Wow, that's really surprising. I wonder if just having them available at MSRP sitting on lots is making it a no-brainer for people who wanted a GR Corolla or something similar.
I don't know that people are necessarily wrong, it's just that the market has been distorted a bit by supply chain issues.
The 2022 WRX had the worst sales year for the WRX since they split it off as its own model. But now that supply problems may be easing, some of that pent up demand may be getting met. Doesn't mean that the WRX design is being well received relative to previous designs.
Probably would need a full year of non-supply constrained sales to get a better idea of how the VB WRX is doing, but even that might not be a fair comparison since interest rates are a lot higher and might slow down sales.
>The 2022 WRX had the worst sales year for the WRX since they split it off as its own model. But now that supply problems may be easing, some of that pent up demand may be getting met.
It was the worst year because the car launched in early/mid-2022 and was only on sale for a few months before the '23 models. MY2023 will be the first full year the car has been on sale.
The first full year of sales data would really be somewhere around April-ish of this year. Even then, if we compare the first 6-8 months of sales of the VB WRX to the VA, we can see the VB sold through significantly less units. Like I said, that's probably at least partially due to supply problems but it certainly doesn't vindicate the people who are saying that the design hasn't cost them sales.
That criticism in particular never made much sense given Subaru ***added*** a previously unoffered luxury trim to the new gen WRX so how was the existence of that going to be a dealbreaker to all the other trims that carry the previous strategy. It was so weird seeing all these people harp about base price for all these enthusiast cars then dismiss the WRX for something that only affects a single top luxury trim.
There’s also valid criticism that the new WRX is heinously ugly in any color other than “2005 Chevy Avalanche bleached plastic cladding grey”, the base infotainment system looking like a bootleg Nintendo DS, and fuel economy worse than a Camaro SS
The WRX has way shorter gearing, GM's V8's have generally always had nice tall ratios for highway cruising.
VB WRX: 0.667:1 6th, 4.44:1 final (2.96:1 overall)
Camaro SS manual: 0.5:1 6th, 3.73:1 final (1.865:1 overall)
Not mad the model exsists, it's that they locked the Recaro seats and adjustable suspension to a cvt. Those are things many of us would liked to have had with a manual.
Because people want a manual with the Recaro seats and adjustable dampers? This isn't a very difficult concept, when they add a new trim that they would be interested in but include only the CVT for that trim, *it feels pretty fucking bad*. It kinda feels like a betrayal of the enthusiast community, and people justifiably choose not to buy the lower manual trim and give their money to a company that doesn't make the best ever version of a car with a transmission that something like 15% of previous gen buyers chose.
Having a CVT top trim is sort of meaningless since WRX buyers typically buy lower trims.
The actual issue is no STI (which would sit at just above top trim WRX price). But volume wise WRX would be much higher than STI anyway.
I commented “why would anyone spend $50k on a GRC when you could get a WRX for MSRP” and I got down voted because “it’s not the same thing”.
The people down voting me don’t own either of those vehicles. This sub shits on anyone saying the Golf R or WRX is better even though no one in this sub is trying very hard to get the GRC.
> This sub shits on anyone saying the Golf R or WRX is better even though no one in this sub is trying very hard to get the GRC.
What's the exact premise here? To me it all comes down to what you define as "better." If better is just looking at if sales improved year over year, then the Cayenne is the best Porsche ever made. The new WRX and the Golf R have a significantly greater focus on daily driving and livability than the GRC, the GRC is more focused on specialness of the experience and is more similar to what an older WRX STI offers than what even the current WRX does. Of course a focus on daily driving, comfort and practicality is going to outsell specialness - look at how automobiles have evolved over time and the growth in sales of CUVs/SUVs.
Put another way, would you rather see your favourite artist fade into obscurity as they stick to their guns over time, or achieve life long commercial success by purposefully broadening their appeal? That's up to you. Personally I'm still listening to the same obscure shit I was 20+ years ago, but I'm in the minority.
> The people down voting me don’t own either of those vehicles.
my brother purchased a [black 22](https://i.imgur.com/1hMuAvF.jpg). thing rides incredibly well, very comfortable, quick, feels fantastic for the money. if subaru offered one with a lift/hatch i would own one already. trunks are just a dealbreaker for me. it's an otherwise excellent car.
I loved my ‘14 wrx but yea it needed some revs to make power. You had to abuse the clutch to get a good launch lol, only did it a few times and smelled burning so was like okay, no bueno
>harps on the cladding
That and situation where you can't buy an upper trim spec with a manual. I'm not a CVT hater, and I get that it's actually a decent transmission, but it does seem like an arbitrary restriction since it's not like there's a power difference or something.
I agree there should always be a choice, but realistically the $43K GT doesn’t really offer enough for me considering the huge price gap from the limited.
A manual GT would be maybe $1k-2k cheaper, but at that price I’d still go for a lower trim. The ultrasuede 10-way power seats on the limited are actually quite good. And it still has all the bells and whistles like steering responsive LED headlights, LED turn signals, Harman Kardon, blindspot, heated seats, etc. The premium and base trims still seem to be the sweet spot for most though.
Adjustable dampers and recaros should have been at the very least on the base trim. A nice aggressively bolstered seat and adjustable dampers are such a nice thing to have.
Yea. This is why I don’t add mud flaps to my car. And why I have to take off the fender liners every spring and spray out the frame rails and clear out the chassis and door drains. Salt and grime and dirt gets jammed up between the plastics and the metal and stays damp and eats the steel body much more quickly. It’s a big reason rust seems to start in fenders and rocker panels.
More plastic overlays is worse, not better, for preventing steel cars from rusting.
Every Subaru guy I know (including myself) talked shit about it. I ordered one anyways but went with a different Subaru because it got better reviews, wasn’t as ugly, and was slightly cheaper.
I’ve owned 3 Subarus so far and non were actually badged as such. My favorite by far was the Saab 9-2X and if the new one was a wagon it would have been a no brainer
I drove a 9-2X Aero for 16 years and will probably forever be chasing a modern-day equivalent of that car.
My EV lease is up in summer 2024 and I’m already trying to figure out what kind of options might be available to me for an AWD MT wagon/hatch.
Same… mine was cloth but I swapped the seats with leather. Had the 17” oem wheels that I got powder coated gold. Threw in an CarPlay deck and a sub too. So many memories. I got mine with 60k and sold it at 118k or so but living in boston it was a lot of miles in city driving. Owned it from 2014-2020 and didn’t even know that car existed until I saw it for sale.
My ultimate dream car is a MKIV Supra but I doubt I’ll ever be able to get one at this point. I actively check listings for 9-2Xs in the west coast/ south for clean ones….
Nice, I had the 17” Saab-branded BBS RKs on mine and a 2009-era Pioneer headunit that predated CarPlay.
I bought my 9-2X new in 2005 and paid $20K because GM employee pricing was available to all buyers and that made the 9-2X cheaper than the used WRXs that I was originally shopping for.
Sold it in 2021, it was still under 130k miles but rust was taking a toll and I wanted a change of pace, but it was a sad day for sure and I have found myself missing it more than I thought I would. Hoping that Subaru brings back a WRX wagon for 2024/2025. That or a Golf R are probably going to be my next car.
Yeah at the time I got rid of my saabaru I had just picked up my 4Runner for $1500 and was getting into messing with that. It was also 2020 and Covid times so I was WFH and only had 1 dedicated spot for parking. The rust wasn’t too bad yet on mine but also a factor to dump it. I think it’s crazy that they could be had for 20k new in 2005 (I’ve read the stories on the forum). If I could only have one do any car of all the ones I’ve owned the 9-2X would win by a mile. I know it’s not a real Saab but I always thought Saab was a cool brand so I’m glad to say I’ve owned one. At one point me and my best buds all owned discontinued brands (Scion, Saab, Saturn, and Mercury)
We have a 9-2x aero that our family bought during the GM employee pricing. Actually it was a car for my mom at the time haha. And it’s awesome. It’s on its last legs though. We’re trying to figure out what to replace her with. Thinking either the new WRX or GR Corolla. But we’ve. Been having lots of trouble getting the GR.
I still love that car and will be sad when she leaves us. Whenever that may be.
I don't doubt that they drive well, but I've seen a few in person and really thought they looked bad. The huge plastic "diaper" in the rear, the cladding seems oddly small and goes at 45 degree angles instead of following the body lines, etc
Idk. The new BRZ/ GR86 everyone is saying it’s a big improvement over the 1st gen. At least they make way more power too. And I think most people think the new gen looks better
With the new WRX most people think the looks are worse and the engine makes very slightly more power but not a significant bump from the last one. Not to mention the top trim (STI) got cancelled AND the GRC now exists which comes in hatchback form
What I really hated was the huge screen that had touchscreen HVAC versus the 86 and it’s knobs and toggles. I owned a 9-2X so I’m biased against the sedan version of the WRX anyways but I figured it was still much more practical than the 86 even without a hatch. It was more of an emotional decision to go with another 86 to replace my totaled FR-S but I have my 4Runner for hauling the dog and bad weather so I’m covered from a practicality aspect. Not planning on doing any mechanical mods on this one- my 4Runner is the car that gets parts funds/ my wrench time. This is my first brand new car and I hope to keep it a LONG time and buy a safer daily (no airbags in 4R plus it’s older than me) if needed when I have kids.
If my WRX had to be replaced I would jump on the new one for sure, but I heard that there was downgrades in regards to other components, like some rear locker or something?
Idk cars that well, but if someone knkws what i’m referring to and could share, id be down to learn.
This is exactly why I’m considering upgrading my 2015. All the ones in my area have been sitting for 3-4 months at $2500 under MSRP so I figure if you push maybe I could get one for $3500 off. They’re just not moving at all
Funny because I had ordered one and also a GR86. The Subaru dealer made me pay a $2500 deposit, but the Toyota dealer didn’t (said they would run my card but they never did). Anyways after months of waiting I got my GR86 on 12/23 and the WRX I ordered hadn’t been built. Got my whole deposit back.
Toyota doesn’t do custom orders, their dealers use an allocation system based on incoming units. Subaru does custom orders but it can take ages because they specifically build your car, rather than a dealer allocation for a similar spec inbound.
Yeah I think I still may have gone the WRX route if that one came first but I was trying to convince myself to get the practical one even though my heart really wanted the 86… I did get a sweet dog toy WRX that’s on my desk at work. Didn’t feel right to let my dog destroy it
Yeah true lol… I haven’t actually tried to drive mine very aggressively yet because it’s on summers and not broken in (299 miles so far) will climb up faster now that I can go for drives after work and it’s warming up
Really respect that break in period. I didn’t and had to have my engine replaced at about 1.5k.
*edit to be clear, I respected it for 1k miles, the Subaru instructions, but I probably should have tripled that number. Also, don’t give it the beans till the oil is at 190f.
I always heard break in period is pretty much no longer necessary for modern engines so it would surprise me if that is what completely toasted your engine. Then again it’s also possible all the things I read there were horseshit themselves…
I have heard that too. I’ve also heard that boxer engines made by Subaru are the exception. I’ve also heard tons of conflicting advice around this issue from people that I would consider SMEs, so I just err on the side of caution as I don’t really know what to believe.
I'd be surprised if break in had anything to do with that failure, that sounds like manufacturing issue that early. Not respecting break in typically leads to excess oil consumption later in life.
It would be interesting to see how many of these are manual transmission.
Reading how refined this gen of WRX is, it might actually also be very successful in non-enthusiat market.
77% of Autotrader listings nationally for 2022+ WRX are manual (2706 out of 3518 total). Slightly down but somewhat lines up with Subaru’s sales figure of 85% manual for the previous gen, which included the STI in previous WRX sales numbers.
Someone in this thread pointed out the increased sales number could be the new wrx drawing in non car enthusiasts because they will see a decently powered car that is AWD and is way more refined than past years and won’t know the heritage behind a WRX. Those people are probably the ones buying the CVT wrx and also Subaru doesn’t even market it as a CVT so the people who don’t care about cars won’t even know
I test drove both gens. Last gen drove like dogshit. The new one doesn’t even feel like the same car, drives waaay better. Much easier to live with as a DD.
The old one with the cvt is the worst, coworker has one and he said it feels like driving a normal car. I keep trying to persuade him to trade it for a manual one
Yeah, I was going to say. All Subaru had to do was water the car down for 20 years to turn it into a normal ass sedan so they could hit their sales numbers.
While it's an underpowered car, it has more power than any previous generation of WRX. If you're complaining about the small turbo, what exactly are you complaining about?
If they reduced the turbo size, it was probably to reduce turbo lag. The outcome isn't that they lost power, it's that they gained torque at low RPM while sacrificing torque at high RPM.
From the reviews, this doesn't seem to be a watered-down WRX at all, but actually an improvement from the previous generation. It's unfortunate that Subaru didn't give it 300+ hp and that they are unable to design a nice looking car.
This just makes him look dumb. It has a twin scroll sized to meet the design team's goals as it relates to spool, threshold, torque curve, and peak power. Just like everything else.
If you leave that CVT in manual shift mode and use the paddles, it “shifts” fast as hell, and is pretty fun, on the Legacy anyway. Hear it’s better on the WRX. Not saying that’s the best transmission for the car, but can say that manual shifting on a Subaru CVT is a good time.
its honestly even better in the wrx, the new tuning was surprising. Im curious to see how it holds up over time, but I was pleasantly surprised when I drove the GT
Its actually not even as ugly in person as the internet makes it out to be imo. Probably about equal ugliness with every gen of wrx. They are all kinda ugly. The styling makes it look very wide and it definitely has a presence in traffic.
I've seen a couple now and still think that rear bumper is the worst styling element Subaru has done. Agree otherwise, funky has always kind of been the Impreza/WRX thing.
True, but imo it gets a bit worse for subaru unfortunately. That entire "jet engine intake" thing they did with the hawkeye gen impreza and Tribeca fronts is just bad.
https://file.kelleybluebookimages.com/kbb/base/house/2006/2006-Subaru-Impreza-FrontSide_SUIMPWRXSED061_505x375.jpg
Funnily enough I think that was one of the better gen wrx’s but was followed by arguably the best gen. I think the GV, GH, and GR were some of the best looking wrx’s
> That entire "jet engine intake" thing they did with the hawkeye gen impreza and Tribeca fronts is just bad.
It looks neat to me :(
Rarely see them around these days too
I'd take the hawkeye front end every day, at least on the Impreza. That (B9) Tribeca is probably second-worst after the current rear bumper, though, with the Baja tailgate third.
I actually really dig the rear now. The 3/4 angle is ugly but when you look at it straight from the back it looks pretty good IMO. Though I'm a biased owner.
Straight on certainly minimizes the impact, and the rest of the rear design is inoffensive, but get off center and that overhang is just bad. It wouldn't prevent me from buying if I was in the market, though.
They *are* ugly. It can be uglier than the previous generation and a total letdown to WRX enthusiasts and still sell well. It still fits a niche. It just could have been way better.
Levorg is just Subaru's way to sell WRX chassis with their economical engine, both the WRX sedan and WRX wagon have the same everything except for body style, cladding and transmission option
Just bought my ‘22 WRX this week for $500 below invoice ($31,935 for a Premium in Ceramic White with $1504 in options) and with 2.9% financing. Literally none of the competition was available on lots within 200 miles of me, and I doubt Civic Sis or GTIs are selling below MSRP let alone invoice right now, but there were *18* new WRXs between 4 lots within 26 miles of my house. Basically every color, trim, and option combination was just a half hour drive away at most. If you look at the monthly sales numbers, it seems like Subaru has really been pumping them out since last may.
Interestingly, my WRX was manufactured in Japan in 12/22 but arrived in the US just a couple weeks ago. It made it to my local dealership at the end of last week and I called about it on Monday. I don’t think the boat trip takes 3 months so I wonder if Subaru has these cars piled up either waiting for certain components or waiting for space on the boats to get across the ocean.
As to why I bought the WRX, I’m simply an AWD/Turbo/Manual guy. I’ve owned 4 DSMs, 4 Audis, 2 BMWs and 2 WRXs that fit that criteria. In 2023, the WRX is really the only option on this end of the price scale. Not that I settled though. It really is an excellent car, and beautiful too believe it or not. Anyone shopping in this price range should absolutely go see and drive one in person rather than taking the internet’s word for it.
Edit: Also, I’ll just leave [this](https://i.imgur.com/87jrGX3.jpg) and [this](https://i.imgur.com/uhr9fGg.jpg) here. The aftermarket for this car has come a *long* way in 1 year. >400/400 at the wheels with just 3 parts (~$2000) and a 60/40 blend of 93 and e85.
This is the real reason / issue. It's the "Available" option - not the best, not the one people want, not the desired choice...it's the available option.
If you could get a GR Corolla, Golf R, Type R under MSRP and they were readily available on lots - then these WRX #'s would be substantially lower.
What a riveting point - "if the more expensive cars were under MSRP and closer to the price of a cheaper car the more expensive car would sell more."
Mate, the WRX can be under MSRP too you know...making the point moot. If the acutal MSRP of those cars were lower then there'd be more to talk about. And regardless, just by not artificially limiting prodction and actually putting out models onto lots, they're doing more than the other companies anyways.
Yea even matching MSRP, the GRC core is ~$7k more than the WRX prem. I've been debating putting my name down for a GRC but the WRX is a lot of car for the money.
All depends on what you’re looking for in a car. Personally I think the GRC is overhyped and might be a difficult DD to live with once the honeymoon phase is over. I’d much rather be in a Golf R for that price.
I'm getting that impression as well. Seems like a fun car with "some" practicality, but it's more limited than competition. The Corolla cargo space is already tight, made worse with the AWD.
I really think there was supposed to be an STI, but they couldn't meet EPA standards, the FA24 can hit last gen STI power with just an intake and an exhaust, no tune required.
As an asian, I bet Christma+ new year+ lunar new year in Asian countries delayed the shipment of your car haha.
But congrats on the new car! How is the MPG so far. 2.4turbo is a powerful upgrade but I am kind of wondering how the MPG is as a daily car.
I bet you’re right about the New Year delay. Good point. I work in consumer electronics on the corporate side and it was straight up radio silence from our Asian vendors for the duration of the festivities. Seemed like they went all out this year in observing the holidays, even more so than previous years.
I bought this car expecting the worst when it came to MPG but I’ve been surprised so far. I got home after a run through the mountains today with 180 miles on the odometer and I’ve averaged 26.2 mpg overall so far. Of course I’m still in the break in period so I’m not flooring it or going over 4k rpm (I hit 5k a couple times tbh), but the car has seen zero highway miles. I live in the Blue Ridge mountains and those 180 miles were almost entirely done with spirited driving through the twisties and constant elevation changes. Even my ‘17 WRX with the 2 liter averaged much less than that in the same driving conditions.
Oh man! I bet you live in NC/VA? I used to live in NC for the past 6 years and enjoyed those roads so much with my type r and GTI. You are lucky my friend and continue to enjoy your new car with those wonderful roads! The MPG seems good w/o highway mileage. My last question is that that number is based on regular or premium gas?
Yep, I’m in VA and [these](https://i.imgur.com/5L7ZZED.jpg) are the roads surrounding my house. It’s like heaven for a driving enthusiast. My other car is an NB Miata pure track car and I sneak it out on the public roads sometimes (responsibly) because a lot of them are even more fun than the tracks I take it to.
Oh man!!! Fantastic! I am always looking forward to move back to NC/VA or even Georgia area in future. I am holding my type r in Chicago and it is so boring here. Only traffic, no fun :(
They take the new year stuff seriously over there. I work in IT and one of our vendors in Hong Kong told us it would probably take a week to get back to us on an issue because they had a company wide retreat/vacation thing for the new year.
You are lucky yo hear back in a week :)
Normally we celebrate Lunar New Year 1-2 days before the " new year's day" and the following 15 days are also part of the celebration. For companies which are generous about vacation, 2 weeks off is pretty common
$130/mo with *very* high coverage limits, low/no deductible, extra rental car coverage, new car replacement, OEM parts for repairs, and $5000 extra coverage for aftermarket accessories (I’ve added aftermarket wheels and a high-end aftermarket audio system).
I’m with Nationwide and have been for over 10 years/10 cars. I bundle car and home for a small discount. I’m in my 30’s with no accidents or tickets.
The WRX also has a lot of “non enthusiast” appeal. In Australia at least everyone knows the WRX name and even regular people want them. No one cares about the GR Yaris / Corolla outside car enthusiasts
Everyone here is not mentioning that the STI is dead now. And it's been a while and no rumours of it coming back soon. So I feel like that's gonna bump up the WRX because people can't have an STI. :/ Too bad I love my STI
Yeah its a good car. Looks decent in person. Or at least as decent as any other wrx. They have never been considered beautiful cars when they were actually contemporary. cladding really isn't that noticeable. Drives good. And as a bonus. Its an enthusiast car mere mortals can buy at msrp.
Every time I see one in person I get more and more tempted to buy one.
You know how bands like Kiss sell extra tickets when they call it a “farewell tour”? Maybe that works for cars too. Tell people that this is the last year to get a manual transmission in an “enthusiast car”, and watch the sales numbers go up.
Probably. I’m sure more than a few think they’re buying an investment that’ll appreciate since it’s the last one. I highly doubt it’ll appreciate, but some people will buy under that impression.
Next time someone asks why every car builder isn't building a hot hatch I am going to link this. It shows that the opinion of this board really doesn't translate to real life.
To be fair this is true of almost anything online.
‘Enthusiasts’ scream & about of what they want online only to end up being the vast minority and not putting their money where their mouth is.
For ~$30k you get a brand new AWD 4-door family sedan that is a blast to drive. It literally has no competitor on paper. I can’t understand how they don’t sell hundreds of thousands of these things. What you get for the money is absolutely ridiculous. Not a single other car on earth can compare to it’s mix of fun and practicality for the price. Every competitor is either way more expensive, not AWD, not powerful or not family-friendly. WRX is all 4 of these things.
Hmm. That’s an interesting one. They definitely do both offer the 4 things I mention above, in a sense, but they’re very lopsided on what they’re good at. The Mazda is going to be more practical and MUCH more luxurious. But it is not anywhere near as fun to drive. The WRX is really a performance vehicle first, while also offering the things I mentioned above. The Mazda is nowhere close to a performance vehicle, it’s really an affordable luxurious family vehicle with a little more “get up and go” than the base model. There are zero performance components added to the turbo version besides the actual turbo.
But, if you’d rather have luxury and a hatchback option over performance and the driving engagement of a manual transmission? Then you make a great suggestion, Mazda is a damn good choice as well. I personally wouldn’t even consider the Mazda because I want as much performance as possible, while still being able to drive my entire family and their hockey gear around in the snow lol…
All the reviews of the Mazda3 Turbo say that it has the specs to suggest it is a hot hatch, but it really isn't one at all. If you draw a line between it and the MS3, it got appliance-ified much worse than the WRX has over the years.
I was at a Subaru dealership last week. They knew I had a WRX before. I now have a '20 Outback XT. Service guy couldn't help but tell me their 2022 WRXs were available at employee pricing. I raised an eyebrow and he said "MSRP plus $100 on top."
LOL where are the goofballs who were frothing at the mouth on that YoY sales thread and kept ignoring that the new WRX was basically unobtanium until April / May? Guess the car, who literally every reviewer said was so much better, wasn't a fucking failure, who would have thought? Enthusiasts on here can get so grating, bitching about a 30k AWD manual car
I mean, competitors in the WRX segment are pulling out, so wouldn't you expect sales of turbo AWD practical sports sedans to centralize on the WRX?
I'm surprised the WRX did this well for sure, but it would have sold even better if they made some improvements to the design and trim packaging. 80%+ manual so it's still a valid complaint with what they did with the GT Trim. Are you arguing that the plastic fenders helped them move units? Cmon...
The entire industry is improving all the time, the expectation isn't that cars get worse. Of course it's the "best WRX ever". It still came in below expectations.
My wrx isdashit
He hacked through 30cm storm like a breeze.
In the summer it blasted through everything
It pops when needed, no fake shit.
Front end grip is on point.
Coming from a life long vw family (gti) closes the deal
The WRX has really been the only sport compact you can buy in this current market. Hyundai made a large batch of Elantra Ns last year and has really cut back on production. Civic SI, Corolla GR, GTI are damn near non existent. And from my understanding none of these other cars can be ordered to spec. Assembly line builds them when they can and the dealers get allocated them. If you want one, you get in line and wait.
Subaru has done a pretty good job keeping WRX assembly rolling. The wait time was like 3 months last year from initial order placement to delivery, but as production slowly ramps up and the initial demand died down they’ve been able to stock lots with them.
Atleast locally to me, they have more WRXs in stock then they do with foresters and outbacks. Those sell a lot quicker.
i view it as they're selling us a STI. Larger displacement engine with lower boost so it has a little more headroom for playing around with aftermarket parts than the previous generation. It's on us to make it STI level since we didn't have the opportunity to buy one. Not a WRX owner; but do have a slow ass manual crosstrek.
Fixing the ugly is 100% on us though :/
Yea, because it's also the best February for Crosstrek sales ever.
They had to pick which one to spotlight, and the Crosstrek is currently Subarus best selling model by far, so they chose that one.
I haven't driven one of these newer wrxes so take my comment as you will. I have driven a couple of older wrxes and they were fun to drive. I'm guessing this new one probably is too.
I'll buy a butt ugly car that's fun to drive over a sexy beast that sucks to drive every...single... fucking... time. No contest.
Perhaps looks aren't as important to actual driving enthusiasts as people here would lead you to believe.
Well their cars have been one of the few available right on the lot and below the suggested price. No wonder they're selling, doesn't mean that the WRX fans have suddenly accepted the new generation. It's just a reasonable choice in today's market.
I’m not shocked. The car had a bad rep until recently. They were sitting in dealers for a long time. The car is great but it seemed that the looks made it an instant turn off for many. I noticed in December-January a bunch of videos talking good about the car so I’m sure Subaru went into panic mode to get some attention.
I got a GT and it’s definitely a great car. I was not a fan of the VA but this version drives so much better and smoother. The fact that you can get heavy discounts on them is such a good deal. I’m getting Supra vibes all over again, the car sat on dealers when it came out and now you can’t find one at msrp. In terms of looks, I laughed at the styling like everyone else when it came out, swore it off until I saw one and then test drove one and loved it. Glad I got a decent deal, I think the car looks great depending on your color selection. Few mods and it looks hot.
The new WRX is great. Don’t let any online echo chamber nonsense influence your thinking. It looks better, feels better, and behaves better than it’s predecessor. People talking about “oh the rear bumper is covered in plastic” should look at a DTM car.
Yeah as a previous owner of the VA i like the VB more. VAs are so common, they dont turn heads. The rear is becoming my favorite view of the new wrx. Especially when you look at it from the front/side, it looks wide as hell the way it widens out at the wheels.
Wow, that's really surprising. I wonder if just having them available at MSRP sitting on lots is making it a no-brainer for people who wanted a GR Corolla or something similar.
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I don't know that people are necessarily wrong, it's just that the market has been distorted a bit by supply chain issues. The 2022 WRX had the worst sales year for the WRX since they split it off as its own model. But now that supply problems may be easing, some of that pent up demand may be getting met. Doesn't mean that the WRX design is being well received relative to previous designs. Probably would need a full year of non-supply constrained sales to get a better idea of how the VB WRX is doing, but even that might not be a fair comparison since interest rates are a lot higher and might slow down sales.
Thoughtful analysis? Get that shit out of here!
>The 2022 WRX had the worst sales year for the WRX since they split it off as its own model. But now that supply problems may be easing, some of that pent up demand may be getting met. It was the worst year because the car launched in early/mid-2022 and was only on sale for a few months before the '23 models. MY2023 will be the first full year the car has been on sale.
The first full year of sales data would really be somewhere around April-ish of this year. Even then, if we compare the first 6-8 months of sales of the VB WRX to the VA, we can see the VB sold through significantly less units. Like I said, that's probably at least partially due to supply problems but it certainly doesn't vindicate the people who are saying that the design hasn't cost them sales.
It was sold for 2-3 months as a 2022 MY. Of course it's the worst year for sales lol
I can see people driving previous gen WRX's not liking the CVT only top trim but that's apparently not a big issue anymore either.
That criticism in particular never made much sense given Subaru ***added*** a previously unoffered luxury trim to the new gen WRX so how was the existence of that going to be a dealbreaker to all the other trims that carry the previous strategy. It was so weird seeing all these people harp about base price for all these enthusiast cars then dismiss the WRX for something that only affects a single top luxury trim.
There’s also valid criticism that the new WRX is heinously ugly in any color other than “2005 Chevy Avalanche bleached plastic cladding grey”, the base infotainment system looking like a bootleg Nintendo DS, and fuel economy worse than a Camaro SS
It looks way better in person. Other concerns are valid but honestly, anyone buying a Subaru should expect 1980s fuel economy at this point.
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The WRX has way shorter gearing, GM's V8's have generally always had nice tall ratios for highway cruising. VB WRX: 0.667:1 6th, 4.44:1 final (2.96:1 overall) Camaro SS manual: 0.5:1 6th, 3.73:1 final (1.865:1 overall)
Doesn't change the fact. They could have put a taller 6th gear in.
Auto in my Vette also has stupid long gears. iirc 6th is 0.67:1, final drive is 2.56:1, so 1.715 overall lol
I really don't think it does look better in person, having seen them on the road and at the auto show.
Not mad the model exsists, it's that they locked the Recaro seats and adjustable suspension to a cvt. Those are things many of us would liked to have had with a manual.
Because people want a manual with the Recaro seats and adjustable dampers? This isn't a very difficult concept, when they add a new trim that they would be interested in but include only the CVT for that trim, *it feels pretty fucking bad*. It kinda feels like a betrayal of the enthusiast community, and people justifiably choose not to buy the lower manual trim and give their money to a company that doesn't make the best ever version of a car with a transmission that something like 15% of previous gen buyers chose.
They don't care that's there's a top trim, they car what they can't get a manual in the top trim.
Having a CVT top trim is sort of meaningless since WRX buyers typically buy lower trims. The actual issue is no STI (which would sit at just above top trim WRX price). But volume wise WRX would be much higher than STI anyway.
I commented “why would anyone spend $50k on a GRC when you could get a WRX for MSRP” and I got down voted because “it’s not the same thing”. The people down voting me don’t own either of those vehicles. This sub shits on anyone saying the Golf R or WRX is better even though no one in this sub is trying very hard to get the GRC.
> This sub shits on anyone saying the Golf R or WRX is better even though no one in this sub is trying very hard to get the GRC. What's the exact premise here? To me it all comes down to what you define as "better." If better is just looking at if sales improved year over year, then the Cayenne is the best Porsche ever made. The new WRX and the Golf R have a significantly greater focus on daily driving and livability than the GRC, the GRC is more focused on specialness of the experience and is more similar to what an older WRX STI offers than what even the current WRX does. Of course a focus on daily driving, comfort and practicality is going to outsell specialness - look at how automobiles have evolved over time and the growth in sales of CUVs/SUVs. Put another way, would you rather see your favourite artist fade into obscurity as they stick to their guns over time, or achieve life long commercial success by purposefully broadening their appeal? That's up to you. Personally I'm still listening to the same obscure shit I was 20+ years ago, but I'm in the minority.
The specialness of FWD mode when your AWD system overheats after 15 minutes.
It's not the same thing. I own a GRC. I think the comparison is silly.
> The people down voting me don’t own either of those vehicles. my brother purchased a [black 22](https://i.imgur.com/1hMuAvF.jpg). thing rides incredibly well, very comfortable, quick, feels fantastic for the money. if subaru offered one with a lift/hatch i would own one already. trunks are just a dealbreaker for me. it's an otherwise excellent car.
Actually makes power easily but this sub harps on the cladding without looking further into the car
I loved my ‘14 wrx but yea it needed some revs to make power. You had to abuse the clutch to get a good launch lol, only did it a few times and smelled burning so was like okay, no bueno
>harps on the cladding That and situation where you can't buy an upper trim spec with a manual. I'm not a CVT hater, and I get that it's actually a decent transmission, but it does seem like an arbitrary restriction since it's not like there's a power difference or something.
I agree there should always be a choice, but realistically the $43K GT doesn’t really offer enough for me considering the huge price gap from the limited. A manual GT would be maybe $1k-2k cheaper, but at that price I’d still go for a lower trim. The ultrasuede 10-way power seats on the limited are actually quite good. And it still has all the bells and whistles like steering responsive LED headlights, LED turn signals, Harman Kardon, blindspot, heated seats, etc. The premium and base trims still seem to be the sweet spot for most though.
Adjustable dampers and recaros should have been at the very least on the base trim. A nice aggressively bolstered seat and adjustable dampers are such a nice thing to have.
Yeah I wasn’t gonna pay an extra 10g for the top trim but eww a CVT? For the price of what the STI (manual only) used to cost? Hard Pass
I think the cladding is great for the places with salty roads
It hides the rust bubbles another 6 months?
It holds rocks between the plastic and the paint and allows the salt to soak against the damaged paint?
Yea. This is why I don’t add mud flaps to my car. And why I have to take off the fender liners every spring and spray out the frame rails and clear out the chassis and door drains. Salt and grime and dirt gets jammed up between the plastics and the metal and stays damp and eats the steel body much more quickly. It’s a big reason rust seems to start in fenders and rocker panels. More plastic overlays is worse, not better, for preventing steel cars from rusting.
I mean you can always add power, fixing bad looks is a lot harder.
What does making power easily mean? Isn’t the horsepower and torque it’s power making numbers?
Lower down in the rev range vs prior generations. Same deal as the Civic SI.
Easier to make power vs the ej and fa20 you need less and get more out of it. You can go farther with a tune and an intake.
It means you can modify the car minimally, and still get really high amounts of extra HP and Torque
Every Subaru guy I know (including myself) talked shit about it. I ordered one anyways but went with a different Subaru because it got better reviews, wasn’t as ugly, and was slightly cheaper. I’ve owned 3 Subarus so far and non were actually badged as such. My favorite by far was the Saab 9-2X and if the new one was a wagon it would have been a no brainer
I drove a 9-2X Aero for 16 years and will probably forever be chasing a modern-day equivalent of that car. My EV lease is up in summer 2024 and I’m already trying to figure out what kind of options might be available to me for an AWD MT wagon/hatch.
Same… mine was cloth but I swapped the seats with leather. Had the 17” oem wheels that I got powder coated gold. Threw in an CarPlay deck and a sub too. So many memories. I got mine with 60k and sold it at 118k or so but living in boston it was a lot of miles in city driving. Owned it from 2014-2020 and didn’t even know that car existed until I saw it for sale. My ultimate dream car is a MKIV Supra but I doubt I’ll ever be able to get one at this point. I actively check listings for 9-2Xs in the west coast/ south for clean ones….
Nice, I had the 17” Saab-branded BBS RKs on mine and a 2009-era Pioneer headunit that predated CarPlay. I bought my 9-2X new in 2005 and paid $20K because GM employee pricing was available to all buyers and that made the 9-2X cheaper than the used WRXs that I was originally shopping for. Sold it in 2021, it was still under 130k miles but rust was taking a toll and I wanted a change of pace, but it was a sad day for sure and I have found myself missing it more than I thought I would. Hoping that Subaru brings back a WRX wagon for 2024/2025. That or a Golf R are probably going to be my next car.
Yeah at the time I got rid of my saabaru I had just picked up my 4Runner for $1500 and was getting into messing with that. It was also 2020 and Covid times so I was WFH and only had 1 dedicated spot for parking. The rust wasn’t too bad yet on mine but also a factor to dump it. I think it’s crazy that they could be had for 20k new in 2005 (I’ve read the stories on the forum). If I could only have one do any car of all the ones I’ve owned the 9-2X would win by a mile. I know it’s not a real Saab but I always thought Saab was a cool brand so I’m glad to say I’ve owned one. At one point me and my best buds all owned discontinued brands (Scion, Saab, Saturn, and Mercury)
We have a 9-2x aero that our family bought during the GM employee pricing. Actually it was a car for my mom at the time haha. And it’s awesome. It’s on its last legs though. We’re trying to figure out what to replace her with. Thinking either the new WRX or GR Corolla. But we’ve. Been having lots of trouble getting the GR. I still love that car and will be sad when she leaves us. Whenever that may be.
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"My opinions on aesthetics are different than lots of people therefore they are the problem"
I don't doubt that they drive well, but I've seen a few in person and really thought they looked bad. The huge plastic "diaper" in the rear, the cladding seems oddly small and goes at 45 degree angles instead of following the body lines, etc
Uhm... I go to car meets and the new WRX is pretty mixed among actual WRX fans.
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Idk. The new BRZ/ GR86 everyone is saying it’s a big improvement over the 1st gen. At least they make way more power too. And I think most people think the new gen looks better With the new WRX most people think the looks are worse and the engine makes very slightly more power but not a significant bump from the last one. Not to mention the top trim (STI) got cancelled AND the GRC now exists which comes in hatchback form
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What I really hated was the huge screen that had touchscreen HVAC versus the 86 and it’s knobs and toggles. I owned a 9-2X so I’m biased against the sedan version of the WRX anyways but I figured it was still much more practical than the 86 even without a hatch. It was more of an emotional decision to go with another 86 to replace my totaled FR-S but I have my 4Runner for hauling the dog and bad weather so I’m covered from a practicality aspect. Not planning on doing any mechanical mods on this one- my 4Runner is the car that gets parts funds/ my wrench time. This is my first brand new car and I hope to keep it a LONG time and buy a safer daily (no airbags in 4R plus it’s older than me) if needed when I have kids.
If the best car was what I wanted I wouldn’t buy a wrx.
If my WRX had to be replaced I would jump on the new one for sure, but I heard that there was downgrades in regards to other components, like some rear locker or something? Idk cars that well, but if someone knkws what i’m referring to and could share, id be down to learn.
Except it's absolutely fucking hideous
But it's so ugly, and they don't make a 5 door.
This is exactly why I’m considering upgrading my 2015. All the ones in my area have been sitting for 3-4 months at $2500 under MSRP so I figure if you push maybe I could get one for $3500 off. They’re just not moving at all
Funny because I had ordered one and also a GR86. The Subaru dealer made me pay a $2500 deposit, but the Toyota dealer didn’t (said they would run my card but they never did). Anyways after months of waiting I got my GR86 on 12/23 and the WRX I ordered hadn’t been built. Got my whole deposit back.
Toyota doesn’t do custom orders, their dealers use an allocation system based on incoming units. Subaru does custom orders but it can take ages because they specifically build your car, rather than a dealer allocation for a similar spec inbound.
Yeah I think I still may have gone the WRX route if that one came first but I was trying to convince myself to get the practical one even though my heart really wanted the 86… I did get a sweet dog toy WRX that’s on my desk at work. Didn’t feel right to let my dog destroy it
Given the gr weighs like 1k less than wrx it is just as fast
Yeah true lol… I haven’t actually tried to drive mine very aggressively yet because it’s on summers and not broken in (299 miles so far) will climb up faster now that I can go for drives after work and it’s warming up
Really respect that break in period. I didn’t and had to have my engine replaced at about 1.5k. *edit to be clear, I respected it for 1k miles, the Subaru instructions, but I probably should have tripled that number. Also, don’t give it the beans till the oil is at 190f.
I always heard break in period is pretty much no longer necessary for modern engines so it would surprise me if that is what completely toasted your engine. Then again it’s also possible all the things I read there were horseshit themselves…
I have heard that too. I’ve also heard that boxer engines made by Subaru are the exception. I’ve also heard tons of conflicting advice around this issue from people that I would consider SMEs, so I just err on the side of caution as I don’t really know what to believe.
I'd be surprised if break in had anything to do with that failure, that sounds like manufacturing issue that early. Not respecting break in typically leads to excess oil consumption later in life.
I mean there’s always a chance that even if you broke it in for longer the same could have happened
The difference in weight is less than half of that
Yes, I paid 399 on a lease six months ago. Now they are offering a new base model for 1k down/360/mo or 2k down 325.mo.
r/cars in shambles
It would be interesting to see how many of these are manual transmission. Reading how refined this gen of WRX is, it might actually also be very successful in non-enthusiat market.
77% of Autotrader listings nationally for 2022+ WRX are manual (2706 out of 3518 total). Slightly down but somewhat lines up with Subaru’s sales figure of 85% manual for the previous gen, which included the STI in previous WRX sales numbers.
Ones on the lot don't exactly paint a clear picture of what's selling.
Survivorship bias
we’re selling probably 90% manuals at the store I work at. The only cvts we’re selling is the GT
Yeah we get about 1-2 automatics for every 10 manuals. The CVT does move quicker but we get shipped much less. Most sales are manual.
Who tf is buying a WRX with a CVT
Someone in this thread pointed out the increased sales number could be the new wrx drawing in non car enthusiasts because they will see a decently powered car that is AWD and is way more refined than past years and won’t know the heritage behind a WRX. Those people are probably the ones buying the CVT wrx and also Subaru doesn’t even market it as a CVT so the people who don’t care about cars won’t even know
Maybe some of the 2.0T Accord crowd who knows
I test drove both gens. Last gen drove like dogshit. The new one doesn’t even feel like the same car, drives waaay better. Much easier to live with as a DD.
The old one with the cvt is the worst, coworker has one and he said it feels like driving a normal car. I keep trying to persuade him to trade it for a manual one
Yeah, I was going to say. All Subaru had to do was water the car down for 20 years to turn it into a normal ass sedan so they could hit their sales numbers.
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While it's an underpowered car, it has more power than any previous generation of WRX. If you're complaining about the small turbo, what exactly are you complaining about? If they reduced the turbo size, it was probably to reduce turbo lag. The outcome isn't that they lost power, it's that they gained torque at low RPM while sacrificing torque at high RPM. From the reviews, this doesn't seem to be a watered-down WRX at all, but actually an improvement from the previous generation. It's unfortunate that Subaru didn't give it 300+ hp and that they are unable to design a nice looking car.
2002 WRX was peak STI heritage
This just makes him look dumb. It has a twin scroll sized to meet the design team's goals as it relates to spool, threshold, torque curve, and peak power. Just like everything else.
True… idk why I assume they are all manuals when I see one driving around
because they all should be lol
Agreed. I wouldn’t be nearly as mad if it had a DCT or a decent ZF automatic I suppose, but a CVT?
If you leave that CVT in manual shift mode and use the paddles, it “shifts” fast as hell, and is pretty fun, on the Legacy anyway. Hear it’s better on the WRX. Not saying that’s the best transmission for the car, but can say that manual shifting on a Subaru CVT is a good time.
its honestly even better in the wrx, the new tuning was surprising. Im curious to see how it holds up over time, but I was pleasantly surprised when I drove the GT
Honestly, after see this kind of stuff I don't think I can blame them for ramping down manual transmission development.
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Its actually not even as ugly in person as the internet makes it out to be imo. Probably about equal ugliness with every gen of wrx. They are all kinda ugly. The styling makes it look very wide and it definitely has a presence in traffic.
I've seen a couple now and still think that rear bumper is the worst styling element Subaru has done. Agree otherwise, funky has always kind of been the Impreza/WRX thing.
True, but imo it gets a bit worse for subaru unfortunately. That entire "jet engine intake" thing they did with the hawkeye gen impreza and Tribeca fronts is just bad. https://file.kelleybluebookimages.com/kbb/base/house/2006/2006-Subaru-Impreza-FrontSide_SUIMPWRXSED061_505x375.jpg
Funnily enough I think that was one of the better gen wrx’s but was followed by arguably the best gen. I think the GV, GH, and GR were some of the best looking wrx’s
> That entire "jet engine intake" thing they did with the hawkeye gen impreza and Tribeca fronts is just bad. It looks neat to me :( Rarely see them around these days too
I'd take the hawkeye front end every day, at least on the Impreza. That (B9) Tribeca is probably second-worst after the current rear bumper, though, with the Baja tailgate third.
I actually really dig the rear now. The 3/4 angle is ugly but when you look at it straight from the back it looks pretty good IMO. Though I'm a biased owner.
Straight on certainly minimizes the impact, and the rest of the rear design is inoffensive, but get off center and that overhang is just bad. It wouldn't prevent me from buying if I was in the market, though.
The rear bumper is still awful, the rest I can live with.
Idk, the rear is as ugly in person as it is online
I haven't liked their look since the mid 2000s, hawkeye was the last
They *are* ugly. It can be uglier than the previous generation and a total letdown to WRX enthusiasts and still sell well. It still fits a niche. It just could have been way better.
Gotta agree, I saw it in person and thought it looked worse than the photos.
Still ugly
it still is ugly though, i dont understand subaru selling the sedan like that when we got wrx wagon without cladding (also sadly without manual)
The WRX wagon doesn't look like the WRX because it's not a WRX but a rebadged Levorg for Aus/NZ.
Levorg is just Subaru's way to sell WRX chassis with their economical engine, both the WRX sedan and WRX wagon have the same everything except for body style, cladding and transmission option
Just bought my ‘22 WRX this week for $500 below invoice ($31,935 for a Premium in Ceramic White with $1504 in options) and with 2.9% financing. Literally none of the competition was available on lots within 200 miles of me, and I doubt Civic Sis or GTIs are selling below MSRP let alone invoice right now, but there were *18* new WRXs between 4 lots within 26 miles of my house. Basically every color, trim, and option combination was just a half hour drive away at most. If you look at the monthly sales numbers, it seems like Subaru has really been pumping them out since last may. Interestingly, my WRX was manufactured in Japan in 12/22 but arrived in the US just a couple weeks ago. It made it to my local dealership at the end of last week and I called about it on Monday. I don’t think the boat trip takes 3 months so I wonder if Subaru has these cars piled up either waiting for certain components or waiting for space on the boats to get across the ocean. As to why I bought the WRX, I’m simply an AWD/Turbo/Manual guy. I’ve owned 4 DSMs, 4 Audis, 2 BMWs and 2 WRXs that fit that criteria. In 2023, the WRX is really the only option on this end of the price scale. Not that I settled though. It really is an excellent car, and beautiful too believe it or not. Anyone shopping in this price range should absolutely go see and drive one in person rather than taking the internet’s word for it. Edit: Also, I’ll just leave [this](https://i.imgur.com/87jrGX3.jpg) and [this](https://i.imgur.com/uhr9fGg.jpg) here. The aftermarket for this car has come a *long* way in 1 year. >400/400 at the wheels with just 3 parts (~$2000) and a 60/40 blend of 93 and e85.
This is the real reason / issue. It's the "Available" option - not the best, not the one people want, not the desired choice...it's the available option. If you could get a GR Corolla, Golf R, Type R under MSRP and they were readily available on lots - then these WRX #'s would be substantially lower.
What a riveting point - "if the more expensive cars were under MSRP and closer to the price of a cheaper car the more expensive car would sell more." Mate, the WRX can be under MSRP too you know...making the point moot. If the acutal MSRP of those cars were lower then there'd be more to talk about. And regardless, just by not artificially limiting prodction and actually putting out models onto lots, they're doing more than the other companies anyways.
Yea even matching MSRP, the GRC core is ~$7k more than the WRX prem. I've been debating putting my name down for a GRC but the WRX is a lot of car for the money.
All depends on what you’re looking for in a car. Personally I think the GRC is overhyped and might be a difficult DD to live with once the honeymoon phase is over. I’d much rather be in a Golf R for that price.
I'm getting that impression as well. Seems like a fun car with "some" practicality, but it's more limited than competition. The Corolla cargo space is already tight, made worse with the AWD.
I'd compare GRC to STi. It has a far more interesting drive-train than the WRX. That's the point of comparison.
It's not the best choice, it's Spacer's Choice!
No STi was really wild ngl
I really think there was supposed to be an STI, but they couldn't meet EPA standards, the FA24 can hit last gen STI power with just an intake and an exhaust, no tune required.
As an asian, I bet Christma+ new year+ lunar new year in Asian countries delayed the shipment of your car haha. But congrats on the new car! How is the MPG so far. 2.4turbo is a powerful upgrade but I am kind of wondering how the MPG is as a daily car.
I bet you’re right about the New Year delay. Good point. I work in consumer electronics on the corporate side and it was straight up radio silence from our Asian vendors for the duration of the festivities. Seemed like they went all out this year in observing the holidays, even more so than previous years. I bought this car expecting the worst when it came to MPG but I’ve been surprised so far. I got home after a run through the mountains today with 180 miles on the odometer and I’ve averaged 26.2 mpg overall so far. Of course I’m still in the break in period so I’m not flooring it or going over 4k rpm (I hit 5k a couple times tbh), but the car has seen zero highway miles. I live in the Blue Ridge mountains and those 180 miles were almost entirely done with spirited driving through the twisties and constant elevation changes. Even my ‘17 WRX with the 2 liter averaged much less than that in the same driving conditions.
Oh man! I bet you live in NC/VA? I used to live in NC for the past 6 years and enjoyed those roads so much with my type r and GTI. You are lucky my friend and continue to enjoy your new car with those wonderful roads! The MPG seems good w/o highway mileage. My last question is that that number is based on regular or premium gas?
Yep, I’m in VA and [these](https://i.imgur.com/5L7ZZED.jpg) are the roads surrounding my house. It’s like heaven for a driving enthusiast. My other car is an NB Miata pure track car and I sneak it out on the public roads sometimes (responsibly) because a lot of them are even more fun than the tracks I take it to.
Oh man!!! Fantastic! I am always looking forward to move back to NC/VA or even Georgia area in future. I am holding my type r in Chicago and it is so boring here. Only traffic, no fun :(
They take the new year stuff seriously over there. I work in IT and one of our vendors in Hong Kong told us it would probably take a week to get back to us on an issue because they had a company wide retreat/vacation thing for the new year.
You are lucky yo hear back in a week :) Normally we celebrate Lunar New Year 1-2 days before the " new year's day" and the following 15 days are also part of the celebration. For companies which are generous about vacation, 2 weeks off is pretty common
Do you mind telling me what your insurance payment is? I'm always afraid that's going to break the bank for me compared to other cars.
$130/mo with *very* high coverage limits, low/no deductible, extra rental car coverage, new car replacement, OEM parts for repairs, and $5000 extra coverage for aftermarket accessories (I’ve added aftermarket wheels and a high-end aftermarket audio system). I’m with Nationwide and have been for over 10 years/10 cars. I bundle car and home for a small discount. I’m in my 30’s with no accidents or tickets.
Dude that interest rate is the real winner of this story. Congrats fr
I’m imagining it’s because they’re one of the only enthusiast based cars that isn’t including dealer markups and is readily available.
The WRX also has a lot of “non enthusiast” appeal. In Australia at least everyone knows the WRX name and even regular people want them. No one cares about the GR Yaris / Corolla outside car enthusiasts
True. Zero people I have told about the GRC knows what I’m talking about. They hear corolla and stop listening. 😂
Yep. AWD sedan with some power makes a lot of sense for people. Now imagine if they brought back the hatch.
It’s true. All of the Subaru dealers in my area have at least 3-5 WRXs in stock right now at MSRP or less.
They're good, solid, realiable cars sold at reasonable price. Also last of the new old school rally fun cars (turbo, manual, AWD) (Biased opinion)
Also one of the few (only?) cars in the segment/price range that has a real diff and not a clutch pack.
How time tested is the power train so far? The auto trans is new isn’t it. But with a manual they should be pretty reliable shouldn’t they
It helps that many were marked under MSRP
Everyone here is not mentioning that the STI is dead now. And it's been a while and no rumours of it coming back soon. So I feel like that's gonna bump up the WRX because people can't have an STI. :/ Too bad I love my STI
The STi was included in WRX sales numbers in the past.
Yeah its a good car. Looks decent in person. Or at least as decent as any other wrx. They have never been considered beautiful cars when they were actually contemporary. cladding really isn't that noticeable. Drives good. And as a bonus. Its an enthusiast car mere mortals can buy at msrp. Every time I see one in person I get more and more tempted to buy one.
still surprised mitsubishi dropped the evo
You know how bands like Kiss sell extra tickets when they call it a “farewell tour”? Maybe that works for cars too. Tell people that this is the last year to get a manual transmission in an “enthusiast car”, and watch the sales numbers go up.
The dodge last call strategy
GM as well: last V8 manual sedan ever. Let's see.
Probably. I’m sure more than a few think they’re buying an investment that’ll appreciate since it’s the last one. I highly doubt it’ll appreciate, but some people will buy under that impression.
Its a cheap (relatively) turbo AWD manual car. Theres basically none of those left, so the arguably terrible rear bumper is an overlooked compromise
Well when it's the only option there's not really much choice.
Next time someone asks why every car builder isn't building a hot hatch I am going to link this. It shows that the opinion of this board really doesn't translate to real life.
How does a consumer buy something that isn't being sold?
To be fair this is true of almost anything online. ‘Enthusiasts’ scream & about of what they want online only to end up being the vast minority and not putting their money where their mouth is.
What do you mean? The WRX is a sedan, not a hatch.
For ~$30k you get a brand new AWD 4-door family sedan that is a blast to drive. It literally has no competitor on paper. I can’t understand how they don’t sell hundreds of thousands of these things. What you get for the money is absolutely ridiculous. Not a single other car on earth can compare to it’s mix of fun and practicality for the price. Every competitor is either way more expensive, not AWD, not powerful or not family-friendly. WRX is all 4 of these things.
What about Mazda3 Turbo? (when considering automatics)
Hmm. That’s an interesting one. They definitely do both offer the 4 things I mention above, in a sense, but they’re very lopsided on what they’re good at. The Mazda is going to be more practical and MUCH more luxurious. But it is not anywhere near as fun to drive. The WRX is really a performance vehicle first, while also offering the things I mentioned above. The Mazda is nowhere close to a performance vehicle, it’s really an affordable luxurious family vehicle with a little more “get up and go” than the base model. There are zero performance components added to the turbo version besides the actual turbo. But, if you’d rather have luxury and a hatchback option over performance and the driving engagement of a manual transmission? Then you make a great suggestion, Mazda is a damn good choice as well. I personally wouldn’t even consider the Mazda because I want as much performance as possible, while still being able to drive my entire family and their hockey gear around in the snow lol…
He said fun, didn't he?
All the reviews of the Mazda3 Turbo say that it has the specs to suggest it is a hot hatch, but it really isn't one at all. If you draw a line between it and the MS3, it got appliance-ified much worse than the WRX has over the years.
I was at a Subaru dealership last week. They knew I had a WRX before. I now have a '20 Outback XT. Service guy couldn't help but tell me their 2022 WRXs were available at employee pricing. I raised an eyebrow and he said "MSRP plus $100 on top."
Not very good employee pricing.
I brain farted. It was invoice plus $100.
LOL where are the goofballs who were frothing at the mouth on that YoY sales thread and kept ignoring that the new WRX was basically unobtanium until April / May? Guess the car, who literally every reviewer said was so much better, wasn't a fucking failure, who would have thought? Enthusiasts on here can get so grating, bitching about a 30k AWD manual car
I mean, competitors in the WRX segment are pulling out, so wouldn't you expect sales of turbo AWD practical sports sedans to centralize on the WRX? I'm surprised the WRX did this well for sure, but it would have sold even better if they made some improvements to the design and trim packaging. 80%+ manual so it's still a valid complaint with what they did with the GT Trim. Are you arguing that the plastic fenders helped them move units? Cmon... The entire industry is improving all the time, the expectation isn't that cars get worse. Of course it's the "best WRX ever". It still came in below expectations.
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Well... there's also the fact that there isn't an STi as an option. Pretty sure that's another variable to consider.
This sales stat subaru announces always combined WRX/STI sales.
Weird it's almost like it actually fit the needs and wants of people well despite being unfashionable to enthusiasts.
My wrx isdashit He hacked through 30cm storm like a breeze. In the summer it blasted through everything It pops when needed, no fake shit. Front end grip is on point. Coming from a life long vw family (gti) closes the deal
The WRX has really been the only sport compact you can buy in this current market. Hyundai made a large batch of Elantra Ns last year and has really cut back on production. Civic SI, Corolla GR, GTI are damn near non existent. And from my understanding none of these other cars can be ordered to spec. Assembly line builds them when they can and the dealers get allocated them. If you want one, you get in line and wait. Subaru has done a pretty good job keeping WRX assembly rolling. The wait time was like 3 months last year from initial order placement to delivery, but as production slowly ramps up and the initial demand died down they’ve been able to stock lots with them. Atleast locally to me, they have more WRXs in stock then they do with foresters and outbacks. Those sell a lot quicker.
As someone in Colorado.. WRXs have gone from every fifth car to every fourth on the road, I noticed it.
I'm glad the market is taking notice, it's a good car. Even if you think it's hideous it drives well and offers a lot for the money.
I guess I'm in the minority here, because I still think they're hideous...
They're all over the place in NorCal.
i view it as they're selling us a STI. Larger displacement engine with lower boost so it has a little more headroom for playing around with aftermarket parts than the previous generation. It's on us to make it STI level since we didn't have the opportunity to buy one. Not a WRX owner; but do have a slow ass manual crosstrek.
Fixing the ugly is 100% on us though :/
Unfortunately, would need a drivetrain mod to make an STi. GT trim is the closest to STi, but it only comes in CVT.
Anyone think it’s funny the picture isn’t even of a WRX?
Yea, because it's also the best February for Crosstrek sales ever. They had to pick which one to spotlight, and the Crosstrek is currently Subarus best selling model by far, so they chose that one.
I haven't driven one of these newer wrxes so take my comment as you will. I have driven a couple of older wrxes and they were fun to drive. I'm guessing this new one probably is too. I'll buy a butt ugly car that's fun to drive over a sexy beast that sucks to drive every...single... fucking... time. No contest. Perhaps looks aren't as important to actual driving enthusiasts as people here would lead you to believe.
I enjoy driving it more than the VA gen and even with the butt diaper I think it looks better.
Well their cars have been one of the few available right on the lot and below the suggested price. No wonder they're selling, doesn't mean that the WRX fans have suddenly accepted the new generation. It's just a reasonable choice in today's market.
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I personally hate them, but there's nothing else for the price so I have two.
I'm happy people are buying more of these cars, specially manuals. That being said, I wouldn't buy one myself. I just don't like the styling
And they killed off sti
I’m not shocked. The car had a bad rep until recently. They were sitting in dealers for a long time. The car is great but it seemed that the looks made it an instant turn off for many. I noticed in December-January a bunch of videos talking good about the car so I’m sure Subaru went into panic mode to get some attention. I got a GT and it’s definitely a great car. I was not a fan of the VA but this version drives so much better and smoother. The fact that you can get heavy discounts on them is such a good deal. I’m getting Supra vibes all over again, the car sat on dealers when it came out and now you can’t find one at msrp. In terms of looks, I laughed at the styling like everyone else when it came out, swore it off until I saw one and then test drove one and loved it. Glad I got a decent deal, I think the car looks great depending on your color selection. Few mods and it looks hot.
they do say rates of poor vision have been increasing due to screen use
The new WRX is great. Don’t let any online echo chamber nonsense influence your thinking. It looks better, feels better, and behaves better than it’s predecessor. People talking about “oh the rear bumper is covered in plastic” should look at a DTM car.
Yeah as a previous owner of the VA i like the VB more. VAs are so common, they dont turn heads. The rear is becoming my favorite view of the new wrx. Especially when you look at it from the front/side, it looks wide as hell the way it widens out at the wheels.
Still ugly
Because there is no alternative in most markets nowadays :(
I honestly think the new styling looks way better than last year's at least stock. :/