2015 Subaru WRX: All Grown Up

The 2015 Subaru WRX proves that growing up doesn’t have to mean turning your back on your roots.  Long the first choice of Canadian sport compact enthusiasts attracted by its turbocharged, all-wheel drive performance and affordable pricing, the Subaru WRX has managed to stay competitive in a rapidly escalating arms race at the entry-level that now includes deep-pocketed rivals Hyundai, Ford, and Volkswagen.  When it came time to redesign this icon, Subaru faced several hard choices (especially considering its modest resources) that ultimately shaped a different-than-expected WRX successor, setting tongues wagging that maybe the venerable model had finally fallen off.

I’m happy to report that far from abdicating the throne, the 2015 Subaru WRX instead cements its place as one of the most appealing dual-purpose sports sedans on the market.  The positive impression that the new WRX left on me after a full day of all-out flogging under the California sun is proof positive that Subaru’s product planners know what they are doing – and that we might be looking at the most successful version of this venerable nameplate to date.

• Also: 2015 Subaru WRX: Made for the People
• Also: Subaru Prepares to Unveil the 2015 WRX STI

Time To Move On

I know.  We all wanted to drive that gorgeous WRX concept car that Subaru teased us with this past spring in New York and see the model evolve onto its own dedicated platform in a bid to take on the big boys in the performance sedan world.  It didn’t happen, hearts were broken, and we’re instead presented with what we’ve always expected from the WRX: a more aggressively-styled take on the Impreza’s styling that highlights the car’s rally heritage via a hood scoop, a wide-body look, and aggressive front and rear fascias.

More disappointing to me – and to scores of Canadian compact car buyers – is the decision to axe the hatchback body style.  The 2015 Subaru WRX is sedan-only, and there’s no five-door coming, so don’t bother waiting for it despite the fact that 50 percent of all WRXs are ordered with the extra cargo opening.  The explanation?  Subaru knew that to really rise above the previous generation of the WRX it would be necessary to pour significant resources into differentiating the model from the Impreza, and there simply wasn’t enough cash lying around to do that to both the sedan and hatch models.

It was a question of financial reality versus pie-in-the-sky dreaming, and Subaru built the WRX it could afford rather than the one that would bankrupt the company.  I’m ok with this, and you should be too, because in the end what we’ve got is the best-driving WRX of the past 10 years.

Stuck Like Glue

Enough focusing on what the 2015 Subaru WRX is not.  I’d much rather wax eloquent about what it is, and that’s the statement I made at the end of the preceding paragraph.  Gone are the rougher edges of last year’s version of the sedan and in their place is the delightful marriage of chassis control, power delivery, and confidence that mark a true driver’s car.

It was while snaking my way down a succession of rough, one-lane roads demarcated by a sheer rock wall on the left and a 500-foot cliff drop on the right that I came to appreciate just how much effort Subaru has poured into developing the 2015 WRX’s platform.  Gobs of high strength steel have been introduced where needed most, creating an ultra-stiff sedan that weighs only 30 kilograms more than the model it replaces while managing to offer 40 percent more rigidity.  Cornering is flat, flat, flat, which is not something that could be said for the 2014 edition of the car, and the vehicle’s quicker steering, stiffer spring rates, and thoroughly revised suspension mounts compelled me to attempt each approaching apex with ever-increasing velocity.

Aiding and abetting the car’s standard all-wheel drive system (which offers both viscous coupling and electronically-control center differentials, depending on transmission choice) as it stuck to the asphalt like some kind of tarmac magnet was the WRX’s new torque vectoring system.  Through the judicious application of the inside brakes, Subaru has been able to eliminate the understeer that was a feature of the older model’s cornering character.  I was regularly impressed by just how willing to the 2015 WRX was to rotate, something that the more boxcar-like sedans of old simply could not replicate in stock form.

Power When You Need It

Rocket-like acceleration has always been in the WRX’s tool kit, and the 2015 model certainly doesn’t disappoint.  268 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque are supplied by the Subaru’s 2.0-liter horizontally-opposed four-cylinder engine, which swaps in new camshafts but makes use of the same basic turbocharged design as the motor that debuted earlier this year under the hood of the Forester XT crossover.

Although the only modest increase in output versus the outgoing 2.5-liter mill might seem like black mark against the new WRX, the decision to replace last year's motor was an inspired one: gone is any hint of lag off of the line and in its place is a remarkably fat power band that rewards even the most modest throttle tip-in with instantaneous response. During the drive, I found myself regularly looking down at the speedometer and finding myself traveling 40 to 50 kilometres faster than I had intended simply due to the lack of drama associated with the sedan’s remarkably linear acceleration.  When’s the last time one could say that about a WRX?

Shift It Yourself – Or Don’t

A big part of the 2015 Subaru WRX’s smooth power delivery is its new six-speed manual transmission, which comes standard.  More precise than the five-speed unit that it replaces, I found its ratios to be perfectly spaced, making it a significant improvement over what came beforehand.  Subaru has also elected to bring back the option of an automatic transmission, in this case a continuously-variable unit that comes with either six or eight driver-accessible virtual gear ratios to explore via steering wheel-mounted shift paddles.  It also features a launch control mode, which does wonders to propel the sedan forward while the turbo motor screams at the redline thanks to CVT magic.  Fuel efficiency for the manual tranny officially bests that of the auto box due to a quirk in how the car is categorized by testing agencies, but look for a more frugal experience at the pump for both versions of the car as compared to the last-gen WRX.

Fun, Fun, Fun You Can Afford

The 2015 Subaru WRX – with its remarkably composed ride, top-shelf at-the-limit handling, and much nicer interior – is finally worthy of a mainstream audience.  The best part is, unlike your favourite band, the WRX didn’t have to ‘sell out’ to deliver the kind of balanced, mature package that will appeal to those seeking a fun commuter car as much as drivers looking to head to the track on the weekend.  The WRX has lost none of its fire in the pursuit of sport sedan excellence, and no longer asks owners to tolerate a substandard interior and spartan features list in order to enjoy what is poised to become one of the most well-rounded performance cars on the market.  Toss in its standard all-wheel drive and Subaru’s promise to keep pricing affordable, and the 2015 WRX stands out as a strong option for speed-hungry Canadian shoppers.