ROAD TEST
Subaru’s two-pedalled WRX charmer delivers
The CVT version somewhat waters down the performance, but Subaru’s updated WRX still delivers rally-bred handling
The first Impreza WRX (World Rally eXperimental) broke cover in 1992 as a car that shook up the establishment with its rally-bred all-wheel drive system and turbocharged engine, in an era when two-wheel drive and normally-aspirated power were established practice. Though many performance cars have since joined the all-wheel drive and turbo party, the WRX sports sedan (which has since dropped the Impreza tag) is still unique for its flat-four “boxer” engine which lies low in the bay to reduce the centre of gravity. I was reminded of just how well this enhances the handling when the latest 2019-spec WRX arrived for a week-long road test. The car is stupendously fun around corners, and seems to have a special deal with gravity in the way those 245mm Dunlops stay pinned to the road and how the firm suspension resists body roll. The understeery handling characteristics of earlier AWD systems are a distant memory and you can apply the throttle nice and early out of tight corners without t...
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