First it was teased, now it appears images have been leaked of the next Subaru WRX super-all-wheel drive saloon. After a fair time in hiatus and a seductive WRX STI concept unveiled at this year’s New York International Motor Show, Subaru seem set to unveil the Subaru WRX at the Los Angeles Motor Show later this month. Subaru describes the WRX as an ‘iconic AWD performance model’, and its arrival is just in time to reassert the Japanese brand with high performance credentials.
Looking at the older WRX STI concept images and these alleged leaked images, it is clear the turbocharged rally refugee no longer looks like an Impreza econobox with a racy front fascia and a giant rear wing. The muscular Subaru WRX will feature Subaru’s trademark bonnet scoop and many vents in the front bumper for maximum cooling and boy-racer attitude. The 20-inch alloy wheels and carbon fibre from the WRX Concept look unlikely to make production if the leaked images are anything to go by.
The WRX also has a trapezoidal front grille with black mesh, eye-catching LED covered ‘hawk-eye headlights’ while behind the front wheels there is an aerodynamic crease that traces back through the front doors meeting the flared rear wheel arches. At the back, Subaru have integrated a subtle lip spoiler, which curves into the rear quarter panels, where it meets the two thin LED taillights. You don’t need to be an emeritus professor of applied sciences to know the Subaru WRX will feature a horizontally opposed and turbocharged engine. We’d bet on a version of the FA20 2.0-litre with around 198 kW and 0 – 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds but no official power and torque figures are available yet.
Despite small sales volumes and an unfavourable exchange rate Subaru South Africa insists the WRX will be coming to South Africa.
