I Drove a $5 Million Bugatti Before This $32,500 Subaru. The Subaru Was More FunMen's JournalSean EvansThu, September 10, 2026 at 11:12 PM UTCAdd us on GoogleThe cheapest 2026 Subaru WRX costs $32,495. For that, you still get 271 horsepower, Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, a hood scoop, and—praise the car gods—a six-speed manual transmission. After lapping it at Oulton Park, sliding it around a drift course, and driving it hundreds of miles across England and Wales, I'm convinced Subaru's least expensive WRX is also the one to buy.I reached that conclusion somewhere while squealing around Shell Oils Corner, a lengthy hairpin on the Oulton Park circuit in England. Hearing Dunlop Sport Maxx GT sneakers singing means you've scrubbed enough speed but are still coming in a tad hot. That's important because Shell Oils Corner requires decent entry speed—and patience.2026 Subaru WRXCourtesy ImageTip back into 2026 Subaru WRX's throttle too early and you'll start to push wide, off the racing line of this famous British Touring Car track, which means you're set up poorly for entry to the Britten's chicane. If you're set up poorly, you'll have to correct by downshifting to second for the chicane, losing momentum as you nose upward toward Oulton's back straight, Hilltop. And if you botch the chicane, the whole back half of your lap on this 2.7-mile circuit feels slow.AdvertisementAdvertisementHowever, if you're not too eager, if you're calm and collected through the hairpin, you can barrel through the whole exchange in third gear, zip up through Hilltop and carry a staggering amount of speed through the back straight. When you get it right, it feels speedy and incredible, the WRX's throaty exhaust resonating in your ears, tach edging towards its redline.But even if you're not perfectly clipping apexes and glued to the ideal racing line, the WRX is still a bundle of fun. And fun is the point of this base model—one Subie fans clamored for. Factor in the sticker price of $34,360 (which is $5,000 cheaper than the outgoing Premium trim that opened the WRX lineup) and you're left with only one conclusion: the base WRX is the most fun you can have for that money.Why the Cheapest Subaru WRX Is the One to Buy2026 Subaru WRXCourtesy ImageAllow me to make my case. Let's start with how the cheapest WRX is also the purist's WRX. This base trim means giving up some comforts—gone are the heated seats, rear charging ports, sunroof, and Harman Kardon speaker options—but it never compromises capability. You get the same 18-inch wheels and suspension as the next trim level, a 2.4-liter twin turbocharged flat-four cylinder that produces 271 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of twist, and you get that mill mated to a six-speed manual transmission. A manual? In 2026?! Praise the Gods—and the decision makers at Subaru.Rowing your own gears always makes for a happier experience. It doesn't take long to suss out the proper force required to heel-toe downshifts on the WRX, a move that exponentially increases driving satisfaction. While first and second gear could stand to be taller—both run out fairly quickly—the fact that peak torque lands around 2,000 rpm and stays through 5,200 rpm means the car feels eager, even in third or fourth.AdvertisementAdvertisementAn afternoon lapping Oulton showcased how flingable, compliant, and enjoyable the WRX is. The car held impressive grip through fast corners—a credit to Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system and active torque-vectoring—hopped up out of slow ones, and the manual made the whole experience more engaging. The last car I tracked before the WRX was a $5 million, 1,578-horsepower Bugatti Bolide. I'm aware this will furrow brows at the Molsheim factory, but I'd still give the WRX a slight edge on Bolide because it's less intimidating, more forgiving, and you're not worried about smacking up millions of dollars in carbon fiber.2026 Subaru WRXCourtesy ImageThe track stint also revealed that the 12.4-inch front discs and two-piston brake calipers fade somewhat quickly. Should you desire to track your base WRX, you'd be wise to upfit it with track pads and brake fluid.Yes, You Can Get the AWD Subaru WRX SidewaysJust to hammer home how nimble and playful the WRX is, Subaru set us up on one of the inner handling tarmac circuits, purpose-built to have low grip. In a slightly modified base 2026 WRX—altered clutch, balder tires, and an enormous rally-style handbrake—we were encouraged to go hoon.The slippery surface induces slides with a light flick of the wheel and a deep dive into the throttle, and the WRX is happy to hold it for as long as you can keep the drift angle held without overrotating. Here, in this special car, it's comically easy to link drifts as you screech around. During my laps, it's unclear what howled louder: the smoking tires or me. It's the most fun I've had behind the wheel of a car in ages.How the Base Subaru WRX Drives in the Real WorldSubaru flew us to the U.K. to drive the base WRX, timed around the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where Hoonigan and rally racer Travis Pastrana wildly hammered the Subaru Brataroo 9500 Turbo, a 670-horsepower carbon-fiber bodied 1978 Subie Brat, up the hillclimb.2026 Subaru WRXCourtesy ImageDespite the locale, our cars were left-hand drive, U.S.-spec models, identical to what you'll encounter on a dealer's lot. Not a single modification. In these test steeds, I spent a few days traversing hundreds of miles between England and Wales, across all manner and quality of roads, occasionally at dizzying speeds. (Our testers were running Illinois plates, meaning we were blissfully immune to the U.K.'s abundant speed camera traps.)AdvertisementAdvertisementIt's a comfortable road tripper. The clutch pedal isn't so heavy you end up groaning in stop-and-go traffic. The standard 11.6-inch portrait touchscreen is a breeze to use and read, far easier than consonant-riddled Welsh road signs. The fuel economy is pretty solid; 19 through the cities and towns, closer to 25 on the highway, though when pushed, the numbers slide further into the teens.2026 Subaru WRXCourtesy ImageThe WRX's road manners are lovely, save for some bounciness, nothing a light softening of the suspension wouldn't cure. On long stretches of highway, it's sedate, with ample power for overtaking when you want it, though happy to hum along in sixth gear, too. In tight switchbacks, the active torque vectoring feeds the power to the outside wheels, helping you rotate the car through the turn. On rural and dusty British gravel roads lined with tall hedges, blip the downshift before corner entry, feed the power back on, let the tail step out a hair and feel like the star in your own Hoonigan video.Track-capable, rally-ready, road-friendly, the 2026 Subaru WRX has range, wider than most cars at the $32,500 price point offer. Three pedals, one hood scoop as standard, and the volume of grins per mile put the base WRX in a segment of one.2026 Subaru WRX SpecsEngine: 2.4-liter turbocharged flat-fourHorsepower/Torque: 271 hp/258 lb-ftTransmission: 6-speed manualDrivetrain: Symmetrical All-Wheel DriveMPG: 19 city/25 highwayPrice: $32,495AdvertisementAdvertisementThis story was originally published by Men's Journal on Sep 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the Gear section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
+8 others
