2026 Subaru WRX Provides Affordable Fun

For a serious gearhead – the ones who value a super-or turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with all-wheel-drive and a 6-speed manual transmission – the letters WRX are legend.

In 1988, Subaru took its lowly Impreza compact sedan and hatchback, and let its newly-created Subaru Tecnica International (STi) have a go at it. The result, by the early 1990s, was a World Rally Championship contender that tore up the gravel and dirt tracks – and won.

And glory be, there was a street car version of those legendary WRX STis, complete with wings, scoops and wheels/tires to match. Alas, the WRX STi was sunsetted in 2021 – but WRX survives, with 2022 ushering in a new second-gen version.

Look close, and the base Impreza is there – 176.2 inches long/70.1 inches wide/58.3 inches tall. The six-sided grille graces a long nose with tapering hood, and this base WRX also gets a functional hood scoop. Below that grille, which gets a WRX badge, are side intakes and a low center mouth with air dam.

Black lower aero wraps into the angular wheel flares, with real rearward vents in front as the flares wrap around 18-inch Dunlop SP Sport Max tires on anodized black wheels that show off the silver disc brake calipers. There are flared lower sills, while rear fenders widen with raked shoulders flowing into big LED taillights that connect over the trunk. A molded-in tail spoiler and more aero lower, frame four big exhaust tips.

The WRX doesn’t announce its presence with wings and things. But it has a squat, performance-oriented look that really shines in Ignition Red.

Inside, you get what you need from a sports sedan: a basic black plastic dashboard with the right amount of information, a chunky steering wheel, and supportive bucket seats with a 6-speed manual in between.

The driver faces a 12.3-inch instrument cluster with analog 180-mph speedometer and 8,000-rpm tachometer (6,000-rpm redline). There’s a digital infotainment screen in the middle along with steering wheel controls to scroll through the upper part’s turbo boost, audio and others. It also displays Subaru’s safety systems, like blind spot sensing that shows when something’s ahead or beside you, or if you are drifting out of a lane.

That stitched leather-clad steering wheel has a dash of faux carbon fiber on one spoke, and the usual controls on the other two. There’s some tasty silver carbon thread-like accents on the door panels, next to padded cloth inserts and armrests.

The hard black plastic gets some silver accent in front of the passenger. The dash center features a large, vertical 11.6-inch tablet-style touchscreen. It’s got a volume and tuning knob, plus multiple menus that can show audio, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, HD Radio and more.

That said, some functions need a deeper dive into menus. The dual-zone temperature controls are physical buttons, with vent, fan speed and seat heat touch icons at the base of the screen. That screen did reflect morning and afternoon sun.

The center console has a 12-volt outlet and dual USBs, plus a classic MP3 input near a rubberized storage pad. There is no inductive phone charger. The stubby manual gear shift falls right at hand near dual cup holders. The unpadded center armrest behind them hide some storage underneath. But that armrest is too low.

Those bucket seats are black and gray cloth with red stitching. They have decent bolstering and manual adjustments – comfy and supportive. 

In back, there’s a flat bench seat with good head and leg room for two after you duck just a tad to get there, but not much else. The seatbacks split and fold 60/40 to expand the usable 12.5-cubic-inch trunk.

2026 WRX’s Slick 6-Speed Manual Paired with Turbo BOXER Is Delightful

OK, so what else does the fifth-generation of this rally-bred street car atop Subaru’s Global Platform have? Here’s my road test video of a 2021 WRX STi, which was done before joining EV Rider, to show some of what that could do. But lots of that ability filters down to our base 2026 WRX.

The turbocharged 271-hp 2.4-liter BOXER engine got 13 more ponies in 2022, and a broader torque curve with 258 lb-ft from 2,000-5,200 rpm. That hood scoop funnel scoop air into an intercooler atop the engine, power heading to all-wheel drive with active torque vectoring through a 6-speed manual transmission with 3-second hill holder.

Simple is best, so I’ll gladly shift for myself.

The 6-speed was slick enough, and always slotted where I wanted to, nice and quick. There’s no changeable drive modes, but rev it up and bring that clutch in quickly and you’ll get a hint of front wheelspin, zipping to 60-mph in 5.8 seconds early in third gear. Turbo boost – the gauge said as much as 14.5 psi – came onboard smoothly and noticeably. The flat four snarled out the quad pipes, delivering a hint of turbo wastegate chirple at each upshift.

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Our 3,300-mile-old WRX saw an average 27 mpg that dropped to 25 mpg during spirited driving. But running at highway speed in sixth gear at about 2,200 rpm, we had the torque to pass. Downshifts to third gear delivered even more fun.

For comparison, the 268-hp WRX I tested for a retired website in 2019 hit 60 mph in 5.5 seconds – and averaged 22 mpg on premium. The fifth-gen model I tested in 2015, also with 268 hp and a continuously variable transmission with manual modes, hit 60 mph in 5.4 seconds.

The Subaru Global Platform has full inner frame construction and a claimed 28 percent increase in overall torsional rigidity, and 75 percent increase in suspension mounting point rigidity. That rigidity joins McPherson-type struts with internal rebound springs and aluminum lower L-arms in front, and double wishbone with subframe in back, and coil springs with stabilizer bars at both ends.

We found the ride to be taut and very well controlled, with tight suspension movement and a bounce rate that’s a bit stiff in daily running, but with some buffer at full compression. Only some hard-edged bumps revealed a bit of tightness, with quick rebound at full compression. But this is a sports sedan, and acceptable for daily running.

Add active torque vectoring, which taps brakes to the inside front wheel in a corner to nudge more power to the outside front wheel, and the WRX is a cornering standout that always pulled us through without drama. It grips like glue, with no understeer under power, and not much body roll.

The new dual-pinion electric power steering system had a very direct feel – just point and shoot, or think about dodging that pothole and it is done without drama. There’s no real upset in tracking in a mid-curve bump. The 12.4-inch ventilated front discs with dual-piston calipers, and 11.4-inch solid rear discs with single-piston calipers had precise feel and application, with no perceived nose dive and no fade after repeated hard use.

We had the base Subaru WRX, which starts at $32,495 with 6-speed manual transmission, turbocharged engine, blind-spot detection with lane change assist and rear cross traffic alert. There were no options, so the final with destination is $33,690.

Bottom line: This really is a usable commuter car, with room for people and stuff that just happens to make its driver a bit happier on winding roads. It shows its basic econo-car Impreza roots in the hard plastic interior – but it’s a hoot to drive.

2026 Subaru WRX Specifications

Vehicle type – 5-passenger 4-door compact all-wheel-drive sports sedan

Base price – $32,495 (As tested – 33,690)

Engine type – Turbocharged, intercooled chain-driven DOHC, 16-valve in-line Boxer four

Displacement – 2.4 liters

Horsepower (net) – 271 @ 5,600 rpm

Torque (lb-ft) – 258 @ 2,000 – 5,200 rpm

Transmission – 6-speed manual transmission

Wheelbase – 105 inches

Overall length – 183.4 inches

Overall width – 72 inches

Height – 58 inches

Front headroom – 39 inches

Front legroom – 43.1 inches

Rear headroom – 36.5 inches

Rear legroom – 31 inches

Cargo capacity – 12.5 cu. ft.

Curb weight – 3,345 lbs.

Fuel capacity – 16.6 gallons

Mileage rating – 19-mpg city/26-mpg highway