2015 Subaru WRX Sedan

2015 Subaru WRX Sedan 2015 Subaru WRX Sedan
First Drive Review

Among all of autodom, the 2015 Subaru WRX stands out as a little odd, but not because of its flared fenders, funky crease-and-angles styling, or even its position as rally beast in a lineup full of granola-mobiles. Okay, so those things are all at least semi-odd, but the thing we’re getting at, the thing that makes the WRX unique, is the 268-hp, 2.0-liter turbo four slotted under its aluminum hood. That’s because, unlike all but one other automaker, Subaru persists with the boxer engine layout. (The other carmaker is, of course, Porsche, where the engine type is reserved for pure sports cars.) Every other company will insist that cylinders are meant to be in lines or vees and not constantly thrusting directly at one another. Yet Subaru puts boxer engines into everything it sells.

The flat-four in the 2015 WRX is a member of the FA engine family that powers the turbocharged Forester XT and the naturally aspirated BRZ and Scion FR-S. Direct injected, the engine inhales 15.9 pounds of peak boost (or slightly more during brief overboost periods) and has a 10.6:1 compression ratio. The redline is painted on the tach at 6700 rpm with the six-speed manual and 6500 rpm with the CVT automatic—yes, the WRX is now available with a continuously variable transmission. Peak twist is 258 lb-ft of torque from 2000 rpm to 5200 rpm, and max power arrives at 5600 rpm; if you wait to shift until redline, you do feel the power taper off ever so slightly.

Flat-fours produce a characteristic growling thrum, and the last WRX announced its engine layout with pride pretty much the entire time from ignition to shutdown. But the 2015 model keeps a great deal of the din away from the driver’s ear, while the four-tipped dual exhaust booms some if you push into the throttle at low rpm. If you’re over 35, you might find it a bit uncouth—and not in an endearing way. And on certain types of pavement, there’s more roar from the 235/45R-17 Dunlop SP Sport Maxx RT tires than we’d like to hear.

The rest of the car sings a much more satisfying tune. A new electric power-steering system is tuned to perfection; whirl the flat-bottomed 14.5-inch wheel, and the nose knifes into corners precisely and predictably. And unlike many other EPS systems, the WRX’s feels natural as the steering effort increases with cornering loads.

Stiffer and Stiffer

Torpedoing into and rocketing out of switchbacks on our drive route in Napa Valley, the 2015 WRX showed that it still has the goods to satisfy hard-core fans of the badge. With all-wheel drive, this Subie has an easy balance and neutrality that’s missing in front-drive cars like the Ford Focus ST, and unlike its front-drive competitors, the WRX has no problem putting down the power and firing itself out of corners. The structure is 41 percent stiffer overall, and the spring rates have been cranked up by 39 percent at the front and 62 percent in the rear. There are also larger anti-roll bars and firmer bushings, and the aluminum lower control arms of the strut front suspension are unique to the WRX. To help keep the WRX stable under limit cornering, the active torque vectoring system uses the front brakes to clamp individual front wheels, which helps steer the car through the corner. The Rex turns in with verve and shows extraordinary levels of front-end grip.

To combat brake fade, Subaru fits each WRX with 12.4-inch vented front rotors with two-piston calipers and 11.3-inch solid rotors with single-piston calipers in back. A larger master cylinder and a more responsive booster are intended to improve brake feel, and although the brakes do feel better than before, the WRX’s brakes don’t have the bite or provide the security and arresting grab of a Ford Focus ST or 2015 Volkswagen GTI.

It takes less than a quarter-mile of driving to realize that the ’15 WRX rides more stiffly than before. On patched pavement or over freeway expansion joints, the car will jostle you, but the rigid body mostly mitigates the impacts. Compared with the Impreza on which it is based—but with which it no longer shares a name—the WRX gets more high-strength steel in its A-pillar, a thicker floor pan, and additional gussets that connect the firewall with the passenger cabin. The payoff for the firm ride is excellent body control and sports-car-like resistance to diving under braking and squatting under acceleration.