WRX (Japan, 2015)

Subaru unveiled the sedan-only 2015 model year WRX at the 2013 LA Auto Show. It uses a 2.0-liter boxer four-cylinder turbocharged engine with either a standard six-speed manual transmission or CVT with six-speed or eight-speed manual modes.

The design is completely different from the standard Impreza on which it is based with Subaru’s new hawk eye headlight design, hood scoop and obviously the sedan bodystyle, where the Impreza is only available as a hatchback. Subaru says that the stampings for the hood, front fenders, rear doors and quarters, bumpers, headlights and taillight clusters are unique to the WRX. At the rear, the WRX gets LED taillights, a diffuser and optional trunk lip spoiler.

The new chassis is stiffer thanks to a greater use of high tensile strength steel, and it features larger brakes.

The interior gets a major upgrade in quality with a standard leather-wrapped, flat-bottom steering wheel, more soft touch materials, radio with USB ports, a 3.5in center LCD instrument screen and 4.3in infotainment screen.

Power the engine is a high compression version of the one found in the Forester to produce 268hp and 258lb-ft of torque. It also has different cams and valve springs over the Forester.

The optional CVT operates as a normal CVT with no gear shifting during normal driving, but the driver can select to force into shifting in six or eight predetermined gears and use steering wheel-mounted paddles.

Like all WRX’s, it comes standard with all-wheel drive with torque vectoring. When ordered with the manual, the car has a viscous center differential that maintains a constant 50:50 front-rear torque split, if one end slips, then power is shifted to the other end. The CVT gets an electronically controlled center differential with a 45:55 front-rear split, but it also allows power to be split left and right on the car as well through torque vectoring.