Subaru WRX wagon returns

The Levorg name is out and the Subaru WRX Sportswagon is in.

At least in Australia.

The good news is that the all-new Subaru WRX Sportswagon will arrive in Australia during the second quarter of next year, so by June 2022.

The bad news? You can’t get a manual transmission with it, only an eight-speed (CVT) auto. That means it also misses out on the mechanical centre differential and viscous coupling of manual models.

If you want a three-pedal set-up you’ll have to get the Subaru WRX sedan, which has also been confirmed to launch alongside the wagon here by mid-2022.

The racetrack-ready Subaru WRX STI is on target to launch here in late 2022 or early 2023.

Pricing has not been announced but it’s likely the $40,990 entry price for the outgoing WRX manual sedan will increase. The Sportswagon will be pricier again given its higher spec levels.

Like the all-new WRX sedan on which it’s based, the 2022 Subaru WRX Sportswagon is underpinned by Subaru’s new global vehicle platform and brandishes a beefy new 2.4-litre turbocharged boxer engine.

It marks the first time a liftback WRX has been offered here since 2014, when the third-generation (GR) Subaru WRX hatch was in showrooms.

Tech specs for Aussie versions of the stove-hot, all-wheel drive WRX haven’t been revealed but the horizontally-opposed ‘boxer’ engine may deliver similar numbers to the US-market WRX sedan.

It bangs out 202kW at 5600rpm and 350Nm of torque over 2000-5200rpm.

Those figures are well below predictions of 213kW/412Nm and the lack of a manual transmission may further upset a few of the WRX faithful.

The ‘Lineartronic’ auto is dubbed the ‘Subaru Performance Transmission’ and comes with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, eight-stepped ratios, variable torque distribution and sports shifting control, which enables “faster shifting and downshift blipping control”, says Subaru.

Top-spec WRX model grades will also get adaptive dampers and a drive mode select system to finetune output characteristics, such as throttle and steering response.

Other new features for the WRX designed to improve its dynamics include a new active torque vectoring system, upgraded anti-roll bars and new suspension geometry.

The new-gen Subaru WRX also ushers in a host of modern technologies and safety systems, including an 11.6-inch central touch-screen and Subaru’s EyeSight safety system which includes several semi-autonomous driving systems.

Other features confirmed for the first Aussie WRX wagon or hatch in eight years will include sports bucket seats, angular LED headlights, and new-look 18-inch alloy wheels.

Equipment levels will differ between the WRX wagon and sedan body styles, as Subaru Australia general manager Blair Read explained.

“The WRX Sportswagon will be a model in its own right, with both the sedan and Sportswagon featuring unique specification tailored to their respective audiences.

“The WRX Sportswagon offers Australians an additional version of this performance machine with enhanced practicality for everyday use,” he added.

Subaru’s newly-minted WRX Sportswagon leverages the brand’s rally heritage and dumps the unloved Levorg name, which is a weird amalgam of LEgacy, reVOlution and touRinG.

It’s not clear if Subaru will adopt the WRX Sportswagon name in other markets such as Europe, where the WRX name – which stands for World Rally eXperimental – carries far more weight than Levorg.

Subaru Australia is currently taking expressions of interest for both the new WRX sedan and wagon models, suggesting supply might be tight initially. Head over to Subaru.com.au for more.

Specification levels, pricing and performance figures for the new Subaru WRX twins will be announced in the coming months, so stay tuned for more details.