2022 Subaru WRX Spy Shots via Car and Driver

[Jordanwolf]

People still consider buying a WRX?

The car sucks for everything besides being a winter beater. Driving one feels like driving a brick on wheels.

[ROFL it's Waffle]

I've seen pictures of this model and the plastic fenders look stupid. I've seen this car in orange with the gray plastic fenders in person and I have a mixed opinion. This car has evolved from an iconic rally car, to a simplified turbocharged grocery queen. I don't know whether to think "cool, kinda..." or "man, I feel sorry for that guy/gal." I haven't driven this new platform, but owned a 2017. Hopefully it's more fun than it is to look at.

[DarkPira7e]

Have you seen what happens to an older wrx? Especially one you drove hard through snow and sand? The rear quarter panels are the first to rot off. I welcome the plastic, ugly or not- at least they are paying attention to what sends their cars to the junkyard and are trying to protect them from the environment they are marketed for. Pretty sure you can remove the plastic as well.


I'm not saying it'd not ugly, nor that I would ever own one- but the fenders have a purpose, even if it's not a stop-all, any protection is better than nothing

[weederr33]

I’ve seen a few in person now and think they look pretty solid. Especially with mud flaps. The only color I’ve seen them in that doesn’t look good is blue.

[MyHybridBurnsGasAndTires]

agreed OP, the fenders are bad but the fact there's been no hatch version since 2014 is also really bad

[Sasquachulator]

Originally Posted by weederr33

I’ve seen a few in person now and think they look pretty solid. Especially with mud flaps. The only color I’ve seen them in that doesn’t look good is blue.

I agree

They're kind of chunky looking in person but they actually dont look too bad in the flesh, plastic fenders and all. Ive seen a few out in the wild.

I think grey is its best colour, the contrast with the plastic fenders isnt as drastic as white/black or even blue/black and orange/black. Black/black is...just that and red/black doesnt seem to look as weird.


It still looks much better with colour matched fenders though, theres a company that seems to do it a (Aeroflow Dynamics or something) and they post pics of all these fender matched WRX's with an STI style wing. Looks very much like you'd expect an STI would.

The bad thing is the colour matched fenders make the wheels look tiny.

[weederr33]

Originally Posted by Sasquachulator

I agree

They're kind of chunky looking in person but they actually dont look too bad in the flesh, plastic fenders and all. Ive seen a few out in the wild.

I think grey is its best colour, the contrast with the plastic fenders isnt as drastic as white/black or even blue/black and orange/black. Black/black is...just that and red/black doesnt seem to look as weird.


It still looks much better with colour matched fenders though, theres a company that seems to do it a (Aeroflow Dynamics or something) and they post pics of all these fender matched WRX's with an STI style wing. Looks very much like you'd expect an STI would.

The bad thing is the colour matched fenders make the wheels look tiny.

I like that it looks mundane. But the front end looks great. Still don’t like the rear but I won’t be looking at it. Plus it’s readily available unlike the other cars on my wish list.

I will say it does look good with the fenders painted but again I don’t really mind the plastic cladding.

[scuzzy]

329HP 401TQ at the wheels on E85 -- who cares what it looks like wink wink

[KillerBMotorsport]

We've had both 2022 BRZ and 2022 WRX here for over a year now. They could not be more different cars. They both do what they were made for very well. Here's my 2 cents...

The WRX is less fun to throw around, you feel the weight, but head-to-head in stock form I think the WRX would beat it int he corners. Likely due to the stickier tires it comes with from the factory. You can also go into parking lot transitions, driveways, trailer/ramps, etc. and never worry about bottoming or scraping the front lip.

When it comes to easy of driving fast, the BRZ is the lesser of the two. The WRX feel effortless during acceleration and it's flat constant power everywhere in the revs. The BRZ you almost feel like you have to beat it to keep it in the power, and it's not a lot.

Tuning potential, again they are going to be very different. If I were building a track car, the BRZ would likely be the choice based on the weight and balanced feel. It should have more potential for really sticking in the corners. When it comes to power potential, the WRX would embarrass the BRZ dollar for dollar spent. The WRX makes a crap load more power with a tune, let alone adding E85 into the mix.

Long drives go to the WRX, hands down. The BRZ gets ~28mpg on the highway and our WRX is ~27, but the WRX holds 5 more gallons of fuel. So longer drives me fewer or no stops to fill up. Plus, with the wife and accompanying trip stuff, having a decent trunk and backseat is just much more convenient.

The BRZ is great, no doubt. I don't think there is a better rear drive, 2-door, "driver's" car out there. The WRX is nice, does its job well, and has a lot of potential. Having owned ever WRX/STi, I can say the chassis it better than anything from the past. It seems like a really good foundation with a lot of potential. Looking forward to the next STi, if it ever comes :/

[NoHaveMSG]

Originally Posted by KillerBMotorsport

We've had both 2022 BRZ and 2022 WRX here for over a year now. They could not be more different cars. They both do what they were made for very well. Here's my 2 cents...

Also j/k

[gen3v8]

The VB does look strange with the plastic flares. Color coding them is an improvement imo.

[weederr33]

Originally Posted by scuzzy

329HP 401TQ at the wheels on E85 -- who cares what it looks like wink wink

How dare you post those guys!

[wbradley]

They injected it with a little bit of CUV DNA. The heritage after all is all weather, gravel roads and inclement conditions. The fender flares will only make the car better protected. Also, ground clearance was increased. Perhaps they might eventually colour the flares if chipping doesn't hurt them.
Subarus tend to last long, here is an example why.

If you don't dig it, I'm sure Honda has a Civic with your name on it. And, there's nothing wrong with that. Not everyone's cup of tea.

[SoCalHANZ86]

I think white looks good with the flairs as is. Other colors look better with them paint matched. Theres a company i saw video of that paints the flairs, rockers moldings and bumpers and it looked pretty nice.