Subaru WRX 2023 review: Sportswagon

The outside still has that WRX look to it, like the bonnet scoop that is so familiar. The ‘Ultrasuede’ black sports bucket seats are really comfy and designed in a look that’s worthy of the STI branding embossed into the head restraints.

The leather steering wheel also looks the part with the contrast red stitching, but it sadly doesn’t feel that great under the hands. It’s really firm and almost feels like a hard plastic. Sadly not the supple warm leather feel you get in its competitors. For the top-of-the-line variant, I would think there would be a little more of a premium look and feel in the cabin as there isn’t much else going for the interior of this car. It’s not bad, it’s just not ‘wow’.

My test car came in ‘Crystal White Pearl’ which is one of the seven colours you can choose from. I quite like white cars with black highlights, so the colour scheme of this car wins me over. However the front grille and wheels on this particular example aren’t standard and will cost you extra.

The sports grille will set you back just over $900 and these 18-inch alloy wheels in black and grey come in at just under $3000. Also added to my test vehicle are the roof crossbars, which are a little over $600 and a Thule ‘Vector’ roof box which is just over $3000. However, this is the fanciest model Thule offers, with felt lining and interior lighting.

If you’re a family like us and go on lots of road trips, a roof box is a must have. The medium sized Vector will give you an extra 360L of luggage space. Now, on this test car the roof box created a very distinct whistling noise at speeds over 60km/h. That was very surprising with premium equipment and maybe this is a one-off so I’ll give Subaru the benefit of the doubt.

But one downside of having a roof box is that it makes a sunroof redundant… which is fine on this car, because the sunroof is tiny! For the price point, I’d be hoping for a panoramic one. The roof box obviously isn’t permanent, so if you do want to enjoy the itty bitty sunroof, just take it off when you’re not in holiday mode.

This car is nice and comfortable to drive as a family car, and the 2.4-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine is easy to drive with. The ‘Sport Lineartronic’ transmission is also surprisingly pleasant for a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission).

The WRX has great suspension, gliding over potholes and shopping centre speed bumps with ease – even in the firmest mode. The brakes are nice and firm under your foot and give you confidence when you need to slow the car quickly.

But if you’re after the sporty performance previous WRX owners have come to love, I think you’ll be left disappointed. While the throttle is responsive and power delivery is satisfying, there is a lot of body roll when cornering. The driver’s seating is very high up for a performance car, much higher than in my Golf wagon, and the steering is also very light, even at the most aggressive ‘Sport+’ setting.

You definitely don’t feel like you’re driving a sports car unless you’re putting your foot down. I’m sad to say it’s undeniably more ‘family’ than ‘fun’ when it comes to the driving experience.

The cabin space is excellent. I still had plenty of legroom in the front passenger seat with the baby capsule behind, and there is plenty of space for the kids in the back to get in and out as the doors open to almost 90 degrees. It was obvious there was a decent amount of room in the second row when I had to stretch to pass a toy to my toddler from the front seat – something I (sadly) don’t find as tricky in my Golf!

The boot is a very decent size. It’s 492 litres, or 909L with the second row folded down, although this is about 120L smaller than the listed capacity in the current Golf wagon. The cargo barrier (an $870 option) takes up about 2.0cm of boot length, so the tailgate would only shut if we angled our pram wheels a certain way.

But what the cargo barrier will give you is 1430L of storage, letting you stack your family holiday belongings right up to the roof. Also in the boot you’ve got handy cargo hooks, a retractable cargo blind, and a temporary spare tyre.

If I’m comparing space between the Sportswagon and my Golf, the WRX wins for cabin space, but falls a tad short on boot capacity. Although, for an everyday car, I would take the cabin space any day as it makes the ride more comfortable and usable.

In the boot you've got handy cargo hooks, a retractable cargo blind, and a temporary spare tyre. (Image: Dean McCartney)

Boot capacity measures at 492L or 1430L with the cargo barrier in use. (Image: Dean McCartney)

How practical is the WRX Sportswagon for a family? Up front you’ve got two cupholders in the centre and two bottle holders, one in each door. For storage, well, this is where the ‘Rexy’ falls very short. You have the glove box, which is a more or less standard size, a small place for your phone and a little nook for your keys.

But I have a bone to pick with the centre storage bin. From the outside, it looks like a fairly decent size. Well, you would be mistaken! Why have extra space for your belongings when you can have a CD player between your two front seats?

I don’t know anyone who uses physical CDs in their car anymore and the unit in this car, found underneath the storage bin lid, takes up about a third of the potential storage capacity. It’s a waste of space. Also, frustratingly, there are only two USB charging ports in this car, and neither of them are fast charging. As a busy mum, give me that fast charger!

The multimedia screen is okay, but I wish it had more physical buttons or dials. I find it much easier and safer with tactile buttons while driving than trying to touch a screen.

The sat nav system wasn’t great, either. It struggled to locate a simple street address and the first time I used it, it just wouldn’t navigate at all. It did end up working on the next trip, so it’s most likely just a software bug.

The cabin space is excellent both up front and in the second row. The front passenger will enjoy a decent amount of legroom, even with a baby capsule behind it – something our Golf wagon is lacking.

The WRX is fitted with ISOFIX child restraint anchor points. (Image: Dean McCartney)

The second row can be folded forward electronically. (Image: Dean McCartney)

With the wide opening rear doors, it is perfect for wrangling kids into their seats and for installing the child seats themselves. Both of my child seats are secured with ISOFIX anchors. Installing them was a tad difficult because the seat belt buckles are so close to the anchor points, which are tucked behind a flap that you need to attempt to push aside.

Also, with the cargo barrier installed, clipping the top tether into the anchor points behind the seat proved cumbersome, requiring you to fold the seat forward as much as possible with a child seat getting in the way. The second row can be split 40/20/40, can be reclined, and can even be folded forward electronically. In each door you get a bottle holder and you’ll find two cupholders in the centre armrest.

Last but certainly not least, the boot opens with a powered tailgate. Hallelujah! These always make me happy, and thankfully it comes standard on both the GT and tS variants.

The WRX comes with all of the active safety features that are becoming standard with newer models of cars, like AEB, lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert, reverse automatic braking, distraction and drowsiness warning, and eight airbags. The reversing camera guidelines are really helpful, but the camera seems to warp the picture slightly, which sapped a bit of my confidence parking with it.

I do like that you can switch camera views to a ‘Side View Monitor’ which makes curb-side parking a lot easier. Wouldn’t want to scratch those $3000 rims now would we?

At time of testing, this generation WRX had yet to score an ANCAP safety rating.

On the inside, there is an 11.6-inch touchscreen, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, eight-way power seats for the driver and front passenger and the driver gets dual memory and lumbar support. The front seats and outboard rear seats are all heated and there is dual-zone climate control with rear vents.

One feature that could be handy for those with a lot on their mind, or might be a sleep deprived parent like I am at the moment, is a reminder to check your rear seats before exiting the car when you switch off the engine. You’ll never leave your kids or pets behind again!

Subaru’s official combined cycle fuel consumption figure is 8.5L/100km. For the past week I’ve been driving only through urban areas, playing around with the different driving modes, and I came in at 13.9L/100km. Even if the roof box added a couple of litres per hundred onto that due to aerodynamic drag and extra weight, with the price of petrol these days, and needing Premium 95RON fuel, it’s going to get pretty exxy.

Subaru has a five year, unlimited km warranty and five year capped price servicing, with maintenance scheduled for every 15,000km or every 12 months, whichever comes first. The schedules and pricing are on their website, so you can look ahead and know what to expect. The average annual figure for the first five year comes in under $500, which is quite reasonable for a performance car.