Wanted to come in and give my thought on the 22 WRX after driving it for a week.
First off, I don’t care that much about the looks. As a Subaru-born enthusiast, ugly cars are just our thing. I’ve been around long enough to see everyone hate when the new generation is announced and then within a year they sell more and get modified and then everyone forgets that they were “ugly”. I think it will be the same with the 22.
I should also mention, the 15-21 is my least favorite generation. I’ve had a GC (STI swapped, wide body, carbon roof, JDM everything else), GD (05 STI), GR (current daily 08 Hatchback), and we have a company owned 2018 WRX that I have a substantial amount of seat time in. The 2018 is the worst. It’s still fast, but it’s very numb compared to the other cars. Terrible throttle, steering, brakes. The engine is peaky and runs out of steam at the top. To me it’s the final departure from a raw “race car for the streets” into full family sedan.
The 22 WRX VB feels very similar to the VA, but it did fix some things.
The new 2.4 is phenomenal. Boost is active from like 2500RPMs, and it’s extremely smooth power nearly up to redline. There’s a little bit of rev hang, but nothing like the VA was. It’s significantly easier to drive, and even though in paper they have similar peak power levels, the VB is no question faster with more power under the entire curve. If I were to go back and do an engine swap in an older Subaru, I would 100% choose this 2.4 over the older EJ.
The car is a tad easier to control in a curve. Initial suspension R&D says that the only major change is the sway bars and spring rates, but it is noticeable. Steering does feel slightly improved, but nothing to write home about. Brakes don’t feel any different. Shifter / trans feels the same. Interior is nice, but I personally don’t love Subaru’s infotainment system. It’s a little laggy and I’m a staunch “give me good carplay and android auto support and ignore everything else” supporter. The steering wheel is also weirdly shaped, almost triangular / flat outer ring instead of round. It’s uncomfortable to hold the wheel along the entire top half of the wheel.
Anyway, those are my initial thoughts. Feel free to ask me any specific questions about the car, I still have access to it and can drive it or take photos of anything.
If rumors are true, I probably would have “liked” the 22/23 STI with this engine and the traditional 6 speed, brembos, and hydraulic steering, but I still am hoping that the GRC is what I’m really after. If not, I‘ll probably keep my hatchback STI around, because I do love that car.
