Having taken delivery of new model (manual ) and having owned the previous 2L this car is a significant improvement. More rigid and the engine just works. No rev hang and almost linear power delivery with no flat spot. I’m close to end of running in period and I’m nowhere near worrying about hitting rev limiter . This car at 50k has no rival . I live on Great Ocean Road and as soon as the corners appear and road is wet this destroys soulless front wheel drive scrubbers. Do not listen to commentary about shortcomings on track .. it’s not a track car!!! It’s a 50k daily driver that has no rival at this price point for real world driving and overall package . Cherry on top are steering assisted LEDs and vastly improved interior cabin.
I have not long picked up the RS WRX and I absolutely love everything about it including the cladding. If people don’t like it that’s fine. Don’t buy it! I really enjoyed your video. Thanks.👍😃
Picked up my tS auto yesterday - this is the closest review i have found that gives the most accurate overview of how the car drives. I wasn't sold on the black plastic, but definitively better in real life. I bought the grey model and the plastic blends in. It's handling is unbelievable in the wet, i haven't driven in the dry yet - but you can give it plenty in the wet and still feel safe. My wife drove it today for the first time, she's now talking about selling her top of the range CR-V and getting one.....:) We test drove one of the original ones 20+ years ago and loved the experience - this is a quieter, and more refined version that suits the mature driver.
Sounds great I'm about to order a TS Myself and going to order one in black for the same reasons.. I thought the performance was outstanding and gearshifts mimic a dual clutch.. if you didn't know it was a CVT you would have no idea.. hope your car goes well for you and your wife
We picked our AWS TS Auto Sedan up last Friday - travelled over 1500k's over the next 2 days on NSW country roads - very impressive improvement in many aspects of the car over the last WRX (which we still have). I noted before purchase that the fuel economy was a factor that most who had test driven the car were not impressed with - with our trip the fuel economy was pretty good - didn't flog it but certainly pushed the speed limits. The first 700k's we used 95 Grade Fuel and was about 8.3L/100 and then ran 98 Grade on the way back and fuel consumption was about 7.4l/100's & a very comfortable ride and handles superbly. Great value for money !
I am 66yrs old and ordered a new TS Auto in March, for my wife its her 3rd WRX. It arrived in Aust earlier this week so we're hoping it will be ready to pick it up next week sometime. We are getting a black one with the idea of disguising the plastic wheel arch trims. The car certainly looks a lot better in the flesh, and having driven one on a test drive it felt very sure footed and has a constant linear power delivery......Subaru FanBoy...ha ha
I just test drive the SVT and the manual. My thoughts on the SVT. It holds the revs in gear and the up and downshifts are very impressive. Driving around in at 40-60km it stayed in 2 gear with lots of rev and torques on acceleration. The suspension actually adjusted and you could clearly feel the difference between comfort and sport+. Then I drove the manual and immediately thought this was better as I could shift and control my own gears… then I kept driving and realised that all the technology was deleted from the manual. Such a same. I drive 120km to and forth from work and I have a CVT levorg. I would be hard pressed to make a decision on which one I’d take home. I’m leaning toward the SVT 😅. Great review btw The SVT feels a lot better. I suggest you drive them back to back and see if you share the same opinion. Eventually I might trade in or keep my Levorg and get one of these. I’m happy I have time to contemplate which variant to get.
i have just ordered a base model wrx in grey so it blends in with the black plastic and grey mags. it looks mean in this colour. i did not go for the higher spec because i have a mercedes c class with amg sports pack. i do not use the sun roof, electric seat controls and the satnav. the merc is so low its like getting in and out of a go-cart ! i just want a car i can drive and not have the car tell me what to do and when i can do it. only extra i will have is floor mats with wrx on them.
Nice review but I just dont know why reviewers spend so much time with the camera on them.. Talk whilst showing the car or from the driving seat facing the road. no good watching someone drive a car waving their hands around
Drove the manual today and liked most things about it except performance. Was "lacklustre" to say the least. The WRX is no longer a performance car I'm afraid to say. Otherwise a nice car. I'll be keeping my old rex, sorry.
My thoughts exactly they are targeting familys with this undertuned quiet car, there's better competition out there now. The plastics on guards and rear were a major risk in this model completely ugly cheap looking. Older models are going to be worth more because of this build.
I like it very much, did a test drive with the Ts and tried out the different drive modes. Honestly, I could not tell the difference between the adaptive suspension, when in the normal mode and the comfort mode the sedan has very little difference. only the big bumps are smoother otherwise the ride is the same, Sporty and has great handling :) great review Cheers from SA
Top review mate your spot on . An accurate account of what the vehicle is. It's a petty they've dropped the 6 speeder in all their other products . It feels like a wall between driver and car with the CVT.
The biggest negative not mentioned is no rear air vents for the airconditioning and instead we get heated seats in a hot climate like Australia is. Also no mention of the new 2.4 turbo that's 20 percent bigger and has virtually no increase in power. The cladding is ugly too and belongs on an SUV.
It is a nice car and you are correct. If you want the WRX Rumble you need a $3,000 catback exhaust. But sadly when you talk CVT, not much difference between the WRX and my wife's 2017 GSR 2.4 lancer, that was also a lot cheaper. But it's still good to see Subaru offering manuals in the 4 cylinder class petrol.
I have the Wrx Sportswagon on order in TS spec. My circumstances have changed and I need the space for the family. Sadly it’s not fast. Took it for a test drive and on the iphone app it was 7.4 seconds to 100. My current 2014 M135i with the same app is 4.6 seconds to 100. CVT wasn’t as bad as the previous model. The wagon appears to be 100kilos heavier and wears narrow wheels/tyres.
Yeah I agree, I don’t think it’s fast anymore. Quick but not fast. I think Subaru built this for the aftermarket, but not everyone wants to mod their car besides intake and exhaust. I drove both models today and choosing one to buy is going to be hard. Good thing I have time. That M135i though….. fast!
There's not enough evolution in Subarus, same engine, same power same Trans, same experience as a much older cheaper model. Nothing new or special other than a new look. And I personally don't like the suv plastic around the guards. Nothing to see here.
Automotive journos want the clicks. What is it about people not seeing the elephant in the room. Ok so this WRX isn’t a rocket ship right now. But how about a few facts. The engine in its own right is worthy of a special mention, extra thick cylinder walls, Direct injection(not the old port injection)helps efficiency, a revised inlet manifold that’s more direct and allows the air in easier, the largest intercooler seen in a WRX, and a heap of extra sound deadening in the engine bay. The FA20 engine made a peak of 196Kw and this peaks at 202Kw with the extra 400cc and that’s where people seem to get confused. Well this is entirely due to the final tune, ya see the FA20 would freely run up to 21psi boost and you could hear it. The new FA24 in the 2022 WRX goes up to a pinch over 13psi and that right there is why you should be smiling, you see with all that sound deadening under the bonnet it’s obvious that this car was meant to do so much more. But instead Subaru have tuned it to be the most powerful WRX but only just. I might be wrong, but I believe an exhaust upgrade and tune will see these things easily achieve 300Kw. So I wouldn’t get too hung up on the factory numbers. As I said, it’s the low boost tune and all that extra work under the bonnet gives the game away.
Being a 2.4L powerplant with no power increase from last year, I wonder if the car is choked up to meet emissions. Id hope with a few bolt ons and a tune we would be seeing +60kw or more.. My GC8 is 350kg lighter, faster and a better drivers car. They should have done a 1.8L awd platform with UEL headers and made an effort to reduce weight... I would have bought one and so wouldve many others. Finally that cladding is disgusting.
While it's possibly true that the power is being constricted due to emissions, I'd say it's far more likely that it's due to the fact that the CVT cannot cope with any more torque. I know that COBB has been able to get the FA24 over 300kW just by tuning the ECU so Subaru is delivering this from the factory in a seriously under-tuned state. I'm getting the manual base model. And should be able to easily tune it without any extra add-ons for at least another 50 to 70kW.
@@maxalfa6289 The engine is surely capable of delivering much more power but you'd need a beefier drive train for that and most manufacturers are reticent to throw money at developing things like beefier manual gearboxes and clutches knowing that most consumers are buying automatics nowadays. Those features cost money yet are not considered added value by the average driver. So it's not a coincidence that the old model and the new one both are rated at 350Nm: that's probably the torque ceiling for the transmissions they currently have. I know such things because I never understood why there was never a 1.4 TSI manual version of my Skoda Rapid until I researched on the topic and realized VAG didn't want to put the beefier (but more expensive) MQ250 transmission in this car. To put a higher torque engine, they switched to the DQ200 DSG which, despite the name, is rated to 250 Nm. Unlike Subaru, VAG wised up and developed a new MQ281 manual gearbox and related parts and the Slavia (more or less the vehicle that replaced the Skoda Rapid) is now offered with 1.5 TSI and manual. So let's just hope Subaru wises up and follow.
The omission of the Eyesight safety features from the manual model is a deal breaker for me and inexcusable in 2022. Subaru - please take note. Not all WRX customers turn a blind eye to safety.
I thought it would be quicker to 100 than 6 seconds for a performance focused vehicle. A Rav4 Hybrid is 5.7 seconds. The average age of owners is 35, so I wouldn’t say past the age of performance, but more in the middle. Nice car, but what else is available…
I purchased a new 2021 WRX premium last year and I'd have to say I have no envy with this latest model. Great review and either way (models) WRX is legendary 👍
I like it. The speed could be 5 Secs at 0-100KM/H. I give the exterior 100% tick. I like the manual transmission. I give the interior 65% tick. I think it's time the Subaru Company looks at making the WRX rear wheels slightly wider than front wheels.
Cars these days look like they come from virtually the same manufacturer, at least this doesn't look like a Jelly bean - like most current cars. What happens to that black plastic when it comes time to wax? or buff....?
The car looks almost identical to the way it did in 2016 and 17 so I guess maybe it's the one that started the trend? or maybe it just needs a discerning eye.
They ruineed it with the cheap look of black plastics on the wheel guards and rear bumper looks way to busy at the rear. I can bet them plastics are going to fade before anything else on that car, painting them would be common sense.
Mine is somewhere on the Pacific Ocean heading towards Seattle. I will paint the ugly cladding on the way home from the dealer, back bumper included. May before even leaving the parking lot. Shame on Subaru.
Besides the looks many have concluded its the best performance wrx thus far. Not to mention I've seen some tunes hitting close to 300 from just e85 and an full exhaust upgrade no tune.
Sleepy boring rubbish review. You’ve said how good it is but have not said why. Yes people do want a hard core car when it’s a WRX (and no STI coming) they don’t want a comfortable refined ride like you try justifying (selling). Interestingly the Americans constantly said how stiff the suspension is and you speak of its comfort. Comfort Is exactly not what buyers of a WRX want. You have said it’s a very good performance vehicle and drives like a WRX, but it doesn’t drive like any old WRX due to the wide torque band change. 30 years and over the last 10 there’s almost no improvement in performance. This is called milking the ‘WRX’ nameplate for all its worth.
Glad to see you have based your opinion and comments on actually having driven this current model. I like to see people bag a car AFTER they have driven it. Solid comment thank you.
