Subaru Viziv Performance Concept - Now the 2022 Subaru WRX

[05XR8]

Perhaps, but that shouldn't really apply to the WRX which is not really much heavier than it's ancestor 20 years ago - it's only 150lbs heavier than the 2002 WRX per google, and nobody described that car as slow. It's actually impressive that Subaru has managed to build an AWD performance sedan that weighs less than 3500lbs. Amazingly, it's only gone up in price by about $4,000. That means its $6,000 cheaper than the 2002 car, adjusted for inflation.

Perhaps the bigger engine with less boost is a lot less zingy than the previous car. I can understand it if the car feels like it's underperforming.

True about the less boost.

Depends on how high the mountains are. Altitude is always forgotten on this subject. Maybe too many journalists are testing in California or something. "I need a good driving road. Off to the mountains at 9000 feet!" Turbochargers are a buffer for the difference, but still.

With that said, surely the last thing the industry needs now is more 350-400+ horsepower cars. Like, all across the board -- from fun sporting driving, to burning less oil, to severe economic anxiety. I've driven an ND just like yours. 👍 👍 As far as I'm concerned, automakers need to get their **** together and build more cars like that with more seats and doors.

You‘re right about less power. The Impreza RS were fine with the 165hp engine(I think the Pontiac Bonnevilles from the same period, had about 30 more hp from a V6). It was just the rest of the world got the WRXs and “we” were missing out in the states, at the time. Then, 225hp wasn’t enough. Then, STI came with a satisfactory 300hp. I guess to justify prices today, more power or more electronics are required.

Now, Subaru are previewing their EV. The instant acceleration age just negates any power war. 5-6second 0-60mph are normal. Features, range and charging time, are key factors over “bhp” numbers.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

(language warning)



Interestingly, Subaru added dimples to the body cladding which helps with aerodynamics

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Those guys still annoy me a bit, but man do they provide a thorough review. I really appreciate the analysis of things like the revised power steering geometry and engine torque characteristics. The result is that I think I have a lot more respect for the new car than I did before. I'm finding it hard to choose anything else over the new WRX - particularly when VW completely nerfed the interior of the new GTI and other competitors use so much fakery and faux-premium design choices. The WRX is still fairly honest, despite the absurd screen. The fact that they didn't do pumped in audio is almost literally unbelievable. I might even close my eyes and go for the double-screen base model.

edit: That torque curve is interesting. There appears to be something very intentional going on at 2,000rpm to sharply blunt the torque. Boost limiter maybe? From how they describe the driving experience, it doesn't seem like the engine is pulling timing. Honestly, it looks like how I would expect a torque curve of an engine with a restrictor plate installed. I wonder if there is some sort of intake-side bottleneck designed in to keep velocity high and torque extremely linear - kinda like WRC powerplants...or how Ferrari intentionally limits boost at lower RPMs to make their engines feel more exciting on the top-end.

edit2: I think it's interesting the comment about Subaru and how they haven't made substantial gains in HP in the 20 years they've been selling the WRX in the US market. That's absolutely true and I've been thinking about this lately. What's also true is that the WRX has the single highest residual value of any car sold here. An older one is as expensive, just about, as a new one. As a result, it's actually someone difficult to justify buying a used one. Not only is it difficult to justify buying a used one, a potential customer can buy a new one without fear of strong depreciation and without fear that the next one is going to be vastly better. The strong resale value and enthusiast support is a self-supporting cycle that keeps the WRX alive and new ones shifting off the lots pretty regularly.

 

[Keef]

The result is that I think I have a lot more respect for the new car than I did before.

Subaru does this cool thing where they constantly make their new cars better than the previous generation...but nobody notices. I believe they're one of the worst car companies when it comes to modern marketing. They're surviving off of loyalty which was developed under a completely different era of marketing.

Edit: Your second edit is actually closely related to my comment lol. But I'm looking at it from a "Subaru kind of sucks" perspective. They suck but they won't die and their customer base isn't tempted by market competition. It's like the entire company and their customers exist in a separate little bubble where Subaru is life.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

WRX S4 STI Performance Concept

This is most likely what the STI will look like or future STI parts

Subaru's WRX S4, BRZ And Levorg Get The STI Performance Concept Treatment | Carscoops

The Subaru WRX S4, BRZ, and Levorg's STI Performance Concepts feature a host of aero upgrades

www.carscoops.com

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

That wing is awful.

 

[Keef]

Looks like that wing is actually based off the Sard wing for the FRS which is actually more subtle and looks good.

Regardless, this thing looks about as tall and skinny as a school bus. It's terrible. The damn thing looks like it's sitting on top the wheels like a Radio Flyer wagon.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

Yeah, the proportions are weird. The wheels seem extra small compared to the body around it

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

It's becoming obvious that these "global platform" cars are awful from a design perspective. They likely have really rigid hard points which constrain what designers can even do with the massing. I think this is why the new 2 series looks so ****ing ridiculous from the side. The font-axle to windshield to front crash structure are probably dictated by some predefined parameters which are engineered for the largest car on the platform. The 2 series just has to make due with the super long nose. In the case of Subaru, the WRX has to share the same platform as the Ascent, the Ascent! That's a three-row, 8 passenger mid-size SUV. Of course the proportions are bad.

 

[Veinz]

Big oof

 

[05XR8]

 

[ProjectWHaT]

His conclusion is that the Civic Si is better in terms inputs and comfort. The WRX has advantage of AWD and power

 

[c172fccc]

No ICE Subaru WRX STI for this gen. The wording makes it seems like we're still years away from a new STI.

As part of that effort, Subaru Corporation is exploring opportunities for the next generation Subaru WRX STI, including electrification. In the meantime, a next generation internal combustion engine WRX STI will not be produced based upon the new WRX platform.

STATEMENT ON SUBARU STI - Subaru U.S. Media Center

As the automotive marketplace continues to move towards electrification, Subaru is focused on how our future sports and performance cars should evolve to meet the needs of the changing marketplace and the regulations and requirements for greenhouse gasses (GHG), zero emissions vehicles (ZEV)...

media.subaru.com

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

-sad vaping noises-

 

[Hayden]

Well they just lost a certain sale.
I love and appreciate hybrids, but I really wanted one last proper petrol car. All those who snapped up the final edition STIs will be counting their lucky chickens. This announcement adds a good $10k to their value overnight.

 

[Keef]

Well they just lost a certain sale.
I love and appreciate hybrids, but I really wanted one last proper petrol car. All those who snapped up the final edition STIs will be counting their lucky chickens. This announcement adds a good $10k to their value overnight.

Lucky chicken? More like golden cock.

Them boys is rich. But most of them will probably trash their cars within a few years lol. Brobarus gonna bro.

 

[Veinz]

Rip

 

[CodeRedR51]

Toyota is going to steal all of those sales very soon. And with a hatchback that has been asked for that Subaru refuses to offer.

 

[Aphelion]

Lucky chicken? More like golden cock.

Them boys is rich. But most of them will probably trash their cars within a few years lol. Brobarus gonna bro.

This is honestly the biggest factor in the skyrocketing WRX prices. Everyones suddenly realised most of them have been ruined.

 

[Hayden]

I heard the local Subaru dealer was having a WRX event next weekend so figured I’d swing by and see if the cars had arrived yet. Turns out, they arrived yesterday.

When I first saw pictures of this car, I really, really hated the plastic. In person, I’m not too proud to admit, it’s actually not that bad. Not perfectly to my taste, but it kinda works and I think I’ll get used to it.

To my surprise, after telling the dealer I had an order down on the GR Corolla, he was grabbing the keys and telling me to take the WRX for a drive. One of the first people in SA to do so

Jumping straight out of my GT86 and into the WRX made for an interesting comparison. The WRXs steering is much lighter, it feels a fair bit faster, it’s tons grippier and the cabin is much more modern and airy. It feels very rigid, responsive and tight, but rides much better as well. It’s a fair bit quieter, and doesn’t make the level of boxer-y turbo-y noises I was hoping for, but it’s still sounds like a Subaru.

All in I was quietly very impressed.

It’s 20KG heavier and 16KW less powerful than the GR, but hugely more practical for boot space & rear leg room, which is the main thing leading me from the 86. Add to that the entry price of under $50k AUD (possibly $20k less than the Toyota), the fact the dealer is actually willing to negotiate, I’m guaranteed to get a car and it’s likely it could arrive by September, and I’m awfully conflicted.

I really expected to hate how it looked but it’s just not the case. I’ve got some thinking to do 🤔

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

View attachment 1157175
I heard the local Subaru dealer was having a WRX event next weekend so figured I’d swing by and see if the cars had arrived yet. Turns out, they arrived yesterday.

When I first saw pictures of this car, I really, really hated the plastic. In person, I’m not too proud to admit, it’s actually not that bad. Not perfectly to my taste, but it kinda works and I think I’ll get used to it.

To my surprise, after telling the dealer I had an order down on the GR Corolla, he was grabbing the keys and telling me to take the WRX for a drive. One of the first people in SA to do so

Jumping straight out of my GT86 and into the WRX made for an interesting comparison. The WRXs steering is much lighter, it feels a fair bit faster, it’s tons grippier and the cabin is much more modern and airy. It feels very rigid, responsive and tight, but rides much better as well. It’s a fair bit quieter, and doesn’t make the level of boxer-y turbo-y noises I was hoping for, but it’s still sounds like a Subaru.

All in I was quietly very impressed.

It’s 20KG heavier and 16KW less powerful than the GR, but hugely more practical for boot space & rear leg room, which is the main thing leading me from the 86. Add to that the entry price of under $50k AUD (possibly $20k less than the Toyota), the fact the dealer is actually willing to negotiate, I’m guaranteed to get a car and it’s likely it could arrive by September, and I’m awfully conflicted.

I really expected to hate how it looked but it’s just not the case. I’ve got some thinking to do 🤔

Is it really? Aside from pure volume calculations, I would expect the hatchback Corolla to be more practically useful. Can you elaborate?

 

[Korza]

Is it really? Aside from pure volume calculations, I would expect the hatchback Corolla to be more practically useful. Can you elaborate?

The boot in the current gen Corolla hatch is pathetically small. The WRX sedan has 30% more load capacity without folding the seats down.

@Hayden are you considering the sedan or the Sportswagon?

 

[Hayden]

@Eunos_Cosmo - @Korza has it correct.

Looking at the sedan. My wife hates wagons as a rule and I also prefer the sedan. A bit smaller than the wagon, but a vast improvement from my current car.

While the stacking room afforded by a hatch is an advantage, the boot in the Corolla is still pretty small. Bigger than the 86’s but not by as much as I was hoping.

Also important, as I plan on this being the last petrol car I ever buy, is that it will fit proper sized humans in the back. The Corolla is much better than my 86 in this regard, but the WRX is genuinely roomy.

Links to this fellas reviews on the new WRX and a current Corolla hybrid are below. He talks about practicality from about 8.20 onwards in each and does a good job demonstrating what I’m talking about.

 

[Keef]

Is it really? Aside from pure volume calculations, I would expect the hatchback Corolla to be more practically useful. Can you elaborate?

It's been clarified but yeah the current Corolla hatch is tiny. They basically lopped off the entire trunk section of the sedan and the only cargo capacity is whatever was left after the surgery. It's a full 10 inches shorter than the sedan.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

Subaru to race the WRX at the N24 this year, Subaru WRX NBR Challenge 2023

Subaru WRX Nurburgring 24 Racer Is What a New STI Should Have Been

Subaru stopped short of turning the 2023 WRX into a full-blown STI. If only it would have went crazy and given us this.

www.thedrive.com

The New Subaru WRX Looks Best as a Nürburgring 24-Hour Race Car

Later this month, a modified WRX will compete at the N24 in the SP4T class.

www.roadandtrack.com

This year, the WRX's new 2.4-liter turbo "boxer" flat-four lands it in a higher class, and it has been retuned accordingly. The engine generates 375 horsepower and 435 pound-feet of torque, which travel through a six-speed sequential manual to be split across all four wheels as always.

Its chassis stiffens up using a lighter, more rigid strut tower brace, and STI upgraded its front ball joints to larger, more durable units. The same goes for its six-piston front brakes and four-piston rears, while an aggressive splitter, skirts, diffuser, rear wing, and flat underbody optimize aero performance.

STI has entered the WRX in the SP4T category, which is for turbocharged cars displacing between 2.0 and 2.6 liters, and it's aiming for a class win. The WRX's FA24 2.4-liter flat-four gets tweaks to produce 375 hp and 435 lb-ft of torque, a substantial lift over the standard car's 271 hp and 268 lb-ft. Naturally, the engine pairs with a six-speed sequential gearbox, though unusually for a sports racing car, the WRX retains its all-wheel drive.

The SP4T class consists of just three cars this year, the WRX plus two Porsche 718 Caymans.

In addition, there appears to be a sportier WRX currently being tested. Most likely a "tS" variant rather than a full STI

2024 Subaru WRX hotter variant spy shots

New Subaru WRX variant may be a “tuned by STI” model.

www.motorauthority.com

The wheels are bigger than the standard 17-inch set found on the WRX, and they house a Brembo brake package with red calipers and cross-drilled rotors that almost reach the inner lining of the wheel rim. There's also a small spoiler attached to the trunk lid.

 

[1241Penguin]

2023 Subaru Prodrive WRX Prototype First Drive Review: The STI that isn't - Autoblog

Since Subaru won't build us a new STI, Prodrive decided to take a crack at it. Could this be enough to satisfy the STI faithful?

www.autoblog.com

Prodrive does the VB WRX. Comes with 30 more hp, upgraded brakes, suspension, and some really nice seats. Quite like what they've done to the fenders too, but still hoping for a better front and rear fascia.

 

[INEEDNAWZZZ]

See, that looks way better with body coloured cladding. I will say having watched videos over the past few years, I don't hate the looks as much as I did, but I'm still at odds as to why Subaru don't have an option to colour match it at all.

As an aside, I do like the seats in that Prodrive one. Very reminiscent of the original buckets you got in the GC/GF generation which puts a bit more character into the car IMO.

 

[05XR8]

I’ll agree about the matching cladding, but it’s still morphed into a Lancer evo of an EVO.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Subaru to race the WRX at the N24 this year, Subaru WRX NBR Challenge 2023

Subaru WRX Nurburgring 24 Racer Is What a New STI Should Have Been

Subaru stopped short of turning the 2023 WRX into a full-blown STI. If only it would have went crazy and given us this.

www.thedrive.com

The New Subaru WRX Looks Best as a Nürburgring 24-Hour Race Car

Later this month, a modified WRX will compete at the N24 in the SP4T class.

www.roadandtrack.com

In addition, there appears to be a sportier WRX currently being tested. Most likely a "tS" variant rather than a full STI

2024 Subaru WRX hotter variant spy shots

New Subaru WRX variant may be a “tuned by STI” model.

www.motorauthority.com

Late on this one - but does anyone else find it amusing that, for the race car, they have shoved a real diffuser under the fake road car dummyfuser? To be fair, I'm not sure you can call...whatever that it is... at the back of the WRX even a simulated diffuser at this point, it's just a huge mass of generic black plastic with some contours. I thought these might grow on me, but they have done the opposite. They look incredibly un-athletic in person, particularly from the back. Tall, skinny, and with tires that look too skinny for the large body, they don't look sporty at all.

@INEEDNAWZZZ I believe those are some custom tailored version of the Sparco SP seats. Very nice indeed.

 

[Keef]

Tall, skinny, and with tires that look too skinny for the large body, they don't look sporty at all.

Agreed. The face looks good, and obviously in race car trim it looks proper, but I'm pretty sure 4 inches of ground clearance won't cut it on the roads. An STi could've fixed all that - wider wheels, better fitment, lower it an inch or two. Even the Prodrive version looks incredibly lame.

I've always thought maybe Subaru designed the car for "everybody" knowing that the hardcore fans are going to modify it. There's plenty on the table to modify, that's for sure.