I think the main problem for people (including myself) is the overuse of the grey plastic cladding, particularly on the rear bumper. If some of it was still body coloured, it would look better
im all for the manual usually. After test driving both the cvt and manual extensively prior to purchase i found the cvt was excellent and completely blew me away. Total surprise. Power delivery was instant and very satisfying, no typical cvt rubber bandy feeling of acceleration. The simulated shifts were immediate, the car gave me the right revs seemlessly in every situation (cornering, braking etc). Guys they really have nailed this cvt for this vehicle I hate to say it. Being an older driver probably plays a part in my decision as I just couldnt be stuffed rowing my own gears some days, and prefer to hold a coffee. But... if i wanto have a bit of fun I can throw it in sport# and use the paddles to rip up a back road.... best of both worlds. SO in the end it was the cvt by a long shot. BTW the manual was also excellent and much better than the previous gen. As far as the manual being better for staged power upgrades. Well again im getting older so chasing power for essentially what is a street car to me seems pointless. Stock power is plenty for the street, and then some.
Test drove it on Tuesday, it's immeasurably better than the previous generation in every way. I cannot believe how much better the clutch and gearbox are. It's like not even a WRX where you expect it to be unpolished and kind of crappy lol. Subaru knocked it out of the park, I was a MEGA hater when it came out too.
Test drove the top spec TS last week.. Response was surprisingly good in sports sharp..Quick up changes and rev matching on the down shifts.. if you didn't know it was a CVT you would never pick it.. also active dampers make city driving very comfortable and country driving more exhilarating.. black or dark grey colour definitely neutralises the effect of the cladding.. if you're not a petrol head or a cashed up bogan and want a bit of added refinement then this could be the car for you
Hi Paul. I really enjoyed your write up. I've had mine about a month now after trading my BRZ2020. I really enjoyed watching you smile on the drive as they are the reasons my WRX makes me smile. I find it very ballsy. I like for now the fact it is quiet but may upgrade the exhaust down the track. Thanks for the camera tip, didn't see that. She is my daily and I am so happy that I upgraded and grabbed an icon. I really like the outer, it does grow on you. Thanks for the info, di
Honestly the front styling is growing on me, the black plastic cladding will probably date the styling pretty hard once manufacturers decide painted cladding is the next styling 'thing' for SUVs
I live in northern Canada where you are driving in deep snow and dirt roads and the cladding is going to be huge at preventing paint chipping/rusting. I got a black one coming in September.
Drove the top model auto this week. It was bloody good. Not slow in the real world of imperfect roads. SPT is better than I was expecting. Interior seemed much nicer than in pictures. Will try manual soon then choose. Time to replace my 1 owner '96 GF8!
Why they aren’t putting a manual in the wagon is beyond me. I’d sign up tomorrow if there was an option. The engine seems great even if the sound is lacking.
You must be the only one who likes the look of that rear bumper Paul. With regards to the exhaust, must be a dealer option being considered for the tbsti Australia special coming...
I saw one of these in person the other day and I agree that it doesn't look as bad. Really want one of these now :( Going to be saving up for the next 7-8 years before I get one I think. Manual ICE cars are just so much more fun to drive than an EV would be I think (although I've never driven an EV).
I just want to acknowledge CarExperts way of reviewing cars. The finesse is outstanding. From the camera set-up and the b-rolls of the car up to the way how they give justice to the car. If there’s something they personally dislike they say it without giving a full-blown criticism as they manage to keep it neutral and stays in the line that they ask what’s the opinion of their viewers. Kudos to Paul. His delivery and everything.
I like it. I learnt long ago not to question the design of the WRX. They just do what they do really well and whatever styling they do it ends up being iconic. I don't mind the missing safety (nanny) stuff, i still like to drive my cars without interference.
Ordered the CVT in the Philippines. Can't wait for delivery . Have a 2018 model now . Big improvements to enjoy except the Price here ! 2.808.000 Mil Peso ! English senior citizen's last Petrol engine super car ! Steve .
Hope you have some roads where you can really drive it - I find driving in Philippines tedious with all the slow-moving motorcycles and other rubbish on the roads LOL
Who ever designs for Subaru needs to be fired. They always come out with below average specifications, design and performance. It's only a few more tweaks and they can revive the brand for what it was back in the 00s.
No, first gens did 0-100 in 5s, they weighed probably 300kgs less and had around 147kws/280NM but they were 5speeds so you would do 100 in 2nd. (most of the time made up there)
I’m actually test driving one tomorrow Paul with my brother! He’s the one buying. I’m just the copilot.😈 Personally I reckon the plastic flared guards should be colour coded. Anyway looking forward to seeing one in the flesh.😎👍🏻 P.s. My 2018 manual Bullitt has radar cruise & auto braking.
@@CarExpertAus it's not impossible it's just not welcome or necessary. Features like that allow people to be more complacent and pay less attention to the road than they already do. These autopilot type features are the worst thing to happen to the automotive industry in recent times imo.
I dont understand some choices, they put a harmon kardon sound system and use a low quality infotainment screen? And what about that cd player, i think they should've used the money to put something more useful inside the car...makes no sense. Their luck is ppl buy it more for the driving experience and ends up overlooking all these points, but i think Subaru should try to deliver a bit more.
The thing I hate the most is the black plastic cladding thats been over used everywhere. SUV trends on sporty Sedans! At least the plastic cladding isnt on the Wagon version
I think what I hate the most is that this car is what Subaru deemed to be so good we no longer needed an sti. All of these other brands are coming out with better sportier cars, Subaru is like but we have Awd.
eh, they could have done much better. - The exterior plastic cladding is all grey. It needs to be broken up by some silver, paint and gloss black. - The lack of AEB on a manual car is poor. Just stall the engine if you have to, at least it saves you from an accident - The CD Player is completely redudant yet it takes up 50% of the space in the centre console. - The interior display is vertical despite most programs being optimised for a horizontal screen. For example, the side and front reverse camera could have been stacked and made larger on this vertical display, but they chose to make it smaller and then have blank spaces all around it. However, I believe Android Auto will be updated soon to work better with the vertical screens. - The interior seats have a purple colour which looks over 20 years old.
I’ve had a 2022 WRX for 2 months now and have 2,000 miles on it. It is a fantastic car in every way. For reference, I also own a half ton truck, a C5 corvette, a late model Pacifica and a Dodge Challenger. The WRX literally has no weaknesses. It’s fast, it has room for car seats, it has a decent size of trunk, it has great ground clearance, it gets awesome fuel economy (just got 33 mpg on a 4 hr road trip running 87 octane!) it can be driven in the winter, and it looks good! The black fender flares look awesome, as I like the rally heritage of the WRX, not the tuner looks most of the other guys do.
It does not deserve the WRX badge, Subaru is gone backwards with this one, what were they thinking or on? it looks, feels and sounds like another 4cly car on the road, its suppose to be different from the rest of the cars on the road, sorry to say Paul but you do need to go to spec savers.
Nice review, its not always about the 0-100 times. Its how the car drives and feels. Im still unsure about the huge plastic cladding in the rear though.
Went to the dealership yesterday. The rear bumper is terrible. In person, there is no improvement. I could have done a better job and I don’t often say this about anything.
The mpg is about the same as my 21 sti... and this is slower, softer, almost as expensive, and doesn't look nearly as good. I'm definitely keeping the sti.
For me it just resembles a standard saloon car like many, at least they kept the front scoop to let people know it's a Subaru. What's with the brakes and rear spoiler? I've driven Impreza's since 2000 owning 3 Sti one Wrx and a 2000 Turbo and this for me is going backwards, I would rather buy my own Sti Hawkeye from myself. 😉
Subaru is being a tight arse with this cars exterior plastics, space saver spare tyre and the infotainment system should never lag on new cars. 🤦 Car manufacturers need to go back to the days of simply building cars so we can toss out their crap radios and upgrade them for custom stereo systems.
I came in expecting somewhat to be disappointed, and came out feeling the same. Feels like a poor mans WRX, just doesnt do it for me, Im sure its a nice car but it doesnt have that WOW factor for me, my personal opinion.
That is the power as tested on regular fuel. If you put premium fuel, particularly 98 Ron (93 octane) the power and smoothness increases significantly. Reviewers that only have access to 91 octane also have a slight power increase, albeit less than the 93 octane: this year’s wrx is very octane sensitive, so much so that you hear people getting gains just putting more ethanol in the tank. Octane booster works too.
Also, I want to mention that the break-inperiod affects the boost. For the first 1000 miles (I.e. test drives) you get 12 psi (which is what car reviewers advertise). Somehow, after that, you get upwards of 14 psi, or more power. This is not advertised
Just for context: I have personally been able to clock 5.6 seconds to sixty in just sport mode on the cvt model-in the rain. The power is underrated. I have video to prove it.
Nice review! I have tested both the wagon (auto) which is what I was planning on buying and the sedan RS manual. As a previous WRX and EVO IX owner the wagon and auto were not my thing (excellent but clinical). To my surprise the Manual was a pure joy though. Got out of it with the biggest smile. So I ordered one- think this may be one of the last truly engaging characteristic cars I will be able to buy. The manual is a gem- and I’m an auto driver through and through.
120kmh-160kmh amazing. u get what u pay for. its a proper entry level sports car. they probably added the cd player for those loyal customers in their 40's-50's. for the exhaust sound they could add switch for silent mode and loud mode..its the best of both worlds.
@@TheCortassa i need awd because i like to drive a sports car but i live in Vermont so we get snow and ice for 4 or 5 months of the year i want a nice snappy daily driver that can carve the back roads but also get me to work and the ski hill in all weather. Wrx sti was what i wanted for the best price point at the time. Don't get me wrong i love the fiesta even not in st form. I had more fun in an standard fiesta on dirt than i ever had in my previous wrx and i used to drive light fwd cars in vt winters but i just prefer a bit extra weight and the awd. The fiesta is a nice nimble little car. It's too bad i heard they discontinued them as well.
The WRX is the only modern sports car without a proper built-in launch control system for either transmission, and it’s the only car where the Automatic option is slower than the manual option 0-100 (roll on is different) because they decided to go with a CVT, sorry “SPT”, rather than a proper transmission for a performance car like a DCT or ZF Auto. Factory claimed 0-100 time is 6 seconds flat, which is slower than a WRX of 20-25 years ago, which is shocking as it is the only performance car that gets slower overtime due to every new generation getting heavier with no to very minimal increase in power from factory, I mean they jumped from a 2.0L to a 2.4L and could only extract an extra 5kW and no increase in torque while a GR Yaris/Corolla pumps out 200-220kW and 370Nm from a tiny 1.6L 3 banger. Most people would get high 6s-low 7s while doing a 0-100 test, if you want to achieve the factory claim you’ll have to really abuse the transmission especially in the manual to achieve that.
Have a 16 STI and was eagerly waiting for the next gen WRX. Not only did they let us down on this new Gen but also killed the STI along with it. Now I m waiting for my Proto Z to arrive. Sorry Subaru
Carplay seems quite laggy to me, wired only ugh... and only USB A? I don't even own a non-C lightning cable anymore... and really a CD player, what is this 2000s? Seriously wouldn't of cost much to modernise that a bit more. Rest of stuff I could live with.
I love the design of the new 2012 Honda Civic. Also,. I'm glad they didn't put any safety features on the manual. If you buy a manual car then it's a drivers car. Pay attention to the road. It does get expensive to fix those features when they break
Paul, those safety controls are more of a nuisance. The autobraking in my BMW almost gave me seatbelt wiplash. And those auto lane control, have you tried using that in suburban roads
Well done to Subaru for still building “drivers cars”, without the horrible intrusive, and at times dangerous pretend “divers aids”, which are only meant for inattentive drivers who don’t care about the skill of driving… IMO I believe some of theses “drivers aids” to be dangerous on very dark and wet twisty roads, especially where the car gets confused and “suddenly” hard brakes on a corner, or yanks the steering wheel mid corner because it cannot make out the lines on the road. Thank you 🙏 again to Subaru for still building drivers cars for people who still respect the art of good driving… Side Note: Thank you to BMW for at least putting a quick off button to these “drivers aids” (stability and traction control stay on), so when you are in this situation, you can switch it off for safe twisty road driving…
It’s always bizarre that cars at this price point lack basic safety features that cars far cheaper have. It shouldn’t just be accepted. I’m also not sold on the looks on this years model.
You mean eyesight, and stuff where it moves the wheel for you? The only thing systems like that do is make the road less safe for everyone. It just allows people to not pay attention and stare at their phone more while driving. I think those so called safety features are the worst thing to ever happen to cars
I would have liked Subaru to offer colour coded flares as an option, and the wagon in a manual. It looks like I will hold onto my 07 Liberty manual wagon for a bit longer
The only thing Subaru have meaningfully changed in the last 20 years is the price. Quality is okay, design is non-existent, engine upgrade is laughable. 20 years ago I had one. This new one is very similar to my 20 year old car (which was faster). Buy a golf for the money - much better car. I wouldn’t pay over 40k for one of these.
I would truly recommend that Subaru adapt the interior dashboard and display screen of either the Outback or WRX into the Forester. The Dual Screen design of the current Forester is looks clutters and slapped together. The dashboards and display screens in these two vehicles out shine the one in the Forester.
You don't get the sound you want from the car because the setup is totally different, your header's aren't like the old Rex for a reason. It uses a twin scroll turbo for less lag and a bit more power so the exhaust and header's are set up to suit. That's why on the last model it was the same other than the STI. The STI used the old engine with the different length header's and exhaust. The newer cars are not designed for that. It is a much better engine but unfortunately without the noise you want. I have a 2017 WRX, and when you plant your foot down, you do get a beautiful note, just not the old school one. You can also hear that larger twin scroll turbo as well. There is nothing wrong with the sound of my car.
As a massive hater of the sling when I first saw photos, I've grown to like it. Funny how that happens. I owned a 2022 DCT i30N hatch for 6 months and as a daily drive, wasn't for me as much as I'm doing about 500-600km a week. So I went Mr sensible and swapped it for a Diesel CX5. As far as owning a fun Sunday drive car, I would very much consider this new WRX in a manual with a tune and exhaust upgrade.... The front wheel drive as good as the i30N is, is a bit of a downer in my eyes...
Your launch and gear shifting for the 0-100 test was perfect. Was the rain preventing the car from reaching the claimed 0-100 or is Subaru exaggerating?
Unfortunately it rained all day. And typically with these tests I’ll just do it once. I think with dry road and a few attempts it wouldn’t be too hard to achieve their claim. If you have a look at Performance Drive, Brett recently managed closer to 6 on a dry surface.
Paul, you mention the road noise is quite loud and intrusive. Is that simply due to the brand of the tyres fitted or is the vehicle suffering from a general lack of sound insulation?
I test drove the $62,000aud ($44,000usd) WRX TS(sport) which is the auto CVT and it felt really planted but felt slower and less aggressive than both my old 2006 4 cylinder Camry Sportivo and 2022 Camry Hybrid SL. I was expecting close to 370Z performance but yeah i was very disappointed its not even close, I'd say expect 4 cylinder Camry levels of speed...the manual seems much much better.
Waiting on them to make an Impreza version of this without the excessive bodykit. The base design of the car looks good and the interior finally shed its million buttons and looks Volvo-esque. Leave it to Subaru to put a droney CVT and a lifeless 2.0 NA engine on the regular car though… can’t we just have a 2.0T, a 6/8sp auto and no body kit as a nice daily sports luxe sedan?
I think you will be waiting a while.. although subaru has no sense or care about what their performance market wants so they might do something crazy like that
Traded a BRZ for a WRX Premium, love the car, much more drivable, WRX doesn't have the weird engine tuning the BRZ had, manual transmission works better, also like the grip, WRX seems really planted. Exterior looks don't matter much to me, subaru has a reputation for wonky looking cars on occasion, plastic cladding on the fenders is a good defense for the careless nitwits at the supermarket.
Barf! Looks like a Crosstrek GT concept. Yes the ride is refined and it does handle very well. Interior is nice in Limited and GT version. Sterling wheel, Love. Transmission? Bulky, notchy and subpar. Nowhere near a Sti transmission. Performance? 1st gear is a total dog. From 2nd gear on it does pick up a bit, but still no Sti. Looks? Barf! You may learn to like it, but you’ll never love it. They’re our currently 40 WRX sitting at my local dealership in N. California. Nobody is buying these cars and they have lowered the price across the board $3000 bucks. I’ve seen on guy in his 60’s driving one and a middle age women driving another. $30k plus for one, I’d get a used Sti and modded it out.
Gr corolla would eat this, especially in the hands of a pro driver. The gr gives the sti a run for its money, and this compared to an sti is like comparing a wet noodle to a katana
