And while the cladding certainly does seem better suited to a crossover than a sporty car, it makes a bit more sense when you consider the WRX's rally-bred roots anyone planning on hooning down dirt and gravel roads will likely appreciate the lack of touch-up paint they'll need. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course - and while I wouldn't claim the Rex is beautiful, I would say it's reasonably handsome, especially compared to the rather milquetoast-in-looks Honda Civic or the exaggerated looks of the Nissan Sentra or Toyota Corolla. The new WRX's looks also took a fair bit of heat when it came out, for everything from its taillights to its oddly extensive unpainted body cladding. The WRX is potent enough to make it fun, while not being so powerful as to put you in license-losing territory every time you floor it. That's a thrill in many a sporty car, of course - but even if you're lucky enough to find one that still has a stick to let you do so, you might well be doing 20 over the limit in just a couple seconds. This car turns freeway on-ramps into carnival rides push right up to the limit of grip as you carve through the turn in second gear, then as you straighten out, mash the gas, ride it all the way to redline, then slam off the 2-3 shift as fast as you can. Still, out on the streets, the WRX is plenty powerful enough to be a hoot. On paper, however, the 2022 model isn't much of a leap over its predecessor while it has a new engine, it makes just four hp more than the outgoing version, and the exact same amount of torque. At least, that's the idea.īefore the new-gen WRX launched, hopes were high that it would see a significant power and performance bump over the previous model. And while its more powerful STI sibling may not be returning anytime soon, the WRX is back for one more go in the saddle as an affordable, relatively simple, gas-powered performance car that you can also use as a daily driver. The Subaru WRX has been a staple of the affordable performance car market here ever since Subaru finally decided to bring it over for the 2002 model year. There's one exception, however: the car affectionately known by some as the Rex. Today, however, Subarus are better-known for their pet-friendliness than their performance. Not so long ago, Subaru was building hotted-up versions of the Legacy and Forester, or offering not one but two high-powered Outbacks at the same time. The brand saw sales rise for more than 70 consecutive quarters, as buyers responded warmly to the idea of many different flavors of vehicles that drove like cars but could play-act at being SUVs.īut it's also hard not to feel like a bit of the brand's delightful quirkiness was lost along the way - especially when it comes to sporty vehicles. market, attempting to separate itself from the pack with fun features like four-wheel-drive and extra ground clearance. ![]() ![]() ![]() Back in the '80s and '90s, it was a scrappy upstart of a Japanese car company in the U.S. Subaru has come a long way since the days of Paul Hogan and pioneering LGBTQ-friendly ads.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |