The Next Subaru WRX May Not Have A Boxer Engine
As time goes on, we’re getting a better idea of how the next Subaru WRX will shape up. We know it’ll take styling inspiration from the muscular Viziv concept (above), and it’s looking likely that hybrid power will be involved. Most importantly, the quirky turbo boxer-four configuration may be for the chop.
Recently, Subaru Europe’s sales and marketing manager, David Dello Stritto, said that the turbocharged boxer four-pot “can simply not exist in the future,”, and now we’ve a further sign the Japanese company is looking to drop one of the WRX’s defining features.
Speaking to Autocar, Subaru’s design boss Mamoru Ishii suggested that to satisfy customer expectations, the next WRX has to come with symmetrical all-wheel drive. But a flat-four? It seems that’s considered optional.
“Four-wheel drive is critical to the power and performance levels our customers expect, but on the engine we have more freedom,” he said. So while the death of the boxer in the WRX isn’t definite yet, it seems Subaru is keen to investigate other engine arrangements.
While the left-field flat-four is one of our favourite things the car, we do get why it might have to go in the current climate. A particularly shocking thirst for unleaded and high emissions has made the current car look unattractive compared to conventional rivals like the VW Golf R, leading to low sales in the UK. As a consequence, Subaru UK announced it was to stop selling the current car here altogether.
Whatever Subaru decides, make no mistake - for better or worse, the next WRX is going to be the most radically changed version of the car we’ve ever seen.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
I have a much better idea. Put a 3.5 liter turbo boxer in the next one.
I can see the WRX going extinct soon, like all cars do once they get too expensive. When your asking 50k for a special model it’s signaled the top of the market. There are many other cars I would rather purchase for 40-50k. How about bringing the 20k stripped tuner models back
Who cares
I think the original WRX and Evo were successful because they represented their own segment - rally cars, or at least they were heavily connected to rally. They couldn’t be put into some other category, like sport sedans or hot hatches. Now, what Subaru (and Mitsubishi) have been doing is, they made their cars less rally oriented, instead opting for a more mainstream hot hatch / sport sedan variant which in their eyes, should appeal to a wider arrange of people. The original wrx/evo fans don’t like that, because in the process those cars became bigger, heavier and lost their heritage. On the other hand, in the super saloon / hot hatch market there are a lot of cars that have better price/performance ratio, so people obviously buy those.
TLDR; WRX and Evo were in their own class, over time subaru (and evo) moved towards hot hatch/super saloon market where other manufacturers make better cars.
My subie senses are tingling that the boxer fanatics arent going to be happy with this
Not so proud of boxer then, huh?
Too bad! As last no it has a big wing and exhaust note, it’ll be the STi I always knew
Like I said before, I’d rather see it die than see it become something like this.
Why would you ever do that? It’s like having a Porsche Cayman and deciding a flat 4 four is the best thing for it…
Well it can’t look any worse.