The good news is that the Subaru WRX Sportwagon is officially back. The bad news is that it’s only for the Australian market. Sadly, yearning for performance variants only available on the other side of the world is a feeling Subie enthusiasts know all too well.
Making it worse, the WRX Sportwagon is even better looking than the recently announced 2022 WRX sedan. That’s because the wagon is basically a rebadged Japan-market Levorg and thus lacks the controversial polygonal plastic cladding over the sedan’s wheel wells. Both are built on Subaru Global Platform that underpins every model apart from the BRZ.
However, until now the second-generation Levorg, which debuted in Japan late last year, has only been available with a 1.8-liter turbo boxer producing 174 horsepower. The WRX Sportwagon, on the other hand, is powered by the turbocharged 2.4-liter boxer found in the WRX sedan. Subaru didn’t reveal Aussie-market specs yet, but it’s probably safe to presume that it’ll generate something close to the 271 horsepower and 259 pound-feet of torque of the U.S. WRX (though some predictions have pegged it at 286 horses).
If you’re feeling burned about not being able to get a WRX Sportwagon stateside, here’s a salve: it’ll only be available with Subaru’s “8-speed” CVT. While Aussie (and U.S.) sedans have the option of a proper six-speed manual or the so-called Subaru Performance Transmission, the wagon only comes with the latter. Subaru reminds us that it has Variable Torque Distribution (to apportion twist to front or rear wheels) and Sports Shifting Control (an artificial downshift blip), but we suspect there will be many an Aussie undertaking a transmission swap down the road.
The auto-only option lets Subaru add its EyeSight Driver Assist technology, which includes adaptive cruise. Additionally, the wagon picks up the WRX sedan’s Drive Mode Select, allowing for custom damper and steering settings and 18-inch alloys (only available on non-base WRX sedans) come standard.
We wouldn’t be surprised if it appeared in Japan as well as a high-spec Levorg (the first-gen had base and performance engine options as well). Sadly, the wagon-adverse U.S. market us likely out of luck. The WRX Sportwagon lands on Australian shores in the second quarter of 2022.
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Source: www.autoblog.com