Subaru is known for their all-wheel-drive, commute and family-friendly vehicles. Sporty, not so much with one exception: the WRX. With roomy seating for four adults and a comfortable interior, the WRX will put a smile on your face and extra horses in your commute.
The WRX is available in five trim levels: base, Premium, Limited, STI, and STI Limited. This review will focus on the Limited trim level with the optional Performance Package.
With added extras like a sunroof, heated front seats and a larger 7-inch touchscreen, the Premium trim level gets lux equipment like adaptive LED headlights, leather upholstery and a power-adjustable drivers seat.
The addition of the Performance package gets the WRX, Recaro sport seats, upgraded brakes, takes away the sunroof for weight issues, keyless access with push button start, a sport-tuned suspension with Bilstein Dampers, and a Brembo performance breaking system.
A four-cylinder turbocharged engine powers the WRX, getting 268 horses and 258 lb-ft of torque. My model was paired with the standard six-speed manual transmission. There is an optional continuously variable automatic transmission offered for drivers who won’t or don’t drive a manual. For mileage expect to get 21/city, 27/highway, and 23/combined mpg.
The Recaro seating in my model was really sharp with red contrast stitching. The seats were well bolstered for longer drives. The interior also has a roomy feel with large windows and wide door openings. It doesn’t just feel roomy, it is roomy with seating for four adults. The 60/40 split backseats also added much need cargo space.
Driving the WRX is a delight with the turbocharged producing plenty of smile-inducing horses and the steering and cornering are tight and true. The ride is a bit stiff though but that’s the trade-off for a car that has such a sporty personality. The cabin also suffers from some road noise. So turn up those tunes and punch it!
