2022 Subaru WRX: First official look at VW Golf GTI, Hyundai i30 N and Toyota GR Yaris rival

The 2022 Subaru WRX marks a new dawn for the Japanese performance car. And Subaru is making sure to ram home that metaphor with the first official image of the new model seen here.

While the sunrise helps to cast a shadow and obscure the details, this initial look at the new model does give us a chance to make up some important elements. For starters, the silhouette, as expected, stays true to the Impreza sedan despite the company trying to create more distance between the WRX and its more humble donor platform. But, there are some key differences, with a new and very large bonnet scoop that suggests the unseen parts of the WRX may hold a new more aggressive styling surprises.

An artist’s impression of the new WRX. (Image credit: Kolesa)

Subaru hasn’t revealed any major details yet, but has confirmed that the new model will be unveiled and go on sale in Japan and the USA before the end of the year. We know this because the Subaru USA website refers to it as the “2022 Subaru WRX” which, in keeping with tradition, means it will go on sale in 2021. Unfortunately, as previously reported by CarsGuide, the new WRX isn’t expected to reach Australian showrooms until next year, most likely in the first quarter of 2022.

While the look of the WRX remains shadowy, we do have a good idea of what to expect under the skin. The new model will sit on the Subaru Global Platform (SGP) that debuted on the Impreza back in 2016. The WRX will be the final Subaru to transition to the lighter and stiffer SGP, which should help improve the handling.

Under the bonnet the new WRX will have a 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder boxer engine, replacing the long-serving 2.0-litre flat-four. The new engine will give the WRX a major power bump, up to 220kW from the out-going model’s 197kW.

Naturally it will also get Subaru’s trademark all-wheel drive system and is expected to use the same adaptive suspension already seen on the latest Levorg wagon.

The WRX STI is expected to follow soon afterwards with reports indicating it will be making 295kW from its upgraded 2.4-litre engine, with Subaru hoping to hunt down the likes of the Audi RS3 and Mercedes-AMG A45.