The Rundown
The Subaru WRX. This fast, light Japanese car derives almost all of its features from a stock car past, and buying a used WRX enables drivers everywhere to build up a fun, fast street car that sounds great. In this market new cars have become quite the commodity and buying a new one can be overpriced, and just unnecessary. There are plenty of used Subaru WRXs on the market, and in loads of different body styles and engine configurations. Finding the right Subaru WRX really begins with first identifying which year or generation of WRX is right for you, and then doing your best to find those model years specifically. This article will help you to find the right generation of WRX for you and potentially eliminate others.
2022 – present Subaru WRX
Unfortunately for many, the WRX STI is no longer available and hatchbacks have been axed from the lineup. This is a huge reason why many WRX lovers have begun to look to the past for their own Subaru WRX as the current generation took a step towards the future. The Subaru WRX now shares more of a general platform with the rest of the Subaru lineup, and unfortunately has done away with many of the features that brought rally car fans to the Subaru WRX initially. The Subaru now features a CVT, which does get you to 60 mph faster, but does not elicit the control that comes with driving the older manual models.
2015 – 2021 Subaru WRX
This model dropped the Impreza name and became a performance focused sedan. A six-speed manual engine was standard, with a CVT available. The engine was a 2.0-liter turbo four cylinder that output 268 horses. Refinement options and availability increase in this generation, with leather accents abounding and more creature comforts introduced. The WRX STI was unknowingly on its last legs during this generation, but featured six speed transmission as the only option, with 305 horses at the start of the period and 310 horsepower on later models. These models are visibly like the modern models, and both take similar design cues.
2008 – 2014 Subaru WRX
This generation of the WRX still had the Impreza moniker on it, but has a lot more features that WRX lovers were happy with. One of these was a hatchback body style that replaced the wagon body style from the previous generation. These would be the last model years that included a hatchback body style. The STI model was introduced as only a hatchback, but came with a six speed manual transmission, in 2010 a sedan version of the STI model was also introduced. The main engine was a 2.5 liter turbo four cylinder with an output of 227 horses on the WRX and 300 horses on the WRX STI.
2002 – 2007 Subaru WRX
The last generation that featured the Subaru WRX wagon. The WRX was a 2.0 liter turbo four cylinder, with 227 horsepower. The body styles available were either a 5 door station wagon, or a four door sedan. The main difference between the WRX and the Impreza was the hood scoop, and the two vehicles shared almost identical design cues. It was not until 2004 when the WRX STI joined the lineup with a six speed manual and 300 horsepower that had more athletic design cues.
Summary
There are plenty of Subaru WRX STI options available. However you find your Subaru WRX it is sure to be a fun driver, and even more fun car to customize and make your own.