Living with the new Subaru WRX Sportswagon tS: The long-term test – Dubai Car News

2022 Subaru WRX Sportswagon tS Long Term Review

Jump ahead.

Welcome

• Price as per test: $57,990 before on-road costs
• This month: 221km @ 10.4 L/100km (3984km on odometer)
• Tomorrow: As above

Finally they fixed it.

You know a little of what I mean. The chrome window trim of the previous Subaru Levorg, the way it ran along the window sills and stopped abruptly at the rear quarter windows? funny

Well, yes, this is probably the last factor anyone would or should consider when buying a new car – nothing is perfect, after all – but the point is that the Levorg was imperfect in many ways.

38

The interior was bland and too busy, the infotainment was spread across three poorly conceived displays, the CVT transmission gave a disappointing and unconvincing impression of a torque converter, the suspension was abysmal, and… well, this isn’t a review. . 2017 Levorg.

Here we have the new one, still sold overseas as the Levorg, but cleverly renamed. WRX Sports Wagon For Australia

It’s as sharp and stylish as previous generations of the WRX. Never happened (D Seinfeld quote, “A hideous, aggressive beast, yet I can’t look away” comes to mind) and it’s without question a more cohesive, mainstream-friendly offering than the generation before it.

38

We’re in first impression mode here, so let’s see what the new WRX Sportswagon tS is packing.

The full WRX range opens at $44,990 before on-road costs, getting you the base sedan with a manual transmission.

Our tester, the WRX tS Sportwagon, sits atop the tree. with a price tag of $57,990 – before hitting the road again.

Like the WRX sedan, the Sportswagon tS is powered by a 2.4 liter turbo petrol four cylinder enginedeliver 202kW and 350Nm.

38

Unlike the sedan, the wagon doesn’t offer a manual option – to our eternal dismay – and power is sent to its all-wheel drive system via a ‘Sport Lineartronic’ CVT automatic transmission with eight synthetic gears.

You’ll never see an STI version of the new WRX, so that spec is about as good as it gets. In fact, the Subaru WRX is so much more than a concept champion of the small performance car set that it doesn’t even have an official list. 0-100 km/h time. We reckon it’ll last around six seconds – the previous WRX officially claimed – but we’ll have to test that in the coming weeks.

38

Fuel consumption is listed at 8.5L/100km. On the combined cycle, it breaks down to 11.2L/100km in city driving and 7.0L/100km on the highway. So far, I’m running approx. 10.4/100 km With an urban drive most days of the week (school runs and shopping) and a few 20 minute sprints from Melbourne’s Eastlink to our Mulgrave office.

The new Levorg WRX Sportswagon is 20mm longer. in wheelbase compared to the previous wagon, and it’s about 15mm taller. None of the figures are impressive on paper, but improvements in overall packaging mean there’s slightly more legroom in the back and another five liters of boot space.

Interior styling and tech improve on the old model by a good margin, introducing a more modern design through the cabin, while upgrading the infotainment and controls to a larger new portrait screen in the dash.

38

The instrument cluster is a traditional analogue unit with a color ‘multifunction display’ between the dials. Some may appreciate this resistance to digitization, while others may suggest it is behind the times, for low-budget product development. Each to their own.

All models get a larger 11.6-inch main display. Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Equipment highlights on all WRX Wagon models include LED headlights, dual-zone climate control, rain-sensing wipers, reclining and power-folding rear seats, and adaptive cruise control.

The WRX GT features a powered sunroof, powered tailgate, sat-nav, 10-speaker Harmon Kardon audio, ‘Ultrasound’ seat trim, eight-way power front seats with memory, and driver monitoring.

38

Our top shelf sports credentials are enhanced.Adding a drive mode selector with Sport and Sport+ into the mix, along with adaptive dampers and 18-inch alloy wheels with a design unique to the wagon.

Like some other model lines, notably Hyundai’s i30 N-Line, manual versions of the WRX lack Subaru’s best safety technology. Go for the manual sedan, and active safety kit is limited to blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and tire pressure monitoring.

Opt for an automatic – which is your only option in the case of the wagon anyway – and you get autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, lane centering assist, emergency brake assist, traffic sign recognition and an intelligent speed limiter. Is.

38

Finally, and unlike the first year Levorgs were sold in Australia, the new WRX benefits. Subaru’s five-year/unlimited kilometer warranty Launched in 2019. Earlier, it was a mere three years and 100,000 km.

In the coming weeks, we’ll see if the new Levorg is just the thing for the vocal minority of buyers who can’t give up on the wagon dream (this writer included), or if you’ll be better off with it. SUV – or, perhaps a similarly priced Skoda Octavia RS wagon.

Back to the top

On the road: I didn’t expect to love it, but…

• This month: 327km @ 10.2 L/100km (4311km on odometer)
• Tomorrow: 548 km

There are plenty of ways to win over fans of affordable performance cars, but there’s one sure way Subaru can’t miss: packing a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) with its now-popular WRX.

This WRX isn’t awarded the STI badge – indeed, no second-generation WRX ever will be – but it’s still sold as a sports car, and it’s still a mighty 202kW, 350Nm turbocharged four-cylinder boxer. Engine packs.

Buyers of the new WRX sedan can opt for a six-speed manual – which most drivers do, if barely, with the sales split currently hovering around 55/45 in favor of the manual. But in the wagon, it’s CVT only.

38

So, really, the sales figures – which are small relative to the overall market – suggest that it’s doing just fine. Certainly good enough that developing or acquiring a conventional auto, or dual-clutch system, wouldn’t be worth the risk of paying off the investment in sales volume.

Ask any wagon fanatic, though, and the CVT route is just one move with a certain outcome: the wagon is eventually pulled from the market, and the brand seems to be apathetic about the regrettable decision. (This despite us now being blessed with two generations of the Levorg/WRX wagon.)

If the wagon takes off, was it really set up for success? That’s a tough one to answer, and when it comes to affordable sports wagons with manual shifters, there aren’t many precedents in modern times. Subaru has offered a shortened wagon version of the WRX in the past, but it certainly wasn’t the most popular form in the range.

38

There were sport-focused versions of the Liberty wagon – apparently replaced by the new, almost mid-sized WRX sports wagon – but those too didn’t sell in big numbers.

There’s another reason the WRX wagon is automatic only: In every other market it is sold, it once again wears its predecessor’s Levorg badge. – and it’s an easy name to market as sporty, ‘Powered by WRX but not WRX’, Vegan

And… breathing.

Now you’re set for me to give the WRX Sportswagon a proper lambasting, but… well, the point is – and I risk making myself a pariah among enthusiasts – it’s a genuinely fun car to drive. Is. Not sensational, not a weekend racer and certainly not an icon of the future. Just fun, and the buyer of this car has already decided that’s enough.

38

Those who make the jump will find that while this wagon doesn’t quite live up to what veteran WRX-Men have come to expect from the badge, it’s a great and tightly tuned family hauler.

Even discounting the CVT, it’s easy to see where it stands out for diehards. For one, there’s no limited-slip differential or rear differential – Subaru opted for its electronic ‘variable torque distribution’ system over automatics – and no manual handbrake, with no chance of handbrake twisting. ending the

But, far away, who’s really talking about handbrake turns in a family wagon, fast or otherwise?

38

In fact, it’s best to think of it as a lower, more compact and tighter-handling Outback (a legacy of the Liberty).

What the WRX Sports Wagon has going for it, if not in speed, is in power. My street is empty at the bottom of a huge hill on a major highway, and if there’s one thing I love, it’s exploding and going up the hill right past a fresh green light for cross traffic. (about 100 meters further down the hill).

It’s childish, but it’s also addictive – and that’s what Subaru wants buyers to feel with this car.

38

I would even argue, if not with great conviction, that in most situations this CVT actually engages faster than the average dual-clutch auto – most of which are too easily confused by sudden demands for power. . The WRX’s CVT will drone as it does at certain points in the rev range, but its synthetic gears are generally efficient and stomping on the pedal will wake it up fairly quickly.

That it also happens to boast beautifully tuned adaptive dampers and surprisingly grippy Eco-Focused Yokohama Bullworth GT tires (“Daddy I feel sick”)Well, that’s just a bonus.

And as Dan Gardner noted in his launch review, switching to the WRX sedan’s Dunlop Sport Maxx rubber will only improve an already capable package.

38

However, fuel consumption can be a sticking point. Subaru claims a combined cycle figure of 8.5L/100km on its factory rubber, which is already a bit high for a modern family car – even the Performance variant – but I got it from 10L/100km. Struggled to bring it down.

In Subaru’s defense, most of my driving has been urban, with the WRX Sportswagon tS registering 11.2L/100km – so it wasn’t too bad really. But, with at least 95RON required and fuel prices being the same, you might want to consider keeping them. “I drive a WRX” Stress under control.

In some ways, it’s a shame that Subaru slapped on the WRX badge instead of marketing it as a massively improved Levorg. There’s a psychological barrier here for fans who might have happily bought a second-generation Levorg, but, for those who don’t care about such things, this new Levorg The WRX is worth a drive.

Back to the top

Next: The interior of the WRX tS Sport Wagon