Why The NEW Subaru WRX Is A HUGE Sales FLOP 

I bought one for a daily driver and I absolutely love it. It's fun to drive, feels planted, handels great and the AWD system is fantastic.

The 2.4L engine is WAY WAY WAY undertuned. With just a tune, I'm getting 317hp and 348lb/ft of torque to the wheels. It's a beast of a little car. Fun to drive. I have the base model, so for $30k plus $725 for the Cobb AccessPort and $150 for the Drunkmann tune...it's incredibly fun. I can't think of a car you can buy for the same money that performs as well and has AWD to boot.

It's so hard to drive in the break in period. I'm always getting challenged by everyone from minivans to comparable turbos to v8s.

Clickbait - this February literally had the HIGHEST WRX sales numbers of any February EVER

It's actually a good car , but Subaru f'ed up when it discontinued the STi.

The 2.4 L engine is not what is limiting the power output of the new WRX. It is the CVT transmission that Subaru has made mandatory on high end WRX versions that limits power. Tuners of the previous generation WRX confirmed that the CVT cannot handle any more power than about 268 hp. Subaru is pushing the automatic transmission for mass market appeal and for complete control of the engine rpm for emissions control reasons. Too bad they have to have a CVT.

Not sure why the hate. I like this one and it's the first Rex I've liked since probably the horseshoe grill. Hp numbers never tell the whole story and those who know know. I was offered a new WRX the other day for 31k! I was sorely tempted.

I have a 23 WRX manuel in the garage next to my 22 LC. I honestly like the car. I got a good deal on it the dealer had loads of them on the lot. Its funny cause the blue reflects off my Infrared to make what I would call Ultrasonic, its like a blue red purple... so awesome.

Subaru sales across the board have increased 8.3% from 1st quarter of last year. This change of your click-bating your content has become irritating.

I’m not 100% convinced it is the plastic flares. People love things like the 911 Dakar Porsche. So if they had made a painted wrx, then made this one with plastic flares, lifted it 1.5” and called it a rally edition, people would pay more for the plastic outfitted wrx. They just forgot to lift it and market it that way. 11:52

Fender flares are perfect. It suits its purpose. The only people complaining about it don't use what the car are meant to be. Going through dirt and gravel off roads can protect the car from paint chips.

They need to bring back the hatch. As a long term Subaru owner I’m waiting for Outback Hybrid with Toyota technology.

I'd vote for Pedro! The new WRX is like the woman you _should_ marry - perhaps not a 10 in the looks department but everything else is sorted - low maintenance, dependable / reliable, happy and not-psycho!

Another guy that just talks about horsepower. The new WRX has a better power/ torque curve. It drives real nice and is a white canvas for tuning. There is a lot more than just Horsepower.

What are you talking about? The sales figures for Q1, January to March 2023 are some of the strongest in a decade.

I Like The Car In Black Only!

I agree with everything you say about this car!We need a new STI

I just bought one in red. I like the fender flares. The rear bumper is another story though. As far as the power, the power band is great. If you are looking for one car to daily that can still be fun then the power train is fantastic. Plenty of power all through the rev range so it’s way better than the last model when you are stuck in traffic.

Bro can afford a STI and a new WRX …

Interesting but odd...Subaru just reported major uptick in WRX sales for March 2023 - roughly 1000% higher than last year. Also, our local Subaru dealer is doing ADM on the Solterra.

If the new wrx has 300hp, it will need bigger brakes and the price will be much higher. The manual top trim is already priced at previous gens base STi.

This assessment is wrong and errant. You aren’t looking at the market trend which is roughly the same percentage decline for civics, corollas, and golf’s. Subaru was building the units to order and the other makers had stock pile because they’re weren’t releasing a brand new model during the ‘demic, and subaru suffered more because of chip shortages during a new product release. Your assessment is very flawed especially toward the end of last year where supplies started flowing and people started showing up to buy them because they could touch them at more dealerships and the end of the year influx left them with a bunch of 22s two months before 23s we’re coming out. No dealership wants least years new model next to this years. The car sales are on par with almost every other competitor with exception of the Elantra which had sales increases faster than the competitors. Can’t call it a flop based off of the numbers. They might not be pretty to everyone but buyers are showing up to get them.

I drive alot. I would spend alot in fuel with a WRX.

Definitely not true according to 2023 sales. I've started to see a lot of them now

If there’s too much change, people complain. If there’s not enough change, people complain 🤷‍♂️

Everything is subjective. Some people will love it, some will hate it. I don't HATE the look, but I wonder what in the hell they were thinking with the fender flares and the rear end cladding. Good grief. It's still a fantastic, fun car, but I'll stick with my 2019 until the wheels fall off.

I got over $2000 knocked off the price for my '22, all the way back in like June of last year. I was stunned. People just HATE this car for some reason. Coming from a VA WRX, this car is far more composed, grips better, accelerates smoother, and removed a lot of the harshness/herky jerky of the last one. I DO think they should've given it 300HP though. In this day and age, a WRX really should be competing with Civic Type R whereas the STI should be competing with the likes of BMW 340i and Audi S4 like it always did back in the day. Actually, on second thought... in 2005, an STI would've ran with an E46 M3 and a C55 AMG. It would've handily beat the 330i of the time. So if Subaru was trying to compete with the same cars they did before, they'd be putting out a 370+ HP WRX to compete with CLA45 AMG. But they aren't, and they won't. They now believe the WRX should compete with the likes of Civic Si and Golf GTI, and that the STI just doesn't need to exist at all.

The rear of the new WRX is horrible. I feel like John is trying to like the car. It doesn’t get better, it plays on your mind, in the end you sell the car.

It was a flop because the Elantra N offered more for the money. 2022/2023 WRX is a great car but the competition was basically giving you a STi for same money.

Best value for money sporty sedan available today. No question. Sedans in general have been going down in sales for years now so the lack of sales is not representative of the WRX as a vehicle. At all. It is a great car.

I have the 2022 wrx premium no sunroof. I'm Ok with the cladding not painted. I like it but I would like more tech features, and a more aggressive punch on 1st gear (I had a 2019 ND miata and it was great how that car starts to elevate lol on 1st gear even as a slow car) other than that is OK. The price was great too at the dealership. No complaints on my WRX. Oh... I really love it doing the cornering. That thing is solid 😂.

/eyeroll emoji... The WRX is down because we're in a global parts supply crunch and Subaru has had nothing on the lots for the longest time. That means they prioritize production and sales to high volume/high margin, namely the Outback. If you went on any lot during the pandemic everything was out but they always tried to keep the Outbacks in stock because they needed to sell stuff, make money and keep the lights on. The current WRX isn't going to hit the same sales totals as previous generations because it isn't 2018 any more, it's not going to hit the sales figures of the previous generation, it just has to hit the sales target that the company needs it to do in the current environment.

I see these things everywhere what you mean????

Focus RS, 350/350? No comparison in stock form?

WRX buyers cant fit 3 car seats into them so off to the 3 row or mini vans where is the cool deck spoiler

"if you're impressed, that says something.....". It sure does Ben, it sure does.

You’re missing what I feel is likely the most relevant proof of slow sales: supply. I work for Subaru and in my region we can’t get ANY in stock. For every one we’ve sold we get 7 calls from folks who are very interested in demoing one and possibly purchasing. Supply still hasn’t rebounded since Covid.

You are completely right about the power of the new WRX. Motor Week was able to get a 5.8 0-60 time out of the Outback wilderness, which is pretty much the same time as the WRX GT. The Outback is bigger, heavier, and much more practical... plus, the cool factor of the "off-roader" wagon. So, which one should you buy? Well, there's a 23 Wilderness sitting in my driveway instead of a WRX.

So 3 months in they have ~7500 units sold. extrapolating that would be 30k units this year, how is this less than previous years?! Such typical nonsense and misinformation.

The WRX flopped because the price raised and black plastic cladding. Plus the STi died and there isn’t anything to get excited about. Sad that Subaru did this. Someone should be fired!

Subaru sales of the wrx were above normal from February. There are other user reporting high sales numbers. I recently bought thos car as my daily and i would say to anyone, stop listening to the whinning about the cladding and drive this car. So fun! Absolutely love it and it performs and handles very well. Nice clutch. Dont be swayed by the people reviewing only paper numbers and go see how the car performs.

So.... I feel like your didn't really touch on why it's a sales flop in the video. Personally, I think it is possibly down to the other options on the market. Look at the Core edition Corolla GR at 35k vs the WRX. Can you get the GR for that money? Doubtful, but comparably, the GR is by FARRRRR the better option in most circumstances for example. It's just bettter value for money for the perf you get. I LIKE the WRX, I just don't love it. Make some minor improvements and it will be so much better an option.

5:00 You should get the short shifter if your doing that.

The plastic fenders and the ridiculous stereo design are major killers for me. I like to install an amp and subs in my cars and the plastic is cheap looking. My local Subaru dealers are all selling the WRX for $3k over msrp.

If I had to guess it’s because dealers kept marking it up. 😂 But I was waiting for the new STi, when they said it wasn’t being released I bought a tesla model 3 performance instead… I don’t think I’ll ever go back to Subaru.

The CVT is not helping. The lack of STi is also not helping. The pricing is ok. Just add a wing and a DCT for those who won't row, and the existing car would be selling more. I love the car honestly. The BRZ is the only other car I am considering. Will depend on the climate where I am at time of purchase.

dude, back the camera up from your face..................

Ugly fender flares and rear bumper.

I love mine more than i thought i would. Amazing bang for the buck. I will be doubling the power in a few weeks. 💪

After much research for a fun car, I got one of these a few days ago. You don't realize how good the build quality is until you get it into your garage. I chose it over BMW's, Audi S3, GTI, and Nissan Z. Statistically WRX's have low depreciation too.

12:22 Im not one to turn down more power... but honestly the car is very well balanced as is. I have no problem besting 90% of cars in traffic, your just wanting this for the spec sheet. That attitude should be stopped. When is good enough good enough? I can and have run from the cops why does it need to be faster? Im just saying. And after that? What about the new Tesla that comes out? Should that be 1.5 seconds to 60 or its rubbish? I mean jesus guys. You all bitch and moan about those times but none of you ever partake in them but ones or twice on a open road and then you close the box forever. I mean WTF?!

Nice car! I see many older WRXs on Long Island. But I don't see any VBs at all. Thinking of getting one in white. At first I didn't like the cladding. Now I kinda like it.

7:44 Yea mine has a few rattles. I don't mind it on the Subi. I MIND it w/ my LC, i have to take that in because the driver seat is making this plastic on plastic sound in my left ear over the shoulder driving me NUTS

Just ordered a custom limited with all extras. Can’t wait!

The problem is looks. Nothing else. Power is comparable and reasonable. It’s just a hot mess in terms of visuals.

Great review bud. Honest, that's getting rarer by the day...lol It sucks that Subaru is dropping the manual transmission in the rest of the lineup. Why not offer it as an option? I was looking to get a new Crosstrek in the fall, but now there won't be any manual available. And the CVT is NOT an option. And if you follow the forums, I'm not the only one thinking this way. Subaru, are you listening?

I would buy one this year if I could get color matching flairs and if they had just a lil more power. I have a 2016 that I love but I'm not trading that car for a newer wrx. I've seen the paint match fender flairs and it at least makes the car look a lil like a Subaru. Right now it looks like and outback

I feel like everyone is ragging on this car. Its a RALLEY car. The unpainted bits go w/ that. That said i do believe they should have offered a painted option package for 1500 for all those who are loosing their minds over it. Chill.

Takes premium gas in the same engine that the ascent and outback take regular

Just got a 2023 WRX premium, the technology alone makes me enjoy driving it more than my 2014. I got the black so the fenders blend in pretty well

What they need to do is shoot for a Mitsubishi copy cat, bump the power to 292hp, And fine all you got is a Cvt, well? Make a built one to handle the power bump, Boom, Entry Engine (Proper) for a Baja comeback. Partner with some aftermarket brand for accessories. However, Subaru is small, their main market is the US, the EV push, Covid shutdowns, thats a lot of stress on the size of the automaker, especially since Toyota has what, 20%? Basically all im saying is.. Subaru needs money to do all the stuff we wish for.

I love my 22 base WRX. Car sticks to the road in acceleration and sharp turns. I have to work to get it to break traction on asphalt.

Don't let the stock numbers fool you.

I was at the NY car expo and was kinda surprised how nice the interior felt and looked compared to honda, toyota. that front bumper is killing me with ford fusion looks but i’m tempted

I've seen so many races between the new WRX and older STIs and the new WRX easily keeps up with them. the powerband in this new wrx is SOOO much better. it's really quite impressive honestly. numbers don't mean anything other than for reference really

is this on the far side of the moon, are we on the same planet?

Apparently the dealers didn’t get the memo, my local dealers want sticker for the base and premiums on the limited, premium and gt.

Lies that 1st and second gear sucks.

A car has to look good in order for me to be inspired to drive it. This car just looks bad. Until they improve the looks I won't consider purchasing one. And I'm not just talking about painting the plastic. This car needs a full refresh with less plastic.

The owner of that Wrx looks like a GameStop cashier

I feel like they thought they could sell more if they made this more daily driver friendly.

LOL had to hate bait on the new VB chasis. Subaru left it up to consumers to create their own STI with this platform. Few bolt ons and a cobb pro tune can get you 350 hp and 400 torque easily without the engine exploding.

I just signed the lease for a 2022 Subaru WRX base trim last Friday (March 31st). Since Subaru was closing the first quarter of 2023 with so many 2022 WRXs still waiting on the dealer lots, they were offering great rates for financing and for leasing (leasing offer was available only on the base trim). As of today, there are still 193 2022 WRXs in New England area Subaru dealers. So many previous year models left over! To make matters worse for Subaru, there are also 167 2023 WRXs available, which have MSRPs $1,000 more than the 2022 models and are exactly the same car! Now, Subaru has extended these finance and lease offers until May 1st. Even the 2023 WRX models offer some deals. I got my 2022 WRX for almost $3,000 below the MSRP! This is crazy folks, especially when you consider that the competition has long wait lists and dealer markups (e.g. Honda Civic Type R, Toyota GR Corolla). What is going on, people? What is Subaru doing? Why have they made so many bad design and performance choices with this new generation WRX, and why did they cancel the STI? Are they going to realize their mistakes and try to rectify them during the next refresh? I sure hope so. Everything was so much better when the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo was around... these two cars gave each other purpose and direction. :( Soooo, what do I think about the new WRX? All that black plastic is ugly, the tail lights look like from an old generation Honda Civic, and the performance increase from the last generation is miserable. Yet, I absolutely love the idea of having and enjoying this new WRX as my new daily driver for the next three years (and likely longer). I am a car guy and do not care much about creature comforts and technology features, so this base trim with the factory-installed STI short shifter is perfect for me. And I got it for under $30K! Hence, despite all of its flaws, I think the new WRX -- especially in base and premium trims -- is the deal of this decade, and also probably the last generation of ICE WRX you can buy before hybridization or full electrification hits. Think about it, how many performance compacts can you find right now with AWD, close to 300 hp, AND at around $30K? Only one! 2022 Subaru WRX! So if I were you and had been considering the new WRX as my next car, I would run to the nearest Subaru dealership with 2022 stock, negotiate the hell out of it, and get it. Wait! That is what I just did! ;) Good luck!

At least the head gasket issue is now resolved. That's a big plus.

Ok... you lost me at CVT. (2:43)...

I'm told by a Subaru dealer near me they don't even have any to show that sales on the WRX are so hot.

This video is a bit misleading with the sales part. The new WRX didn't have great sales in 2022 because there weren't many of them produced. I know because I had to pre-order ours and waited several weeks for it to arrive at the dealership. Maybe a tiny bit of the lack of sales was because of the "looks" etc etc., but there were many of us (in the Reddit community, at least) that were waiting on our cars. Right now, the car is selling really well. You see many of these cars on the lots now because Subaru is actually producing a lot of them now. That wasn't the case a year ago from today. To put into perspective, there were 1000% more sales of the new WRX this month of 2023 than the same month last year of 2022. The WRX has already sold more this first quarter than the amount of GRCs that would be produced in all of 2023 (in the US market).

Odd....I'm seeing an awful lot of VB's out here and my local dealer is having trouble keeping them on their lot, even the GT's. Maybe just some delivery issues, but still, demand seems to be there as they leave the second they hit the lot. Everyone else is over the flares already, if you don't like the black, I really doubt you would like the color matched flares any better, they don't look good. The only sales issues I'm seeing is due to delivery delays.

Been looking at these ! Some good prices on these now!

With all due respect you’re absolutely clueless. Even now in 2023 in Canada, there wasn’t a single WRX available to pick up in a 6 hours driving radius. The only one I could find was a showroom automatic they didn’t want to sell or a 6 speed manual coming from Japan. Why? Because they were all bought 😂.

Waah waaah! Cars cost too much! Waah waah! Your civic si competitor needs to make civic type r horsepower to be relevant!

I don't know about the numbers. 7600 units 4 months ago, what April? A third of the way through the year so on track for 21,000 units for 2023?

I would like the base model to have blind and cross........ Painted fender flares would be nice as an option, I am not totally hating on the flares as they sit as in person they do look fine and the care looks better in person...

Is it a decline in sales, or a low production? I went to my local Subaru last week to try a 2023 WRX.. It was not possible, cuz they recieve only 2/months, and they are all reserved/sold for the next 6 months at least...

Sales flop? 25,000+ sold and probably will beat 2016 record….

Personally, I never thought it looked ugly.

Don’t forget to breath

Can't you say the same thing for ever other sedan to include the Camry and Accord?

These are nice cars. I was just shocked at the price being so high. However you are wrong the WRX is selling very well. Considering the bad economy and high price it selling amazingly well despite the failed economy.

The 2.4 engine was also a reason why the car sales flopped. Subaru were sneaky lifting a SUV engine from the accent and trying to put the old manual gearbox but it only revs to 6000rpm.. it was just a big cup of wrong.. in 2010 the wrx 0-60 time was 5.2secs and in 2022 it’s 5.9secs?? It needed another 1000rpm in the top end to make it reasonable.. it screams to me of no budget for Subaru

I just bought a VA. . . No regrets. Love the looks, 57K miles. :) No hate on the new one though, I hope subbie makes a sick STI.

If I had the money left after buying a new Forester Wilderness I would buy one of these too. PS there is a waiting list to get a new Subaru so I highly doubt that they are not selling well

Actually no. Not now. Not according to current North Americans sales figures.

What is that white tank you are driving?

I don't think it's not selling very well...they can't make enough of them. I been trying to get one for some time

I am a owner of my Fourth Subaru WRX, i like the look of this new WRX model, But,,, all this horrible black plastic turns me away from purchasing this new Rex, may be i need more time ?. I do like the look of the new WRX GT, if only we could get it into Australia ? 🥺

Can't really compare the WRX to a type R bro there is like $10-15k price difference between base models. Would buy the new WRX without a second thought if it came as a hatchback tbh. I actually really like the front of the car but the back and sides are a little cringe. Still, doesn't look bad in grey or black. Silver is actually decent too. Considering one of these vs a BRZ at the moment.

People just go for hype. They'd rather pay $50k for a gr corolla than $30k for a wrx just so others can say to them "omgzzzz what a sweet corolla!".

I want a Levorg in North America. That's all I need. I'm currently about to pull the trigger on an Outback XT just because we don't have the Levorg here.

14:22 I already purchased one. Its in my garage in blue.