Image: Peet Mocke
Image: Peet Mocke
Image: Peet Mocke
Image: Peet Mocke
Image: Peet Mocke
NewsBy: Siyavuya Mbaduli
Blue paintwork, prominent bonnet scoop and black cladding on the lower sections make the WRX appear ready… and not just ready for tarmac duty, like all the other contenders, but occasional gravel-road flying too.
Image: Peet Mocke
The Subaru WRX looked like a WRC escapee that had joined the fray of CAR’s Performance Shootout convoy. The prospect of pitting the WRX against a sort of WRC rival in the form of the GR Yaris was enticing. Unfortunately, what could have been two manual AWD precision driving tools was reduced to one as Subaru promised the only cog-swapping WRX in the fleet to another publication for the week of our excursion. Two months earlier, the CVT- equipped WRX didn’t fare so well in a stand-alone road test. So, we’d be lying if we said the initial consensus wasn’t to get it out of the way as early as possible before more exciting prospects presented themselves on our favourite roads.
Image: Peet Mocke
Early on day three, we set off from Century City and aimed at Paarl. There was a fair bit of traffic heading east on the N1. The WRX was tuned to its least intrusive settings and we could sit back and enjoy the occasional foot-flat stretch of the road and the elastic-band sensation that’s part of the turbo petrol engine and CVT pairing. All this without noise, unnecessary jolts and crashing of the suspension, but while it was definitely among the more comfortable vehicles on Shootout, we did miss the sense of occasion of the older WRXs and WRX STIs.
Image: Peet Mocke
After the convoy pulled over at the foot of Dutoitskloof Pass, we had a quick scroll through the drivetrain management menu and toggled to the Sport setting, which sharpened up every customisable parameter, except the suspension. After all, this body is already one of the stiffest in a production Subaru road car. Sandwiched between the Mustang and M240i, and bearing a significant power and torque deficit, the general consensus was the WRX would have to press hard to hold its own on the twisting pass. However, as soon as the front three vehicles hit the first short left-hander, those concerns became null and void. The symmetrical all-wheel drive served up a lateral grip the others struggled to match and the suspension system soaked up the bigger bumps and there was very little body roll.
Image: Peet Mocke
The WRX merely planted itself on the asphalt and we booted the throttle before the other guys did. Its relatively low weight allowed later braking and we were able to corner faster and floor the throttle earlier. Downhill it was similarly impressive, if not even more so, as the WRX ran down the GR Yaris and RS3 before the Rawsonville turnoff. Despite giving up 128 kW and 179 N.m to the Ford Mustang, the WRX yapped at its heels all the way like a terrier defending its home against an intruder. This is a B-road after all, and this is still a Subaru.
Keyword: CPS 2023: Subaru WRX – a distinct all rounder