Thursday 21st November 2013

New Subaru WRX revealed

New Subaru WRX boasts 268hp boxer turbo and (thankfully optional) CVT transmission

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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...

With the 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.

[Axionknight]

What, no spoiler?

[JHarveyvRS]

Well thats just plain ugly!

[tbc]

Just looking at the first photo bored me to death

I'm sure it drives well but it's not exactly got anything special in the looks department

I'd much rather look at some Alfa saloon which would fall apart in a year

[Axionknight]

I like the front end but from the A-pillar backwards it's just one big yawn fest, I, personally, am not impressed. Lets see how it drives though, I wonder if it's a 2.0 or 2.5 litre?

[ADM06]

Still too many doors.

[mini1380cc]

Those wheels just look lost, especially the rear.

[Kong]

Looks like a 10 year old Legacy

[mikebradford]

always loved subaru sti's etc
and the glory days of colin mcrae

but this looks like the last model with a legacy facelift

unfortunatley the engine efficiency and big number bhp has been left behind by the germans
shame as i always fancied a scoobie

[Richard330s]

JHarveyvRS said:

Well thats just plain ugly!

+1 unfortunately....

[Neith]

mini1380cc said:

Those wheels just look lost, especially the rear.

My first thought as well; not sure if I've just grown so used to modern cars having huge wheels or whether the WRX's dimensions are odd (or both).

Not very impressed with how it looks, but most Imprezas (sorry, WRX...) were never lookers anyway. I'll be interested to see how it actually drives.

[Amirhussain]

Needs to be blue, needs to have gold alloys and needs to have a big spoiler! But of course those days are long gone sadly.

[danjama]

Just looks like an Insignia.

I am so disappointed.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

where's the under wheeled thread?

[Mastodon2]

Now the car just bears no resemblance whatsoever to the glory days that made the Impreza the legend it is. It looks like a Legacy, it's just a boulevard cruiser for the yanks.

[smiffy555]

It's got a face only it's mother could love!

[smiffy555]

It's got a face only it's mother could love!

[daemon]

Mastodon2 said:

Now the car just bears no resemblance whatsoever to the glory days that made the Impreza the legend it is. It looks like a Legacy, it's just a boulevard cruiser for the yanks.

Given noone here was buying them any more, you can hardly fault them for not pandering to our "needs"

[dragonheart]

That's a hideous looking thing, those wheels look like tiny plastic Halfords wheel trims.

[T1547]

Yawn - has Subaru lost all sense of design inspiration / direction..?

[thejudderman]

I know there's a huge tendency to over wheel cars now, but that just looks like its riding on castors!

Concept was gorgeous, this is just plain jane, vanilla, safe.

It also won't likely be as good inside as its rivals and the residuals will stink in comparison....

thank god for Toyota's vision with the GT86/BRZ, I'd hate to have seen an all Subaru BRZ, it'd probably been like a modern day Ford Cougar!