps with sound dampening and lessens vibrations over broken-up roads. The more rigid chassis means the suspension has less flex to compensate for.
The WRX pairs that rigid shell to a simple MacPherson strut suspension up front and a multi-link setup in the rear. The top-level, CVT-only GT trim can be had with all-new electronically adjustable dampers, while the manual-transmission cars we drove use conventional dampers.
This mishmash of new parts and clever engineering makes the 2022 WRX a more-capable package, one that feels more well-rounded than ever before. On a 1000-mile stint up and down the California coast, the WRX never so much as hiccuped, no matter which slick corner, mid-road hazard, weather apocalypse, or simple errand was thrown at it.
On a twisty paved road, the new car—tested with the familiar static suspension setup—is planted, predictable, and easy to hustle. It's everything a WRX should be, and there are few sports cars with more-forgiving handling. With the Dunlop Sport Maxx GT summer tires, Subaru’s seamless torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system, and its new electric power steering rack, the WRX just sticks into every apex without drama. Toss it into a corner a little quicker than you should, and the WRX's competent chassis immediately soothes that stab of panic. “Oh right, this little economy sedan is actually a wildly capable sports car. Good. Right,” you think. Exhales follow.
Subaru claims its new steering rack allows for 11 percent quicker response than the last car. It absolutely does the job. But at low speeds, it feels a bit more Fanatec than real connection to the road. As is often the case with electric power steering systems, the new rack leaves something to be desired in regard to road feel. Around highway speed, the wheel gets tighter and heavier, which is a welcome adjustment.
If you want to dial back the speed, the WRX's brakes also do a mighty good job of stopping the 3300-pound sedan. The brake pedal feels firm across its travel, but requires a real deep kick to reveal the system's ultimate stopping power.
Over endlessly broken roads, the WRX becomes a little fatiguing. The non-adjustable suspension setup is relentless over aggressive bumps and cracked-up roads. Not Rattley. Not shaky. Firm? Sure. That’s fine. But the bounciness is less than ideal. The suspension rebounds aggressively, reminiscent of a pogo stick at times. On the imperfect and uneven forest roads, the WRX’s seatbelt was doing double duty to keep me straddled to my seat. Hopefully the electronic setup’s comfort mode is a little more generous. Fortunately, this issue is minor, so long as you commute on decently maintained roads.
After half a day of spirited driving, twisting through the redwood forests in northern California, I started to grow a bit bored of just how good the WRX handled these roads. The sedan makes things almost too easy. Even dialing up the aggression with inputs—stabbing the brakes harder to induce dive and laying flat on the gas coming out of corners—it remains relaxed and poised.
There’s a reason for those dramatic throttle inputs. As with all non-STI WRXs that have come before, this new car has an approachable amount of power, now equipped with a turbocharged 271-horsepower 2.4-liter boxer-four engine that carries over from the Ascent and XT models nearly unchanged. The new WRX is quick and has a perfect amount of pickup for onramp launches and overtaking, but that’s about it. For the application—an all-weather daily drivable sports sedan that can handle twisties or a track occasionally—the power is adequate, not exhilarating. Mid-range acceleration is noticeably improved from the last car, but immediate pull from the low-end leaves much to be desired.
Locked in third gear bouncing between 25 and 55 mph, pulling out of corners takes some planning. Whether the WRX was chasing corners through the forest, bouncing through Big Sur, or demolishing a Los Angeles canyon at night, if it was on the low end of third gear, which it often was, my foot was flat on the right pedal coming out of corners, waiting for boost to build. In these situations, torque is far from instant. Once the twin-scroll turbo does spool up, the 2.4’s 258 lb-ft of torque—unchanged from the last car—feels strong. According to the WRX’s gauge cluster, boost peaks around 12.3 psi, far lower than the 22 psi that the turbo in the outgoing car occasionally climbs to. Subaru did not immediately have an explanation for the dialed-down turbo output, but it’s possible they’re sandbagging the WRX to leave room for the upcoming STI model.
Last-generation WRX drivers will be excited to hear the dastardly rev hang on the one-two shift has been done away with. Thank god.
Ride aside, the cabin is greatly improved. Our Limited-trim tester came equipped with Subaru’s new 11.6-inch touchscreen, which takes up a massive section of the dashboard. It’s a simple CarPlay- and Android Auto-capable system that's easy to use, though its tilted-to-the-sky angle can make inputs a little awkward from the driver’s seat. Interior materials are improved slightly as well. The very rubbery dashboard from the last car is now slightly less tire-like. Materials here are easier on the eyes and nicer to touch. Even the fake carbon fiber is nicer this time around. After three full days of driving in two different trim levels of the WRX, I can confirm the seats are well-bolstered and comfortable. In the backseat, headroom has shrunk slightly due to a lower roofline. One passenger complained that the seats were angled a bit too upright. Prior personal research informs that WRX buyers aren’t exactly known for buying their cars for passenger comfort.
Then there are the WRX's new looks. It’s grown on me. Personally, I’m indifferent about the controversial plastic cladding around the wheel arches. Subaru claims it’s purposeful and helps with aero. Sure. Whatever. The front-end’s downsized headlights and enlarged grille look good, and are a refreshing update from the aging outgoing car. The rear for me looks a bit too narrow, too pinched, and I’m not a fan of the extra inches of plastic jetting off the painted bumper. The magma-inspired taillight design is sick as hell though. I’ll die by that opinion.
“It’s gross. But not as bad in person,” said one 2016 WRX owner when they saw the new car in person. “When I first pulled up, I was like, 'Nice Corolla.'”
The WRX line is no stranger to creating divisive opinions about its looks. This one is fine. And next to the old car, the new WRX feels exactly like what it is: an evolution of the last car, with slight tweaks to the formula to keep it relevant, competitive, and on its toes. That’s a good thing, because the last WRX was a phenomenal performance value.
“A multi-purpose all-weather sports sedan capable of driving on any kind of road and suitable for all kinds of uses,” is how Subaru defines the WRX’s mission. This generation succeeds at precisely that. My biggest gripes with the WRX are in regard to driving feel and enthusiasm—two important boxes for a performance car, and less of a big deal for a sporty daily driver. I want it to be rumbly and shouty. I want to feel the road’s crevices jostling through the steering wheel (rather than up my spine). It’s a good car, but it’s not in your face about it. When you ask it for those fringe-case abilities — perhaps on a slick mountain backroad — the car provides amply.
But for our money, if you're looking for a sedan that puts performance first, keep looking, at least until the STI arrives. If you want something you can take anywhere anytime, toy with GTIs, but relax on your daily commute, that’s the WRX. It’s always been the WRX.
A native of the famously car-loving city of New York, Road & Track’s digital director is constantly surrounded by beat-up old project cars. Brown’s daily driver is a problematic manual-swapped 1991 BMW 325i sedan, but for special occasions he pulls out his E34 M5 of the same vintage. Before R&T, Brown worked at Jalopnik, The Drive, and Business Insider, starting in the industry in 2015.
