By Clive Funziwe

The latest WRX, like many before it, may not be for everyone’s taste – well at least when it comes to its exterior. We love it and think its bold chiseled exterior and purposeful design breaks the mold of commonality. Things get even better when you realize that the looks were as a result of improved aerodynamics. The hexagonal grille, followed by the hexagonal patterns on the unpainted sections and aero panels underneath the car, all help to reduce wind turbulence which makes the car more aerodynamic and lets in less wind noise into the cabin. The overall aggressive and purposeful aesthetics are literally underpinned by subtlety and refinement.

Ergonomically sound cabin

This refinement is felt from inside the cabin too. The materials used are of high quality. Buttons are solidly tactile and satisfying to the touch and operation, but we miss having more buttons that allow for shortcut operations. We understand that the trend is pointing in this direction, but sometimes features and functions are hidden under one sub menu, which is a menu too many when driving. Luckily, one does get used to this and the rest of the cabin, infotainment and binnacle remain ergonomically sound. The WRX features Subaru’s EyeSight, a feature that integrates assisted systems such as Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist, Vehicle Start Alert, Lane Departure and Automatic Pre-Collision to dual camera-based tech thus elevating active and passive safety features.

Engaging drive

The abovementioned features are confidence boosting and this makes the WRX a car to be enjoyed, even on different road surfaces like gravel. The Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system is also configurable for sharpness, which in turn also tightens the steering, shift response and throttle. We preferred our settings, for the most part, on mid-boost for the engine and the steering and suspension, soft. This seemed to give us the best of performance /consumption and fun factor. Despite the WRX being a CVT, there is a level of engagement on gear shifts that is augmented and feels the part. Yes, it is not comparable to something like a DCT, but there’s little to fault on driver involvement feel. What excels beyond our expectations, is the level of grip. Steering inputs, full throttle will not have you second guessing where one is on the apex and/or wondering if you can hold a racing line.

Straight-line speed and the braking also feel impressive. We are specifically saying feel impressive, because in isolation, the WRX 2.4DIT ts ES CVT (Yes! A lengthy nomenclature, we know) feels quick but in comparison to where hot hatches are, this WRX could be quicker. The claimed 0-100km/h, from its 2.4L turbo 4-cylinder 202kW/350Nm is 6.4 Seconds, while something like a Golf GTI will do the same time with 180kW/370Nm with only the front wheels driven. If that is not enough, the superior traction is also usable at the extremes and begs the question if it is an added advantage.

Conclusion

All things considered, the Subaru WRX 2.4DIT ts ES CVT remains a unique proposition to a daily performance. The safety features are among the best in the segment and, to be noted, work better than most in execution. This is also not a car you will see at every intersection. If the loud/droney exhaust note is not a bother, the WRX is one solid proposition. It is priced from R877,000 and has a 5-Year Maintenance plan/90 000kms.