Every time a new generation of Subaru WRX is released, the diehard fans cry sacrilege. Nearly a quarter century since the original ‘Bugeye’ WRX was released in Canada, the vehicles have gone through four generations, each time moving further away from the model that last won Subaru the World Rally Championship.
The latest iteration, called the VB Chassis, was released in 2022 and despite being a great car, was soundly criticized. The car retains Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel-drive system with centre-differential, and it’s now powered by a larger 2.4L turbocharged ‘boxer’ engine, up from the previous VA chassis’ 2.0L powerplant.
The criticism of Subaru by fans and the motoring media is about appearance. The company has made their sporty WRX look like its Crosstrek SUV. Huge swaths of textured, black plastic cover the bumpers, fenders and side skirts. Those fender flares are particularly hated, as they make the wheel opening look huge, and therefore the wheels and tires look tiny.
To fix Subaru’s mistake takes a lot of time, sandpaper, primer, and paint. A recently purchased 2023 Subaru WRX shows the steps needed to apply matching World Rally Blue paint to all that plastic. This vehicle also had previously undisclosed rear-end damage, requiring replacement of the bumper re-enforcement car, which was hiding under a ‘new’ bumper cover.
The opportunity is also being taken to add on a massive duckbill spoiler, and other minor modifications to make the 2023 WRX look the way it should have rolled off the assembly line at the Gunma Yajima plant in Japan.
I call that “fine tuning” …… engineers design it, people with tools (and vision) make it look and perform better. Applies to all cars, I believe.