The New Subaru WRX Proves It Deserves the Name

Many enthusiasts believe the Subaru WRX has gone soft. The newest version feels less like a performance car and more like a normal Impreza sedan with a turbo attached. The STI's discontinuation only exacerbates those feelings. But the WRX can still hold its own on a rally stage. This video is proof. 

The Team O'Neil Rally School in New Hampshire got their hands on a new WRX to see if its heritage still holds true. Thankfully the car's standard all-wheel drive system handles exactly as well as expected, with instructor and host Wyatt Knox calling it "pretty darn perfect."

Knox also says the 272-horsepower WRX is a bit faster than he was expecting, especially having driven more powerful STIs in the past. He credits the on-gravel handling to Subaru's purely mechanical power distribution, saying it's tuned well right out of the box.

While we don't suspect many WRX owners will get their car airborne, Knox says the car jumps "really well," saying that it flies through the air level, meaning the nose doesn't dip into the ground first upon landing. Just like any good rally car should. 

Unsurprisingly, the WRX stomps every other competitor in the timed stage course summer leaderboard at Team O'Neil, putting up a time two seconds quicker than the next quickest vehicle, a CanAm Maverick side-by-side. Proof that even with the STI gone, the WRX is still king of street-legal rally cars ... until Team O'Neil tests the GR Corolla in similar conditions, anyway.

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