I owned a 2016 WRX for 3 years, from 2016-2019, and, while I ended up selling it because I was getting married, I've missed having a small, quick, manual transmission car.
While I had a few gripes with the car, they were few (inadequate brakes, rev hang, bad factory tune). The good things about the car far outnumbered the not-so-good, and I still think it's one of the best performance cars you can get for the money, and it also offers a LOT of utility, with 4 full doors and the capability to mount roof rack, and hidden 2" receiver hitch.
I also like the fact that the powertrain is unique, and symmetrical. I think that adds a lot to the handling, which was my favorite part of the car, despite the fact that it was also pretty quick (0-60 in mid-5-second range, conservatively; 144 mph top speed). Steering, ergonomics, seating position, and interior room were all excellent.
Also never had any mechanical problems with it, after they finally diagnosed high-RPM noise that was eventually traced to a header stud nut left off at the factory. And I beat the heck out of the car many times out on backroads around Tennessee and Western North Carolina.
Was disappointed to hear that the release of the new WRX may be delayed now, since the New York Auto Show has been cancelled (it was supposed to be this week, and the new 2022 WRX was to make its debut, on Thurs. Aug. 19).
Hope they find a venue to announce it and release the specs and details soon.
The new version will feature a version of the 2.4L TGDI engine that's already being used on the Ascent and Outback XT models. It has 260 HP in those cars. The old 2.0 in my 2016 had 268 HP and 258 FT-LBS of torque, so, I'd expect the new car to receive a nice bump in HP and torque. Rumor has it that the torque figure will be >300 FT-LBS.
The brake issues I had on my 2016 (warped rotors leading to juddering on braking) supposedly have at least already been addressed in years since (at some point, I heard that they started putting 2-piece rotors on them). Hopefully the new 2022 will have even better brakes.
My only disappointment as far as what I've heard, is that there's no hatchback version slated. I hope that turns out not to be true, as that would be my preferred body style. Still, even if it's sedan-only, it wouldn't rule out a possible future purchase for me.
While I had a few gripes with the car, they were few (inadequate brakes, rev hang, bad factory tune). The good things about the car far outnumbered the not-so-good, and I still think it's one of the best performance cars you can get for the money, and it also offers a LOT of utility, with 4 full doors and the capability to mount roof rack, and hidden 2" receiver hitch.
I also like the fact that the powertrain is unique, and symmetrical. I think that adds a lot to the handling, which was my favorite part of the car, despite the fact that it was also pretty quick (0-60 in mid-5-second range, conservatively; 144 mph top speed). Steering, ergonomics, seating position, and interior room were all excellent.
Also never had any mechanical problems with it, after they finally diagnosed high-RPM noise that was eventually traced to a header stud nut left off at the factory. And I beat the heck out of the car many times out on backroads around Tennessee and Western North Carolina.
Was disappointed to hear that the release of the new WRX may be delayed now, since the New York Auto Show has been cancelled (it was supposed to be this week, and the new 2022 WRX was to make its debut, on Thurs. Aug. 19).
Hope they find a venue to announce it and release the specs and details soon.
The new version will feature a version of the 2.4L TGDI engine that's already being used on the Ascent and Outback XT models. It has 260 HP in those cars. The old 2.0 in my 2016 had 268 HP and 258 FT-LBS of torque, so, I'd expect the new car to receive a nice bump in HP and torque. Rumor has it that the torque figure will be >300 FT-LBS.
The brake issues I had on my 2016 (warped rotors leading to juddering on braking) supposedly have at least already been addressed in years since (at some point, I heard that they started putting 2-piece rotors on them). Hopefully the new 2022 will have even better brakes.
My only disappointment as far as what I've heard, is that there's no hatchback version slated. I hope that turns out not to be true, as that would be my preferred body style. Still, even if it's sedan-only, it wouldn't rule out a possible future purchase for me.
