Subaru WRX Sedan

To match the overall sporty intent of the WRX, Subaru has given its cabin an all-black finish with black leather upholstery, further spiced up by contrast red stitching on the seats, steering wheel and door pads. However, save for the large centrally-placed touchscreen, the overall cabin layout of the Subaru WRX has begun to show its age.

The driver’s cockpit of the Subaru WRX looks functional with the three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel and an analogue-biased instrument console behind it. The sides of the dashboard have gloss black strips running across them, which add further sportiness to the cabin. The centre console of the dashboard here has a large slanted touchscreen infotainment system, which houses the controls of the dual-zone automatic climate control and a premium Harman Kardon audio system within it. Other features of the cabin of the Subaru WRX include 60:40 split rear seats, a sunroof, powered front seats, push start-stop button, rear AC vents and aluminium pedals.

Subaru gave the WRX an extensive makeover in 2021 with the second-generation model, which has continued the legacy of its predecessor when it comes to the presence of outright sportiness in its visual appeal. The Subaru WRX is one of the most proportionate-looking sedans in the current times, which has the elegance of a traditional family saloon, while also the zing of a sports car.

At the front, the Subaru WRX greets you with its hexagonal grille, which is finished in a gloss black theme and comes with a honeycomb mesh design within it. While the bonnet has a centrally-placed hood scoop for enhanced aerodynamics at higher speeds, the Subaru WRX also gets wing-shaped headlamps with curved inner edges and LED projectors and daytime running LEDs within them. The front bumper has a wide centrally-positioned air dam with horizontal slats and large black housings for rounded fog lamps flanking it on either side.

The Subaru WRX continues its sophisticated yet sporty appeal in its side profile, with the sedan having prominent and bulging creases running through its fenders and door panels. For a sedan, the wheel arches of the WRX look unique with their slightly squared design, while also having body mouldings over them, below which sit the 18-inch black alloy wheels.

The rear profile of the Subaru WRX is the sportiest angle to look at the car, with the sedan having a thick-looking sporty diffuser spread across its central width. This diffuser also comes integrated with twin rounded exhaust ports on both sides, while also having black cladding surrounding the rear reflectors. The trapezoidal tail lamps with C-shaped LED inserts are joined by a gloss black garnish spread across the width of the boot lid.

The Subaru WRX has proven its prowess as a fast and dynamic car to drive even in its stock condition, thus reflecting Subaru’s excellence in motorsports. This new version of the WRX also follows the legacy by offering a sportily tuned suspension setup, Macpherson struts at the front and a double wishbone at the rear. The sports car also comes with multiple drive modes and ventilated disc brakes all around, while having a minimum turning radius of 5.6m.

The only engine and gearbox combination now offered in the Subaru WRX for the Malaysian car market is the 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder Boxer engine paired with a CVT. This engine claims to produce 275 PS of maximum power and 375 Nm of maximum torque outputs while enabling the car to reach a top speed of 215 kmph and giving it a fuel economy of 11.76 kmpl.

Following the latest trends of safety in premium cars, the Subaru WRX is equipped with premium safety features like hill start assist, hill descent control, active torque vectoring, rearview camera, six airbags, ABS with EBD, EyeSight 4.0 driver assist technology (essentially a list of ADAS features).

Keeping the slightly dated interior, which could have had a few more features on board, the Subaru WRX impresses highly, especially with the way it drives and the power delivery from the engine. The Subaru WRX is currently the purest interpretation of Subaru’s motorsport prowess in road-legal form.