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Wide 2022 Subaru WRX Unofficially Shows What a Great STI Might Have Been

One disappointment after another. That is how many people would quickly characterize the (VB) second-generation 2022 Subaru WRX. It does not look that good... Also, there is no more room for STI improvements.
2022 Subaru WRX STI rendering by spdesignsest 7 photos
Photo: spdesignsest / Instagram
2022 Subaru WRX STI rendering by spdesignsest2022 Subaru WRX STI rendering by spdesignsest2022 Subaru WRX STI rendering by spdesignsest2022 Subaru WRX STI rendering by spdesignsest2022 Subaru WRX STI rendering by spdesignsest2022 Subaru WRX STI rendering by spdesignsest
When Mitsubishi decided to anger its few remaining fans with the dismissal of the Lancer Evolution series, people sighed and then moved over to Subaru’s WRX STI monster. A high-performance car that symbolizes all that Subaru stands for. Rallying, boxer engines, symmetrical AWD, and feisty corner-carving nature.

Unfortunately, their second-generation, freestanding VB 2022 WRX has not been met with the universal acclaim they probably hoped for. A lot of people dreaded the evolutionary design, while others thought that boxy, plastic-clad wheel arches from crossover SUVs have nothing to do with feisty sedans. Even if they are well-known gravel specialists.

Naturally, a lot of automotive virtual artists started making amends. And while some tried to fix what was broken with the WRX, others jumped the gun and envisioned the upcoming WRX STI hero. Well, as it turns out, they were hoping for nothing. Officially, not as per the rumor mill! Instead, the WRX STI moniker will be saved for a future electrification effort, whereas the current WRX will not be getting an STI variant.

Well, perhaps not in the real world. Instead, automotive virtual artists will continue to show what a great STI this VB-iteration WRX could have been. Case in point. Siim Parn, the Estonia-based pixel master better known as spdesignsest on social media, expands his major return to form with this saddening modern twist.

Merely wishful thinking, but oh, so enticing. This 2022 Subaru WRX morphed into a WRX STI-inspired chassis design idea with “everything slightly tweaked, added new (stuff) and taken away (the bad) with added widebody stance!” The result is not bad at all, and it makes us bite a real orange out of spite because it will never see the light of an all-new STI day.

Update: The author has naturally created a second version of this project, “this time in this iconic blue and gold combo.” Of course, we also embedded that below for our full enjoyment...




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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
Aurel Niculescu profile photo

Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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