![]() Manual-equipped cars get a viscous-coupling all-wheel-drive system that splits power equally between the front and rear axles they also get a brake-based torque-vectoring system that clamps the inside wheel in corners to help the car cut through more quickly. Tip into the manual transmission’s launch gear, and the WRX’s turbo spools up to hustle power to all four corners. Fire it up and the 2.0-liter flat-4 flips the access switch to 268 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. The WRX’s quirky flat-4 thrum signals there’s something different under foot. WRXs can hit 60 mph in the five-second range, while the STI can shave a half-second or more from that time. Costing more than $42,000, the STI edition is primed for track time, but it’s poorly suited for the street.Įvery Subaru WRX comes with all-wheel drive-though different versions have distinct setups. We like the $30,970 WRX Premium despite its CVT-it gets a power driver seat, leather upholstery, and a 7.0-inch touchscreen, with options for Recaro front seats and Brembo brakes. The $29,345 WRX 6-speed manual has power features and a 6.5-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility. The NHTSA and the IIHS both give the WRX top scores, though the manual-transmission WRX lacks automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and active lane control. Safety scores, though, have been impressive. The back seat’s snug, too, and the WRX’s trunk is small, at 12.0 cubic feet. The base sport seats in front can swap out for Recaro buckets that cinch and pinch too tightly for large bodies. It’s a rally car tamed slightly for the street and it handles like one, from the razor-sharp steering to the brittle, bruising ride.Īll WRXs get a plain-looking interior with room for four adults. Then there’s the STI, which storms out of the gate with a 310-hp flat-4, a different 6-speed manual, a stiffer suspension, an adjustable center differential, and uprated brakes. In either case the WRX’s flat cornering attitude and its precise steering will have you tackling old corners with new interest. If you’re daily-driving it, you’ll probably pick the continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), which paddles through its synthetic ratios eagerly enough, while splitting power through a more sophisticated center differential. That’s the spec we’d pick-except for the omission of automatic emergency braking. In base spec, the WRX’s 268-horsepower flat-4 hardly breaks a sweat to deliver sub-six-second 0-60 mph times through a long-throw 6-speed manual and all-wheel drive with a 50:50 torque split. The WRX is equal part turbo-4 strength and all-wheel-drive finesse. The WRX’s cabin couldn’t be more straightforward: Its small touchscreen, big analog gauges, and cloth upholstery are in some ways a welcome throwback to simpler car times, but they don’t look the $40,000 part. It’s a stolid shape, one that wakes up in STI livery with a big rear wing and big 19-inch wheels. Until it arrives, the current car’s electrifying handling will have to do-since its four-door sedan body doesn’t get amped up about much.
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