The all-new 2022 Subaru WRX should have broken cover by now. Subaru's latest sports sedan was originally supposed to make its world debut on August 19th at the 2021 New York International Auto Show, but the show was abruptly canceled due to rising cases of the Delta Covid-19 variant.
While the new Nissan Z was revealed online on the originally planned date, Subaru decided to delay revealing the all-new WRX. Thankfully, we won't have to wait much longer because Subaru has announced the 2022 WRX will be revealed a few weeks later than planned on September 10th. Accompanying the announcement is a new teaser image of a red 2022 Subaru WRX sliding on a dirt road.
Subaru hasn't revealed any new details about the new WRX before its debut, but we know it will be underpinned by the new Subaru Global Platform shared with the new Outback that will improve the car's agility and comfort.
Under the hood, the new Subaru WRX will likely be powered by a turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four, which will replace the current car's FA20 direct-injection motor. This is expected to be a retuned version of the turbo engine found in models like the Outback XT and the Ascent. In the Outback, the 2.4-liter turbo produces 260 hp, but reports suggest the next-generation WRX will have 296 hp on tap. For comparison, the current WRX has a 2.0-liter turbo flat-four that generates 268 hp, but revs higher than the new motor.
The new more powerful STI, on the other hand, is expected to get a power bump to 345 hp, up from 310 in the current car, although there is no debut date for this yet. Subaru has already confirmed the new WRX will be fitted with a six-speed manual transmission, but a CVT transmission will also be available if you don't want to row your own gears. As always, power will be sent to all four wheels thanks to Subaru's Symmetrical all-wheel-drive system.
The new WRX will mark the end of an era, as it will likely be the last version of the sports sedan without a hybrid powertrain. We should find out pricing and availability details on September 10th, but there's a good chance the new WRX will go on sale by the end of the year.