Subaru has been world-renowned ever since it entered into the world of rallying in 1989. Since then, the Japanese brand has won numerous championships and their race cars have gone on to become legends in the world of professional motorsports. However, there’s one really important and famous model in Subaru’s lineup, and that’s the WRX. The first-generation Subaru WRX made its sales debut back in late 1992. It soon became the weapon of choice for tuners and amateur racers, and before the world realized, the WRX had already established itself.
Today, after nearly 30 years after it first hit the world stage, the Subaru WRX is still a car to be reckoned it – on and off the rally circuit. The current fourth-generation model of the Subaru WRX was unveiled in 2014, and this remains the most recent avatar as of now. While the standard WRX is more than enough for most, Subaru also offers the angrier STi for those looking for an even more aggressive drive.
Exterior
Without a shadow of doubt, the Subaru WRX is one of the meanest looking sports sedans in the market. From some angles, it may even come across as a sensible family sedan which, interestingly enough, it is. The tenacious front fascia of the new WRX shouts aggression and comes across as intimidating, thanks mainly to the muscular hood with its massive scoop. The low nose wears a sleek grille, sharp LED headlamps with built-in C-shaped LED DRLs, and a rally-inspired sporty bumper with a central air intake flanked by a couple of foglights.
Some of the most outstanding design aspects of the WRX’s side profile are its massively-flared front and rear fenders, low side skirts, and striking 17-inch alloy wheels. The sporty rear end features a distinctive bootlip spoiler, chubby LED taillights, and a stout bumper with neatly-integrated air diffuser and quad exhaust pipes. The 2019 Subaru WRX stands 4.595 meters in length, 1.795 meters in width, 1.475 meters in height, and the distance between the axles is 2.650 meters. As for practicality, the WRX’s boot can hold up to 460 liters of luggage.
Interior
The interior of the 2019 Subaru WRX tries to wow with some of its sporty touches, just so that you’re reminded that this is no ordinary family sedan. The dash-mounted digital multi-purpose display looks cool, and so does the sporty, flat-bottom steering wheel and same goes for the red stitching, aluminum pedals, and faux carbon-fiber trim on the dashboard. Also quite impressive are the sporty yet comfortable leather seats and a relatively-spacious cabin.
Despite those nice touches, the sheer amount of cheap and scratchy plastic all over is a definite letdown. Thankfully, Subaru has equipped the WRX with some niceties such as power-adjustable driver’s seat, electric sunroof, paddle shifters, climate control, cruise control, rain-sensing wipers, touch-screen infotainment with navigation, push-button start, and parking sensors with a rear camera. Other features include all-wheel drive, 8 airbags, anti-lock brakes, stability and traction assist etc.
Engine and performance
Under the hood of the Subaru WRX is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-popper with 265 hp and 350 Nm of torque. This is channeled via a CVT box to all fours via Subaru’s intelligent Symmetrical AWD system. The end result is a 0-100 km/h time of 6.3 seconds and a top whack of 240 km/h. Of course, the downside to all this performance is a rather poor fuel economy of 9.2 L/100 km.
Verdict
The 2019 Subaru WRX range (not the STi) costs between AED 125,900 to AED 135,900 for the base and Premium trim, respectively. Meanwhile, cost of insurance starts at AED 1,962 and AED 2,118 for the two variants, respectively.
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