If the moment of the turbo-nutter four-wheel drive Japanese saloon has passed back home here in the US they still
love a Subaru
. Which is why the all-new MY15 WRX is being shown here in LA.
So Subaru says it's new from the ground up...
likes of AMG
encroaching on the traditional market for these cars, a certain BMW 1 Series derivative and ever more potent hot hatches (and their booted equivalents like
the S3 saloon
we drove recently) it's hard to see how a mere 268hp and 258lb ft are going to set the world alight the way Imprezas used to but if you're a die-hard it's nice to know it still exists.
What of the facts then? Well, the new WRX has a turbocharged, direct-injection boxer four and either a six-speed manual or - shudder - 'Lineartronic' CVT. 80 per cent of the bodywork is unique to the WRX and is based on a 'ground-up' new platform with a 25mm wheelbase increase over the last one. Saying that proportionally it does look very similar to the previous car and Subaru is hardly rolling in cash so we'll have to see exactly how new it actually is.
While the inevitable speculation about the engine making it into the BRZ commences.
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