Photo: Sam CarLegion on YouTube / edited by autoevolution
At first glance, these similarly priced cars appear stock. But look a bit closer at the 2022 model year WRX, and you’ll notice gold-painted wheels à la the Impreza 555.
Look even closer, and the rubber shoes of that Subaru are clearly different from the stock tires. Under the hood, the 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder boxer of the World Rally eXperimental isn’t stock either. The owner is running a more aggressive tune, which reportedly adds circa 70 ponies and 50 pound-feet (68 Nm) to the tally.
The VB-series WRX normally makes 271 horsepower and 258 pound-feet (350 Nm), and that’s where Subaru will stop with the second-generation WRX. The Japanese automaker couldn’t make a case for an STI, as it currently explores "electrified opportunities."
Equipped with the standard six-speed manual transmission instead of the optional continuously variable transmission, the WRX in the featured clip dukes it out in the quarter mile against a manual-equipped Hyundai Elantra N and a Honda Civic Si, both of them stock.
The Honda is – without a shadow of a doubt – the lightest car here thanks to a curb weight of 2,981 pounds (1,352 kilograms). It’s also a bit lacking in the power and torque departments, for it features the smallest engine here.
200 horsepower and 192 pound-feet (260 Nm) is more than sufficient for dailying, but on the Dunnville Autodrome in Ontario against more powerful and torquier competitors, it simply isn’t good enough.
It’s also front-wheel drive, just like the Elantra N. This puts the all-wheel drive WRX at a huge advantage from a dig, and it certainly shows. Curiously enough, that Hyundai somehow takes one win out of three digs.
Even more impressive, it hangs in there with the tuned WRX from a rolling start. Sam CarLegion’s team performed two, the first at 32 miles per hour (50 kilometers per hour) and the second at 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour). The Elantra N truly punches above its weight, that weight being 3,208 pounds (1,455 kilograms) in combination with the manual tranny.
Had the WRX been completely stock, the Elantra N would’ve been the most powerful and torquiest car of the bunch. Its 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder mill belts out 276 horsepower and 289 pound-feet (392 Nm).
If equipped with the N DCT, the Elantra N can summon 10 more horsepower for up to 20 seconds at a time thanks to N Grin Shift mode. Even with the standard manual, the Elantra N is the most expensive car of the trio, starting at $32,900 excluding destination charge and options.
The Scooby is next, with a retail price of $29,605 for the base spec. The Civic Si isn’t too far behind, with Honda charging $28,500 for its sporty sedan. The Civic Si is the only car of the three that comes exclusively with a manual. Its technically similar sibling from the Acura brand comes standard with a continuously variable transmission and optionally with a manual.
Coming to a dealership near you in the near future, the Integra Type S has been confirmed exclusively with a six-speed manual. The Civic Type R’s luxed-up brother is confirmed to arrive at U.S. dealers as a 2024 model.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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