- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.0T, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
197kW, 350Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 9.2L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2014)
2014 Subaru WRX (AWD) Review
Subaru have finally answered the calling of all the rexy enthusiast and brought back the wrx from what made it such a hit over 10 years ago! After losing its way in the previous model I.e. pre 2010, it's come back with a bang and it's better than ever. And I've only owned the car for 2 weeks. One of the big changes in the new model was replacing the 2.5L motor to a 2.0L which was in line with what its competitors were doing the in the market. My thinking is If a VAG 2.0 litre motor can produce nearly 300kw and nearly 500nm of torque (golf r 400) from a 2.0 L, there was no reason to even continue with the 2.5L. So I commend subaru for holding back the ego and dropping back down to 2.0. You forego those extra kgs at the same time.
- Engine/Power, Steering Wheel, Handling, Value for money, Exterior styling
- Small wheels, Thirsty when pushed, Service intervals
When I was shopping around for a sports car, I was looking for a practical I.e. 4 door Non European sports car with pedigree...and when you look at the market there was only really one to choose from, that was the WRX. The bonus was its a new model. I've owned European sports cars but I was looking for something long term this time around. So at the end the day if you think of this segment, Golf Gti (European) Renault megane (European) opal (European/Japanese no pedigree) Ford Focus ST (no pedigree although it's building nicely and design was not my taste) there was only one winner.
Drive - power is linear is how I'd describe its drive. It's not blow your socks off acceleration due to torque arrival at 2400rpm. My past cars vw golf and a3 1.8 turbo, torque arrived very early in the rev range 1400rpm. So coming from those drive trains I tend to notice the lag a lot more in the new wrx. Don't get me wrong it's a fast car, once you are in the meat of the rev range, woah! The power just surges and it continues to come in spades up until later in the rev range. The rush you get when the when the peak torque arrives never fails to put a smile on my face. It has sledgehammer hammer overtaking ability, even in gear 6 on the highway, overtaking is a non issue. The manual gearbox is a tad notchy, but an improvement from the last model. Having the 6th gear is obviously handy.
Handling - as soon as they released the BRZ and bragged about the handling I thought to myself please subaru, transpose that same concept into the wrx, I.e. The use of more rigid steel to sure up the chassis and improve handling and by what, have they have done a great job in this new model. Handling is out of this world, you turn the wheel and the nose will follow, body roll is pretty much non existent. Took this thing out bundeena national park for the windy roads and it absolutely ate the hills and corners! It's definitely what you'd expect from this car! If you were the unfortunate person who bought the 2008 wrx (like me) will concur that handling should be part of the wrx gene pool going forward.
Interior Design - for me personally its great, it's subtle styling is perfect for my taste. I got my wrx with the STI lip kit and just gives it that's much more of an aggressive stance, I highly recommend this accessory package. Subaru have foregone the rounded edges in it previous model for sharper squarish lines. Interior is a step up from the previous model and definitely feels more premium, although still behind its competitors I feel, I know, sounds cliche. Some of the hard plastics in and around the dash should be saved for areas of the car that are not really seen, like the seat levers and passenger doors. The 17 inch wheels look very small in pictures but actually work on the car in the actual flesh. Oh and the steering wheel! Wow! The look and feel is just perfect. The boost gauge is helpful and I find myself constantly looking at the damn thing. Maybe that's just me. The Bluetooth works fine and is easy enough to use, the screen for the reverse camera is a little small but that's a small gripe that I can live with. The stereo is ok, not great but I don't buy cars like this for the stereo system so it'll do for me. Rear leg room is boot space is not class leading but again these it's a 'good to have' for sports cars, for me it fits my needs. If I can get our pram and shopping in there without stuffing it in that's fine for me.
Servicing/running costs - Fuel consumption, I averaged around 12.5L/100km and that's with more than occasional 'aggressive driving' in mixed city and highway, got up to 15L/100km when I really gave it. Servicing is capped every 6 months which is below the usual 12 months you'd see for cars in its segment and priced a little high for 6 month visits but for what the car is, a high performance sports car, this wrx is definitely worth the outlay in my opinion.
Overall, what else more can I say, I love my WRX!