Introduced in 1992 as the successor to the Leone, the Impreza went racing the following year in the World Rally Championship with the iconic State Express 555 livery. The gold alloy wheels, hood scoop and rear wing added to the appeal of the rally-winning sedan derived from the road-going WRX.
Described as the fifth-gen WRX, although it’s actually the second-gen WRX that doesn’t feature the Impreza nameplate, the 2022 model year has received the Subaru Technica International treatment in advance. The rendering before your eyes comes from SRK Designs, and knowing the Japanese automaker, the real deal isn’t going to differ all too much from it.
A few days ago, when Subaru took the veils off the redesigned World Rally eXperimental, the company didn’t mention a word about when they would unveil the Subaru Technica International-branded version. Although a 2022 launch is possible, we may be dealing with a 2023 model because of the chip shortage and the company’s newfound attention for electric vehicles.
The high-performance version is rumored with 350-ish ponies by Japanese publications, a figure that appears to be perfect for this application. On the other hand, I have my doubts because the previous generation had 310 horsepower. My reservation stems from the small difference in output between the older and current WRX (make that 268 and 271 horsepower).
Considering that Subaru is a small company with a limited budget for research & development, the 2.4-liter turbo four-cylinder boxer of the WRX will be slightly updated for the STI. More boost pressure is definitely in the cards, and with a bit of luck, Subaru may further strengthen a few internals.
As opposed to the 2021 model, the newcomer is expected to receive the continuously variable transmission of the 2022 Subaru WRX. “A new automatic transmission” is how the Japanese automaker describes the optional box, which isn’t correct because a proper auto has stepped gears.
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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