Manual versions of Subaru’s new WRX could miss five-star rating, but delivery times are looking good
- WRX supply: ‘Feeling confident’
- WRX output: ‘You don’t drive the spec sheet’
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There’s good news and not-so-good news surrounding the launch of the highly-anticipated fifth-generation 2022 Subaru WRX performance car this week.
You can read our launch review for our assessment of the all-new, bigger-engined WRX here, but we can also report that customers will not have to wait too long for the delivery of their vehicles, with average wait times of roughly two months at present.
On the negative side of the ledger, a question mark hangs over the WRX’s safety credentials, with six-speed manual models missing out on autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and other advanced driver assist systems that may preclude it from a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating.
In an interview with carsales at the launch of the new WRX this week, Subaru Australia managing director Blair Read was unable to confirm when the fifth-gen model would be tested by ANCAP.
However, he said independent testing would take place and that the WRX would not be left without an ANCAP rating, as is the case with the Subaru BRZ sports car which has similar safety equipment omissions.
“That’s something we’re still working through with the engineering team at the factory, in terms of testing plans and the rollout for that,” he said.
“I probably shouldn’t speculate on how that may look in terms of an outcome, but that’s something still being worked through at this point in time.”
Safety ratings rank highly in the purchasing decisions of Australian new car buyers, but history suggests that the sales performance of iconic high-performance vehicles aren’t impacted by lower ANCAP ratings as much as for mainstream vehicles.
Case in point: the Ford Mustang, which was handed a three-star safety rating in 2018. It went on to become the number-one sports car in Australia for several years running and is still Ford’s top-selling passenger vehicle today.
Subaru expects around 40 per cent of WRX sales to be for the six-speed manual, while the rest will be accounted for by the CVT auto, which comes fully equipped with Subaru’s EyeSight safety suite, including adaptive cruise control, lane centring assist and, crucially, AEB.
WRX supply: ‘Feeling confident’
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the WRX’s safety rating, Subaru expects the biggest problem facing Aussie new-car buyers today – long delivery delays due to a supply squeeze at car factories – will not be a significant issue for the new Rex.
Read told carsales there weren’t strict allocations for the new WRX, unlike the 500 Subaru BRZ units that sold out rapidly and forced the brand to temporarily close the order book for its new sports car.
“From initial pre-orders and depending on spec and variant, we’re about two months in. We all know what the global situation is like at the moment, but we’re feeling confident supply is going to be good for customers,” he said.
The new-generation Subaru WRX is priced between $44,990 and $57,990 and available in two different body styles, sedan and wagon, across four model grades.
Read said he wasn’t too concerned about sales results at the moment “because it isn’t indicative of what happening with supply, and we’ve got good pipeline coming”.
“We’re seeing great support from Subaru Corporation and addressing customer delays and orders, getting access to more production and being able to get cars into customers’ hands,” he said.
WRX output: ‘You don’t drive the spec sheet’
Beyond safety and supply concerns, Subaru has been criticised for axing the flagship WRX STI model and not delivering more power and torque in the regular WRX, despite the fitment of a larger 2.4-litre turbo-petrol boxer engine.
Generating 202kW and 350Nm, the new WRX generates just 5kW more power while retaining the same torque output as the outgoing 2.0-litre turbo engine.
Read said the new car is more driveable and faster despite any major engine performance gains, noting that the “spec sheet alone doesn’t do the job; you don’t drive the spec sheet”.
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Keyword: Subaru WRX safety rating in question