Subaru’s national boss says Covid challenges notwithstanding, his aim is to secure stock from March, 2022.

 STRONG effort is being made to have the latest WRX in New Zealand in early 2022.

Wallis Dumper, chief executive of Subaru New Zealand, says his team is working toward having first examples of the sedan, which underwent its global unveiling in the United States on Saturday, here in March.

It’s very much a “fingers’ crossed” plan, the local boss says, because the whole Japanese car industry is being smashed by supply issues relating to the Covid-19 pandemic.  

“We don’t know for sure if we can have it then, but we are doing our best to make it happen, even if it’s just a couple of pilot build cars to show to you guys (the motoring media).”

Subaru has been impacted to the extent it can deliver just a couple of hundred cars per month to New Zealand at the moment – which is why the current WRX has already become such a rare sight.

Subaru NZ has been forced to pick and choose which cars it needs most; at the moment, the Outback is being prioritised because it’s the more popular choice.

 Speaking of … despite being a specialist car, WRX has been a decent seller for the make here, particularly whenever a new generation kicks in. 

“Whenever we launch a WRX, we can expect to sell several hundred pretty much just like that … obviously demand then dies down a bit, and ultimately it might only represent perhaps 10-15 sales a month, but given the kind of car it is, we’re pretty happy with that.”

Dumper anticipates the new model, the fifth generation line, will be another hit. It’s been a long time coming … and is arriving later than he had expected. The original timing would have had the car on the ground next month.

One aspect sure to appeal is the styling, which draws design inspiration from the Viziv Performance concept of 2017. 

Even though the show vehicle's exaggerated wheel arches and sharp lines have been toned down, the showroom version is still a wild looking product, Dumper says.

Having seen the new car, he can testify the images presented by the brand don’t give full justice to just how different it is compared to the current model, particularly around the rear. 

Dumper was impressed by how it has quite wide haunches; it’s reminiscent of some Aston Martins. It really suits the model’s persona, he feels.

So the styling will sell. So might also the model’s almost certain status as the last of a special breed.

As much as Dumper is sure WRX will re-emerge in the future as an electric performance model, chances are the latest will be the last with a fully fossil-fuelled powertrain.

That ‘last of a kind’ factor will likely feed fan interest in this car and the inevitable STi, which conceivably is set to land in 2023.  

“This could be the last chance for Subaru performance car devotees to get their hands on a WRX as we know it.

“Given the rapid shift in the automotive market towards EV (electric vehicles) and changes imposed by Government legislation.”

The latter comment is explained as a reference to Government’s Clean Car legislation, which enacts on January 1.

This will penalise cars with engines outputting more than 192 grams of CO2 per kilometre. Dumper believes the WRX will be just above that so will attract a levy. He doubts that will inhibit enthusiasts, all the same and says the car will be priced with that impost in mind.

Potential that the WRX will be the last fully petrol new car Subaru builds is also in the wind. 

 Subaru is already dabbling in the battery-sphere with hybrid versions of the Forester and XV and will fully immerse in the electric car sector with Solterra, a medium-sized all-electric sports utility that’s a co-share with Toyota (their one being bZ4X).

No such shenanigans for this WRX. Though reborn with a new platform, overhauled interior and heavily upgraded chassis, it still uses a turbocharged boxer engine, albeit in enlarged capacity, and offers a manual gearbox. 

You’d almost think they were building with one eye, still on the World Rally Championship in which this car’s giant-killer status was established all those years ago.

As expected, the car has gone to a new 2.4-litre that pumps out 202kW and 350Nm in the spec revealed globally, which Subaru is emphasising is a North American tune. The grunt transmits through both axles, the manual’s all-wheel-drive system having a viscous centre limited-slip differential. Dual-pinion electric power steering and double-wishbone independent suspension also feature.

The powerplant is effectively a turbocharged version of the FA24 engine found under the bonnet of the latest Toyota 86, that’s coming here soonish (and also the latest BRZ, which is coming …. ‘never’, as a distributor car, at least), utilising a new electronic wastegate to improve responsiveness.

Peak power comes at 5600rpm, while torque is available from 2000rpm all the way up to 5200rpm – 400rpm earlier than the outgoing model.

 If you don’t want a manual, then the other option is a new automatic Subaru Performance Transmission (SPT) – still a constantly variable transmission but said to offer 30 percent faster upshifts and 50 percent faster downshifts via eight simulated gear change points. It again has paddle-shifters and a sports mode. 

No 0-100kmh sprint time was provided at the car's unveiling in North America.

The car rides on Subaru's latest modular Subaru Global Platform (SGP) shared with the latest Levorg wagon, Impreza, Forester and Outback, offering increased use of structural adhesives and a lower centre of gravity.

Versus the car it replaces, Subaru quotes a 28 percent increase in torsional rigidity, a 75 percent increase in suspension mounting point rigidity, and revised suspension geometry and components for reduced body roll and improved handling.

It measures 4669mm long, 1826mm wide and 1468mm high, riding on a 2672mm wheelbase – 74mm longer overall, 31mm wider, 7mm lower and 22mm longer in wheelbase than the model it replaces. 

Adaptive dampers are fitted for the first time (standard on the flagship GT variant in the US), joining a revised Active Torque Vectoring system. Up to 430 different customisation options are available through a new Drive Mode Select system.

In the US there will be a choice of 17- or 18-inch alloy wheels, wrapped in 245mm tyres, and hiding ventilated front and rear brake discs.

It’s said the WRX’s headlights, grille and distinctive bonnet scoop draw close links to the new-generation Levorg wagon, which some say might be rebadged as a WRX Wagon for Australasia.

The cabin has a with an 11.6-inch portrait infotainment touchscreen sitting in the centre of the dashboard with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and satellite navigation. 

A leather-wrapped sports steering wheel and analogue instrument dials sit in front of the driver. The manual has a traditional handbrake; the CVT auto uses an electric parking brake.

 Other interior features seen on the US market GT include an 11-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, carbon-fibre interior trim, Recaro front sports seats with Ultrasuede upholstery, red contrast stitching, and eight-way power driver's seat adjustment.

Subaru's suite of EyeSight active safety aids is standard on the CVT models. This spans autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, lane-centring assist and automatic emergency steering, along with seven airbags. It's not clear how many of these features come to the manual.