Buying a used Subaru WRX (2014-2022)

After almost 30 years of being an Impreza subset, 2014 brought an all-new Subaru WRX that was finally allowed to stand alone in the Japanese brand’s model line-up.

There remained a lot of Impreza in the design, but with enough unique engineering and stylistic differences to justify the change.

Cars in this ‘first’ VA series (or fourth-generation WRX) began arriving in local Subaru showrooms from March 2014, followed by an STI (Subaru Tecnica International) version.

The WRX hatchback, which had suffered declining sales on world markets, was dropped.

Despite a longer wheelbase – 25mm more than the third-generation Impreza WRX – the VA version grew by only 15mm in overall length. There were mechanical changes too, including different engines for the base WRX and STI version.

A return to the original WRX’s 2.0-litre engine displacement didn’t hurt output at all, with the basic VA good for 197kW. The 2.5-litre STI versions produced 221kW.

For the first time during the WRX’s 20-year existence, a continuously variable transmission (CVT) was also available to supplement a new six-speed manual.

Mid-2017 saw Subaru announce its 2018 ‘facelift’ WRX, but still no move to introduce the much-anticipated hybrid power unit.

Despite the platform being more than a decade old, updated cars adopted even more aggressive frontal treatment, including an enlarged air scoop. The massive rear wing was a $300 ‘delete option’.

The fifth-generation Subaru WRX launched in May 2022.

Buying Used: Subaru WRX (2014-22) – Quick Checklist
• Crash damage and poor repairs are ever-present risks.
• Complete service history and use of correct lubricants are essential to engine longevity. As an owner, check the engine oil at least monthly between services and top up if needed.
• Clutch shudder and driveline noise need to be investigated before purchase.

In basic form, the 2014 Subaru WRX used a 2.0-litre version of Subaru’s flat-four engine. With two camshafts per bank of cylinders and a single turbocharger, the VA engine produced 197kW of power and delivered a stream of torque (350Nm) from 2400rpm to 4000rpm.

The six-speed manual transmission had short ratios – second gear didn’t quite get the car to 100km/h – and kept drivers busy before the rev limiter kicked in to ruin their fun.

Cars with a CVT automatic didn’t need manual intervention but did include a Sport mode for those who wanted to participate.

CVT added just $2000 to the cost of a basic or Premium WRX, with column-mounted paddles so drivers could enjoy playing with the eight ‘ratios’ that Subaru built into its CVT program.

In basic form, the VA-series WRX had enough equipment to keep most owners happy while never describing itself as ‘opulent’.

The list was headed by the usual raft of power-operated items – windows, mirrors and steering (electric and tuned for improved sharpness). Then followed climate-control air-conditioning, a six-speaker stereo with CD stacker and leather trim for the steering wheel and shift lever.

Wheels were 17x8 alloys with 45-profile tyres.

Spending $5000 extra delivered a Premium version, still with the basic 2.0-litre engine and manual transmission but including leather seat trim in place of cloth, a powered sunroof, power-operated driver’s seat, auto-activating wipers and headlights, a stereo upgrade, sports pedals and uprated dash display.

Subarus have always been well up to the mark in terms of safety and the VA series did not disappoint. These cars had airbags almost everywhere, stability control, a reversing camera and brake assist. They qualified for a maximum five-star safety rating under the ANCAP evaluation criteria.

Above the stock WRX stood STI versions, with the 2.5-litre engine, 24 extra kilowatts and less compromise in their chassis settings. With extensive use of resilient steels, Subaru claimed that the new STI body had gained 40 per cent in torsional resistance over the previous model.

STI brakes were from Brembo, with masses of electronics to maximise braking response and interact with the car’s other traction and attitude controls. The STI gearshift was modified to ensure a tighter gate and shorter distances between gears than in a base-grade WRX manual.

Torque was biased towards the rear, bringing the STI’s front wheels properly into play only when grip at the rear began to disappear.

Lightweight 18-inch alloys with 40-profile tyres were more suited to smooth, sealed roads than the rough gravel where original Rexes made their name.

And remember, you bend a wheel somewhere isolated, there is only an 80km/h temporary spare to get you home.

In basic form, the six-speed STI cost $54,990 plus on-road costs and included everything a buyer of the WRX Premium enjoyed plus enhanced performance and external embellishments.

Three years on in 2018, the STI price had been slashed to an enticing $51,190 plus ORCs, the wheels had grown to 19 inches with 35-profile rubber, and the brakes and seats were improved.

While being effusive about the performance of the original Subaru Impreza WRX, my 1994 review of the feisty hatch version did lose me a few friends at Subaru HQ after describing the seats as being more suited to a dentist’s waiting room.

Way back then, a basic WRX cost $39,990 plus on-road costs and was very basic indeed. Undeniably, it was being sold as a performance car and at least some of those awful interiors would land in the workshop skip as cars were transformed to rally rockets or circuit weapons.

But guess what? Come 2014, the bigger, more powerful, better-equipped VA-series Subaru WRX actually cost $1000 less than the original car and its seats, while not outstanding, were decidedly better.

At that price, of course, it remained a car where cost cutting was achieved without influencing areas that affected performance.

Anyone buying a VA with long-term ownership in mind needs to look for a car that has spent most of its lifetime locked in a dark garage where harsh sun can’t crack and fade cabin plastics. Find one, too, without sticky window switches or where headlights come with frosted plastics and tarnished reflectors.

Behind the wheel, with 197kW underfoot, you can easily ignore the rattling plastics and tiny info screen. Probably just as well, because these engines, when being urged to perform, will return consumption figures on the high side of appalling.

According to Subaru, the 2.0-litre WRX in combined-cycle (city/country) running should deliver a satisfactory 9.2L/100km. Real-world road tests and reports from heavy-footed owners suggest numbers more in the region of 16L/100km.

What you get in exchange for your pain at the pump is ear-bleeding performance – the exhausts are designed to channel noise INTO the cabin – rib-cracking all-wheel drive grip and a rough-as-guts ride.

If that’s not what you came for, cross the WRX and especially STI off your list right now.

These are not lightweight cars, with all versions topping 1500kg before adding fuel or occupants, yet brutally side-stepping the clutch delivers 0-60km/h in around 3.0 seconds and 0-100 in 6.1sec – or 5.2sec in the STI.

Once on the move and with all of that inertia a distant memory, the combination of abundant torque (more than 400Nm in an STI) and the close gearing delivers rocket-ship corner exits and overtaking times.

Subaru’s ‘Intelligent Drive’ has been around for a long time but when applied to CVT versions of the VA turns the auto into an entertaining performance car that won’t herniate your clutch leg in traffic.

Sport# (that’s ‘sharp’ mode) overrules the CVT’s pre-ordained upshift points, holding ‘gears’ and giving the driver some sense of input before being slotted back into I (for Intelligent) mode when the going gets dreary again.

Well, the Subaru WRX could be the perfect choice if the family is into rapid transit between home and the school zone and can handle envious looks from students, teachers and the crossing guard alike.

Pre-teenage kids will fit fine into the back seat and even if you need to accommodate adults, access and legroom are both reasonable.

The boot accepts 460 litres of stuff and can be extended by folding half or all of the back-rest.

If you trundle your Rex from school to work and weekend footy but rarely do a rural road run, then perhaps don’t bother.

The lubricants will need changing more often than the manufacturer recommends and fuel consumption will always be on the costly side of 12L/100km for no real benefit.

Give it a good, hard run every few weeks, though, and having a Rex as your runabout won’t be too hard to justify.

Subaru WRX (2014-22) – What to check when buying used
• WRXs have a good reputation for quality but in mid-2022 a recall notice was issued, noting possible failure in 2015-21 models of the reverse lights and camera. Be sure when buying that the vendor has responded to this notice.
• At around the same time another defect was advised, this time a faulty module in 2015-19 cars that affected the electronic parking brake and could cause parked cars to roll away.
• Owner abuse is the single most significant threat to WRX survival. Look for underbody damage, rattles and noise from failing driveshafts and always have a pre-purchase inspection.
• Have the vendor run through major functions on the touch-screen, watching for flickering and whether tabs need to be pushed more than once before the screen responds.
• Oil use is normal for these engines (up to one litre every 2000km, Subaru says) but some owners will neglect maintenance. Be wary of cars that rattle at start-up in case they have been run low on oil and are being sold ahead of anticipated engine failure.

Used vehicle grading for Subaru WRX (2014-22)
Design & Function: 15/20
Safety: 16/20
Practicality: 12/20
Value for Money: 12/20
Wow Factor: 15/20
Score: 70/100

Also consider: Honda Civic Type R, Hyundai i30 N, Renault Megane RS, Volkswagen Golf R