斯巴鲁Says It Still Cares About Enthusiasts

The2022 Subaru WRXwas revealed back in September and while unconventional, we wouldn't say that its styling is ugly. Nevertheless, the fifth-generation sedan has come under firefor its quirky design. With the arrival of anew GT trimthat adds electronically controlled dampers and the fact that a manual gearbox remains a standard feature, the people at Subaru are clearly very interested in keeping their most enthusiastic buyers happy. In fact, the brand has said as much in an interview. Speaking withAutomotive News, car line planning manager at Subaru of America, Michael Redic, explains that the automaker relied heavily on customer feedback to make the WRX better than ever while staying true to its heritage.

"The customers love the performance of the car and then we're just asking for it to be delivered in a way that was more comfortable for daily driving, but also more capable, especially with the suspension," says Redic. "We know WRX customers want something that's powerful and it is one of the most powerful cars in its segment, compared to the direct competitors like [the Volkswagen Golf] GTI and [Honda Civic] Si."

While the manual gearbox is a welcome returning star, the brand has worked hard to make the available automatic Subaru Performance Transmission better too. Upshifts are now 30% quicker while downshifts are as much as 50% quicker than with the automatic found in the old WRX.