Nov 12, 2021
A 2022 Subaru WRX driving on a racetrack.

The Subaru WRX has built up quite the reputation over the years. It became an absolute icon during the 1990s in the rally scene, taking pole positions and becoming the face of rally cars for some time. The innovations and rugged performance of the WRX spawned a lot of stiff competition from rival automakers, constantly forcing Subaru to push the WRX further, harder, and faster than ever before. Over the years, the company has refined the sedan so that when potential shoppers scout their local Subaru WRX dealer for the latest model year, they’ll find a very different beast compared to what was racing past finish lines in the 1990s. In fact, there are a few things you may not have known about the new 2022 WRX when it comes to some performance feats.

Luckily for you, this article will go through some of the performance capabilities of the WRX you may not have initially known it was capable of. While you might be aware of some of its basic powertrain features and performance capabilities, we’ll talk a little bit about what may have actually escaped some of the recent press releases and some of the more common reviews.

4 – You Don’t Need Mods for High-Speed Handling

For a lot of people who purchase popular sedans, compacts, and hatchbacks that are prone to aftermarket tuning, there’s a general misconception that the WRX needs to have its power buffed and its performance upgraded to improve its overall handling. In reality, it’s already finely tuned to accomplish many of its performance feats without requiring aftermarket tuning.

Some people found out the hard way that adding downpipes and J-pipes for extra gains in performance can sometimes disrupt the balancing in the powerband of the WRX and how it handles. There’s also the issue of voiding your warranty by tuning the vehicle, which could prove to be a huge problem, especially if you’re not entirely happy with the results. It can definitely become disheartening for some owners.

This was an issue that YouTuber Auto Enthusiast encountered after he modified his Subaru and found that the performance gains weren’t quite what he thought. It turns out that the newer generation Subaru WRX models are already finely tuned for optimal handling. Of course, this isn’t to say that you can’t modify your WRX, but anyone who isn’t planning on racing their WRX or hitting up a track really doesn’t need to perform any unnecessary changes to get the best handling and performance out of the sedan.

Rear view of an orange 2022 Subaru WRX driving on a racetrack.

3 – WRX Can Take High-Speed Turns Thanks to AWD

As mentioned, the 2022 Subaru WRX has been finely tuned for a lot of high-performance handling. Right off the assembly line, the WRX is capable of hitting corners with precision at high speeds. A lot of this is thanks to the symmetrical all-wheel drive system, something that Subaru has been improving, perfecting, and upgrading since the 1990s.

The symmetrical all-wheel drive capabilities have always been one of the strong selling points of the WRX, and the ability to gun it on twisting roads while still maintaining excellent maneuverability is something that can’t be said for many four-door sedans. A lot of this is thanks to Subaru maintaining a rigid suspension, active torque vectoring, and stability management via a vehicle dynamics and traction control system.

Those aren’t just fancy engineering words and marketing terms; they all help in actual driving applications. Thanks to precision steering, a wide body, and a low center of gravity, the vehicle is capable of maintaining a lot of grip and stability, even at high speeds. It’s perfect for those who enjoy giving their sedan a little gas on long stretches of road, even when there are frequent bends and winding turns.

2 – The 2022 WRX Can Tackle Off-Road Trails

The stock 2022 Subaru WRX can be driven off-road… with caveats. The suspension, the handling, the engine, and the wheels are capable of taking you on a journey off the beaten path. It’s one of the big selling points for the 2022 WRX, but it’s not something that may stand out at the forefront of the mind of casual observers of the car. In fact, it’s an understated performance feat that is more popular in the actual car culture communities.

You can find plenty of people who own a WRX who regularly take the performance sedan into uncharted territory, whether it’s maxing out the speed on the Salt Flats in Utah or attempting to trudge through mounds of snow up north. There are those who enjoy pushing their WRX to the limits without completely destroying the car. This is part of the appeal of the WRX, with drivers pushing their curiosity and the car’s performance capabilities to the max.

However, it should be noted that a stock WRX going off-road has its limits. You can’t hit up a rally course with a 2022 WRX and not expect to completely destroy the car. The ride height is too low, the tires aren’t right for rough terrain, and the suspension isn’t made for the punishing jumps that professionally tuned rally cars can take. However, you can still comfortably take the WRX on smooth dirt trails, smooth icy pathways, or light gravel tracks. While the stock WRX isn’t designed to jump and bump like its rally counterparts, you can still make full use of the asymmetrical all-wheel drive to venture into places where most other commuter sedans aren’t designed to go, as demonstrated with an off-road test of a stock 2021 WRX on a dirt track by YOY TV3.

A dark blue 2022 Subaru WRX driving  on the racetrack

1 – The Stock WRX Can Drift

Drifting is another hardcore enthusiast spectacle. Many cars with enough horsepower and the ability to disengage traction control can generally drift, but it may not always go well. Also, you can easily wear down the lifespan of the vehicle by drifting if it isn’t designed to drift on certain kinds of surfaces. You wear out the tires, the shocks, the suspension, the e-brake, drivetrain, and the steering. But it all depends on where and how you drift.

The good part about the WRX is that in conjunction with being able to drive comfortably on smooth trails, sandy tracks, or flat dirt courses, it opens up the ability to easily drift on these loose-surface conditions as well. Even better, the stock 2022 Subaru WRX can accomplish this feat without aftermarket tuning. The only thing you may have to consider is swapping the tires depending on where you plan to drift. Snow tires if you plan on drifting across ice or snow, and all-terrain tires if you plan on drifting across dirt or sand. But right out of the gate, you can definitely drift with a stock WRX, which was one of the big promotion points that Subaru highlighted in their official reveal of the car.

Unlike a lot of other performance sedans that usually can powerslide here or there across wet tarmac or slippery asphalt, the WRX has a personality better suited to drift across surfaces with less friction. This is due to the all-wheel drive designed to maintain grip on asphalt but keep you moving on loose surfaces. This is why the WRX is so efficient at hugging corners at high speeds on paved streets, but just as fun to drive when you want to perform drifts across paths with less friction. You can also fine-tune the differential to get better results depending on how and where you might attempt to drift the WRX. It’s not something the average sedan owner will probably be interested in, but it’s still a pretty cool feat for the 2022 WRX and definitely a reason to check out a Subaru WRX dealer if that’s the sort of thing that strikes your fancy.