Subaru has confirmed that the 2022 WRX will make its world debut at the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) on August 19. To go along with the announcement, the Japanese automaker also provided a few more teasers that give us a better look at the performance sedan.
In a video posted on a dedicated page, we can briefly see the new WRX in orange kicking up a lot of dust in the desert, while the sounds of a boxer engine can be heard as well. The company isn’t revealing everything just yet, but we do get to see some details.
Pause the video at the 28-second mark and you’ll spot taillights that are vaguely reminiscent of those on the latest BRZ. This is more visible in another video posted by the company, where we see a a kicked-up boot lid, angular taillight clusters, and what seems to be a light strip running across the width of the trunk through the Subaru badge.
Some of these cues are also seen on the Viziv Performance Concept that the company revealed during the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show, along with black body cladding and wheels. Other things seen in the videos include two tailpipes of what should be a set of four, while a previous teaser showed off a larger grille and bonnet scoop as well.
These design elements serve to distinguish the WRX from the regular Impreza, much like the outgoing generation, although one commonality will be the Subaru Global Platform. The architecture has been used for all new models from Subaru, including the fifth-generation Impreza (and its XV/Crosstrek version), the seventh-gen Legacy, the fifth-gen Forester, the sixth-gen Outback, the second-gen Levorg and the Ascent.
The new WRX is expected to adopt the FA24F 2.4 litre turbocharged flat-four engine used in the Ascent, Outback and Legacy. In those bread-and-butter models, the mill serves up 260 hp and 376 Nm of torque, but the WRX will likely get a power bump.
A six-speed manual and CVT are possible transmission pairings, while Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system will be standard. Moving forward, expect a higher-performance WRX STI model to make its debut with even more power.
A WRX variant has been offered for the Impreza from the first- to fourth-gen. However, with the fifth-gen Impreza, the company decided that the WRX line-up would be split from the sedan/hatchback model, giving us the first-gen WRX internally codenamed VA.
We’ll have to wait for this year’s NYIAS to see the second-gen WRX in full, but it looks like this year’s show will be a great time for performance car fans, as the new Nissan Z sports car will also be making its debut slightly earlier on August 17.
GALLERY: Subaru Viziv Performance Concept
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It’s time to show a stock car record for Nurburgring.
Subaru WRX STI Nurburgring Record was a mod car, though.
Sooo looking forward to this! The new BRZ is quite a looker, not somehow I have a feeling this one won’t.
The last of the dinosaurs.