{"id":19560,"date":"2026-09-09T20:00:05","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T00:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/?p=19560"},"modified":"2026-09-09T14:10:02","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T18:10:02","slug":"review-the-subaru-wrx-is-a-solid-enthusiast-option-but-can-it-handle-a-commute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/review-the-subaru-wrx-is-a-solid-enthusiast-option-but-can-it-handle-a-commute\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: The Subaru WRX is a solid enthusiast option, but can it handle a commute?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2026 Subaru WRX has a bit of a legacy to uphold. Spawned from the Impreza and Subaru\u2019s World Rally Championship successes the compact sports sedan is packing a boxer engine and All-Wheel-Drive as standard.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also one of the few remaining options if you love driving stick. Has a strong affiliation with the car modding community, and costs just a shade over $30,000. Which is a bit of a bargain these days.<\/p>\n

All of this sounds great on paper, but cars tend to be tested out on the road. I recently got my hands on a 2026 Subaru WRX and got to try it in both its natural environment, and on a frankly painful daily commute.<\/p>\n

Sedans like the Subaru WRX are still practical<\/h2>\n
\"2026
Dave McQuilling\/Autonotion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019m somewhat of a sedan evangelist these days. In the current era, it\u2019s hard to look beyond some form of SUV when it comes to practicality. Even the small ones offer some illusion of all-terrain capability and expansive storage space.<\/p>\n

But people got by just fine with a sedan for decades. And I\u2019d argue it\u2019s still more than enough for the majority of people\u2019s daily needs. On paper, the 12.5 cubic feet of storage space you get in the trunk is tiny compared to an SUV. Even the \u201cfrunk\u201d of something like an F-150 Lightning has more room. But think of how often you actually fill that space.<\/p>\n

With a Subaru WRX, you also have some sporting pedigree folded in. So it\u2019s a bit like a BMW M5<\/a> in that respect, a sedan you can have a bit of fun with. Though the M5 is significantly faster, has a nicer interior, and comes in at around five times the price. So don\u2019t expect a shootout between the two.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the worst interior, but it isn\u2019t the best either<\/h2>\n
\"2026
Dave McQuilling\/Autonotion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019ve historically had a bit of an issue with Subaru interiors (aside from the BRZ<\/a> which is an awesome piece of retro-futurism). Subaru tends to use a pretty poor quality pleather alongside a pretty dated dash layout in its vehicles. And while the central display could use an overhaul on the WRX, at least the Japanese manufacturer has popped a set of fabric seats in its sedan.<\/p>\n

With an MSRP of $32,495, you can\u2019t expect too much. Money will have to be saved somewhere. The infotainment\u2019s touchscreen isn\u2019t particularly pleasant. The buttons and indicator stalks are all pretty cheap plastic. But again, I\u2019ve seen worse and I\u2019ve seen worse from Subaru specifically.<\/p>\n

The main downside of the interior is the overall outdated feeling it has. Subaru is one of those manufacturers that hasn\u2019t refreshed its cabins in a long time, and a total overhaul might significantly boost the overall experience without jacking up manufacturing costs.<\/p>\n

Subaru’s handling is still exceptional<\/h2>\n
\"2026
Dave McQuilling\/Autonotion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Subarus handle well. This is one of those fundamental facts of life. If I ever got behind the wheel of a Subaru and felt it handle like a shopping cart with a squeaky wheel, I\u2019d be certain the apocalypse is on its way.<\/p>\n

But that day isn\u2019t here yet, the WRX is essentially pinned to the road and it takes a tremendous amount of effort, or extreme stupidity, to break that traction. You could argue that the WRX is a little underpowered by modern standards, but 271 horsepower is more than enough to get you in trouble. But the overall design, suspension, torque vectoring, balance, traction control, and all-wheel drive system is more than enough to keep you stable.<\/p>\n

As always I won\u2019t hesitate to recommend the WRX, or almost any Subaru, to people who live in an area with bad winter weather, dirt roads, general loose surfaces, or anything else that can make driving a challenge from time to time. You probably won\u2019t get anything as stable for anywhere near this price. Though if you need true off-road capability, something like a Forester or Outback could be a better shout.<\/p>\n

The 2026 Subaru WRX is a \u201cno frills\u201d manual<\/h2>\n
\"2026
Dave McQuilling\/Autonotion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While you can get a WRX with a six-speed stick shift, it\u2019s worth noting that it isn\u2019t as \u201centry level\u201d as some gearboxes. At the higher end (your Mustangs<\/a> and Cadillac Blackwings) you get things like rev matching taking some of the difficulty (or skill, depending on who you ask) out of it.<\/p>\n

The WRX\u2019s stick is just standard, and can be quite rough. In fact, there are times when it just didn\u2019t want to slip smoothly into gear which was frustrating. The bite point is so high, my left knee was essentially hitting the headliner half the time. While the 271 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque offered by the 2.5 liter boxer engine under the hood can be forgiving, the clutch on the WRX feels a bit aggressive. As a result, you can stall it if you aren\u2019t careful, especially on a gradient.<\/p>\n

Of course, an automatic option is available if you have no interest in a stick shift. And it\u2019s nice that Subaru still has a manual option, particularly as many manufacturers have ditched the stick altogether.<\/p>\n

The ride is pretty unpleasant<\/h2>\n
\"2026
Dave McQuilling\/Autonotion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One area where Subaru has gone decidedly sporty with the 2026 WRX is suspension. You\u2019re going to feel every bump, hole, crack, and seam in the road when you\u2019re sitting behind the wheel of this thing. On the one hand, this is good.<\/p>\n

Firmer suspension drastically improves stability and handling. The ability to feel the road also means you\u2019ll get an early warning if you do somehow push beyond the limits of the vehicle\u2019s traction.<\/p>\n

On the other, both myself and many other people prefer it when our daily drivers don\u2019t beat us half to death on our commute. The decision to go overly sporty is even more confusing when you realize that this is not a \u201csports\u201d version of the vehicle. Despite the fact I was testing the base model (WRX\/TUA) it came with \u201cSport-Tuned Suspension; Active Torque Vectoring\u201d as standard. Some kind of comfort build, especially with the lower-end options, would be appreciated. Especially for anyone buying a WRX as a daily driver.<\/p>\n

Is an STi version actually necessary? Yes, yes it is.<\/h2>\n
\"2026
Dave McQuilling\/Autonotion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of Subaru\u2019s stranger choices with the 2026 WRX is the omission of an STI version. Basically there\u2019s no dedicated \u201csports\u201d version. Yes, some suspension components make it into certain trims, but you don\u2019t get the extra 40 or so horsepower a true STI manages to pry from the engine.<\/p>\n

Maybe there is some logic if you dig into it. Sales figures may have simply not justified an STI in 2026, and true performance enthusiasts (especially with something on the JDM-spectrum like the WRX) will likely insist on modifying the hell out of it anyway. And likely getting a far bigger boost than 40 horsepower.<\/p>\n

But it still feels like something is missing, even if a WRX STI is a little more sterile than something like a Honda Civic Type R. Because the former\u2019s handling absolutely neuters the sense of impending death you tend to get while thrashing a $30,000 performance sedan around.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a step up on the last WRX I drove, but faces stiff competition<\/h2>\n
\"2026
Dave McQuilling\/Autonotion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I last drove the Subaru WRX back in 2024, and found it a bit boring. It was a perfectly functional car, but for whatever reason it failed to excite me in any way. Things have somehow improved, and I actually found myself enjoying the 2026 WRX quite a bit.<\/p>\n

As I mentioned earlier, it\u2019s M5 adjacent. You can drop grandma off at church, pick up your week\u2019s shopping, ferry a few kids to baseball practice, then try not to cock up a gear change while whipping down your favorite windy back road on the way home. It\u2019s a practical, affordable, vehicle that doesn\u2019t make you feel like you\u2019ve entirely given up on life. And it has just enough of that Subaru rally pedigree to carry over a degree of street cred.<\/p>\n

The issue is, it has some stiff competition. A Civic Sedan Sport is not as good, but notably cheaper with the base Civic being utterly soulless but almost $10,000 less. A Hyundai Elantra N is around $2,500 more, but has a better interior and better on-road performance. The Kia K4 GT-Line Turbo is cheaper, more modern, but notably less powerful and practical.<\/p>\n

If you like ripping a manual down a dirt road then the WRX takes it in this price category. But if I was picking a daily commuter, I\u2019d honestly go with something more comfortable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 2026 Subaru WRX has a bit of a legacy to uphold. Spawned from the Impreza and Subaru\u2019s World Rally … <\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":19568,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","resize-featured-image"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19560"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19677,"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19560\/revisions\/19677"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}