VA for Victory: Bidding a fond farewell to the 2015-2022 Subaru WRX

Article content

The approaching announcement of an all-new Subaru WRX is an event to be viewed with equal parts excitement and trepidation. Exciting stuff: sideways gravel antics; still comes with a manual; almost surely will have more power! Worrying stuff: almost certainly not going to look like the attractive concepts; and what if Subaru messes things up?

Article content

The WRX is, indeed, Subaru’s ball to drop. The current generation now being wound down is most definitely a star in Subaru’s constellation. From its inception, sales have been steady. It was the generation that carried on rally-style performance for the road as the arch-rival Mitsubishi Lancer EVO was killed off. It brought both broader appeal and sharper performance to the badge. As the VA-chassis WRX takes its final bows, here’s a look back at the breed.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

VA for Victory: Bidding a fond farewell to the 2015-2022 Subaru WRX Back to video

When the VA arrived in 2014 as a 2015 model, all was not rosy. The previous year, at the New York Auto Show, Subaru had shown off its WRX Concept, which was low-roofed, wide-bodied, and frankly drop-dead gorgeous.

The WRX that arrived was far more upright and boxy. The Concept was Derek Zoolander’s Blue Steel; the production model was just a regular-shlub Impreza that had lifted weights for a month or two. And there was no hatchback version anymore! The Subaru faithful weren’t entirely pleased.

Toggle full screen mode Previous Gallery Image

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

Next Gallery Image Toggle gallery captions

View All 4 Photos

1 of 4

All 4 Photos for Gallery

1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 

Function Not Available

Full Screen is not supported on this browser version.

You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen.

OK

Article content

The proof, however, was in the drive. Up until now, the refinement of the Impreza platform on which the WRX was based meant that the former rally champion was getting bigger, softer, and less involving. The first-generation GC-chassis cars we never got were raw and fierce. The 2002-2007 models we did get (WRX in 2002; STI from 2004 forward) were bigger, but still engaging to drive. The GR-chassis cars that showed up in 2008 bordered on flabby.

Subaru did eventually infuse some spine-stiffening into the GR, but pretty much every WRX owner would tell you that the best-driving cars were the early ones. However, the VA stopped the bleeding. It looked like an Impreza, but was developed on its own platform. It was stiffer, the steering, was sharper, and the WRX got a strong new engine that was far more responsive.

Article content

This engine, the 2.0L FA20, deserves a closer look. Like the 2.5L four-cylinder it supplanted, it is also a boxer configuration, and fitted with a turbocharger. However, instead of the pipe-organ-complicated exhaust tubing that Subaru used previously, the turbocharger was now mounted below the engine. Combined with direct-injection, the FA20’s 258 lb-ft of torque showed up to party early, from just 2,000 rpm and up. Peak horsepower was 268 hp.

The added torque was handy, because Subaru had also committed some light blasphemy. Not only did the WRX come with an expected six-speed manual gearbox, but it was also available with a continuously variable transmission.

A CVT is a great performance offering, said approximately no dyed-in-the-wool rally fan ever. However, pairing a CVT with a responsive turbocharged engine doesn’t take all the fun out of the drive, and it essentially doubled the WRX’s appeal. More casual fans, and people who really didn’t mind the chore of a clutch pedal on their daily commute, flocked to dealerships.

Toggle full screen mode Previous Gallery Image

1. 

2. 

Next Gallery Image Toggle gallery captions

View All 2 Photos

1 of 2

All 2 Photos for Gallery

1. 
2. 

Function Not Available

Full Screen is not supported on this browser version.

You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen.

OK

Article content

The WRX also benefited from a quicker steering rack than its predecessor, and a front-end that had more grip, thanks to brake-based torque vectoring. If full hatchback flexibility was no longer on the menu, then at least roomy four-door-sedan pragmatism was. Like the VW GTI, a WRX sedan offered all performance a mom or dad could want, plus enough practicality for the day-to-day grind.

The STI, on the other hand, was a blend of both new and old. Its engine had been retuned and refined, but it was still effectively the same slightly laggy 2.5L motor that had been launched in 2004 with the original North American spec STI.

Given that tuners already knew how to get improved power out of this EJ25, perhaps the tried-and-tested engine was the smart move. Even if it came with a host of Achilles’ heels, including a tendency to blow ringlands when the boost got turned up.

Article content

Still, with a host of upgrades from better-performing brakes to a more direct shifter feel, the STI infused even more performance into the WRX’s now stiffer platform. Steering was now really quick, and the STI now felt more like a rally car set up for a tarmac stage, rather than a soft and loose gravel missile.

Toggle full screen mode Previous Gallery Image

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

Next Gallery Image Toggle gallery captions

View All 9 Photos

1 of 9

All 9 Photos for Gallery

1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 
8. 
9. 

Function Not Available

Full Screen is not supported on this browser version.

You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen.

OK

Article content

This particular example is possibly the best of the breed. It’s a Subaru STI Type RA, one of just seventy-five brought to Canada for the 2018 model year. You couldn’t just buy one of these, you had to submit your application to a lottery, and if you won, the only real choice was what colour to pick.

The owner, Billy Sze, is a committed BMW M fan, and has travelled to Munich to see the company’s headquarters and secret vaults. He has both an M3 and M4 GTS in his garage, but couldn’t pass up on a chance to own one of the rarest Subarus in Canada.

“Growing up in Hong Kong, the Civic Type-R, the Mitsubishi EVO, and the Subaru STI were the three cars everyone wanted. BMWs and Porsches were dream cars, but you could work towards actually owning one of these machines.”

Article content

Sze mentions riding on a bus as a kid and seeing a 22B in traffic. Just 400 of these blue, box-flared machines were built in 1998 to celebrate Subaru’s 40th anniversary. After graduating from high school in Canada, his parents never bought him a car, but he went to work in the building industry, eventually finding enough success to afford his passions.

The RA was a rare chance, purchased from a family friend to replace Sze’s modern Civic Type-R. He says the Type-R just didn’t feel special enough, its driving feel perhaps a bit too well-tamed compared to the performance Hondas he’d owned in the past.

The RA, by comparison, is much more raw. Built to set lap records at the Nurburgring, it comes with a host of special adaptations to hone the VA chassis to the bleeding edge.

Article content

It’s wonderful. But then, even a base WRX from this generation is still a fundamentally good car. A few years ago, I found myself at the wheel of one, hurtling down a gravel stage, hunting for a good spot to set up for photos before the real rally cars showed up.

The WRX felt perfectly in its element, slewing through the corners and boosting out of them. Out back, a pair of empty car seats underlined the Swiss Army Knife do-anything practicality of the car. The long drive home wasn’t particularly tiring. It was hard to imagine a situation that the WRX couldn’t handle easily. Towing a boat?

Especially in Canada’s four-season climate, the current WRX just works. When the new version comes along shortly, it’ll have some big shoes to fill. On one hand, enthusiasts should be happy Subaru is still going to build its own unique blend of performance and practicality. But the current recipe is pretty much just right. Let’s hope they don’t spoil it.