A mere three years ago, Subaru rolled into the 2007 New York Auto Show with an all-new WRX.
You hated it. We hated it. Mitsubishi loved it.
To Subaru's credit, the company wasted no time trying to correct its miscalculation. The very next model year it retuned the soft suspension and added a heap of horsepower. It took a year off in 2010, but now it's tinkering with the WRX again in an attempt to win back its loyal buyers.
The result is this new "wide body" 2011 Subaru WRX. It's essentially STI bodywork on a standard WRX and it will be available on both the hatchback and the sedan you see here.
It's more than just bodywork though as all WRXs will get a 1.5-inch wider track, wider 17" x 8" wheels and 235/35R17 tires in place of the previous 225s. The changes add a measly 33 pounds to the WRX's curb weight according to Subaru.
So what do think? Is the WRX back on track now or is it too little too late?
moparbad says:
07:26 PM, 03/22/10
Look fast crowd will love it.
rsholland says:
07:44 PM, 03/22/10
Well this had been rumored, a wide-body WRX, that is. I think it work better as a 5-door. Expect a 4-door STI with this same look too.
roadburner says:
07:46 PM, 03/22/10
The hatch looks better, but either way I prefer a performance car that doesn't attract undue attention from LEOs, ricers, and rednecks.
allenychung says:
08:09 PM, 03/22/10
I'll love it if they keep the price about the same, don't really want to pay $30K+ for a Subaru.
willej says:
05:22 AM, 03/23/10
This overall body design is a dissapointment . . . I had an 06 and really liked that body style MUCH better
rsholland says:
07:43 AM, 03/23/10
Here are a couple of more images, including the 5-door model.
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showpost.php?p=30152258&postcount=86
blueguydotcom says:
07:47 AM, 03/23/10
The only downfall of the current WRX is the 5 speed. It desperately needs a 6 speed. Otherwise it's a flat out better car than the Civic, MS3, Evo, etc.
Don't much care about the exterior. It's a go-fast car that's well made and offers a ton of fun.
stovt001 says:
09:03 AM, 03/23/10
I'm with roadburner here. Yeah the current WRX looks pretty blah, but it also had the appeal of not inviting a race just with its looks. There's something to be said for a sleeper. It would have been nice to see a more exciting look without going all boy racer on it.
ne1butu2 says:
09:55 AM, 03/23/10
There sure a lot going on with the plastic on each end, which looks cheap and amateurish. The wide fenders are an improvement and it makes it look more substantial, but the wheel arches are sitting too far from the wheels.
jederino says:
09:56 AM, 03/23/10
Looks like a puffy and overstyled shoe. Just fix that, and the interior quality, and put life in the steering, and this is the best compact racer money can buy.
crowb says:
10:26 AM, 03/23/10
+1 blueguy.
6 speed manual a must.
aaykay says:
11:04 AM, 03/23/10
The more important question is, what changes are coming to the STI ? The supposed Subaru performance flagship ? Ever since its introduction, it has been left to fester and even now plods on with the same HP/Torque numbers that the 2004 version was released with.
For comparison, when the 2004 STI was released with HP/Torque numbers of 300/300, the Honda Accord V6 was a sub-200HP car. Today, the STI with the same HP/Torque numbers are brushing against the HP/Torque number of family cars like Accord, Camry, Maxima etc. Subaru should be ashamed to have left the STI at its current state.
Either update it, or kill it since leaving it the way it is, will simply dilute the "STI" branding as a meaningless moniker.
mike_honcho says:
11:24 AM, 03/23/10
@moparbad: It looks fast because it is fast. It's faster to 60mph and through the 1/4 than an SRT8 Challenger.
Go baseless comment!
zoomzoomn says:
11:26 AM, 03/23/10
I think Subaru needs to do a cleaner looking, less boy racer version of this car to take it to a more premium level. Kind of like the new Evo MR Touring!
estreka says:
04:24 PM, 03/23/10
I've attacked the latest gen Impreza for bland styling since it was introduced. Now it appears I'll be attacking it for bland styling with some boy racer snap ons.