Subaru WRX review: the rally sedan that grew up without losing the point
4.1/5motorssouq Editorial Team
The WRX is the honest choice for a Bahrain enthusiast who wants a genuinely usable daily car with real performance underneath rather than a stripped-out track special. Take the manual if you actually intend to row your own gears — it is meaningfully more engaging than the CVT — but the CVT grade is the one to have if EyeSight and adaptive cruise matter to your daily commute, since the manual does not currently get it. Either way, insurance for a young driver on a turbocharged AWD sedan is a real cost to budget for in Bahrain, not an afterthought.
Pros
- 271 hp turbocharged flat-four with 350 Nm from just 2,000 rpm
- Standard Symmetrical AWD gives real off-the-line traction a GTI cannot match
- 6-speed manual with a genuinely short, mechanical shift action
- More comfortable and better isolated than the outgoing WRX generation
- 411-litre boot — genuine sedan practicality, not a hot-hatch compromise
Cons
- EyeSight driver-assist suite is only available on CVT grades, not the manual
- Fuel consumption around 9.5 L/100 km is noticeably thirstier than a Golf GTI
- Insurance for younger drivers on a turbocharged AWD sedan is a real cost in Bahrain
- Smaller Subaru dealer and parts network than mainstream performance-car rivals
The WRX name carries three decades of rally pedigree, and the current VB generation is the most grown-up execution of it yet without losing the plot: a 2.4-litre turbocharged flat-four making 271 hp and, more usefully, 350 Nm from just 2,000 rpm, sent to all four wheels through Subaru's Symmetrical AWD. Where the outgoing car felt raw and occasionally unresolved, this one rides better, isolates road noise better, and still launches off the line with the flat-out traction that made the badge famous.
The 6-speed manual is the one to have if you actually want the WRX experience — a short, mechanical shift and a clutch that does not feel like a chore in Manama traffic — but it is worth being clear-eyed that the CVT, with its simulated eight-speed Sport Sharp mode, is genuinely quick and arguably better suited to daily commuting, and it is the only gearbox that currently gets Subaru's EyeSight driver-assist suite.
Living with it day to day
Unlike the STI variants of the past, this WRX is comfortable enough to be someone's only car — the ride is firm but not punishing over Bahrain's patched sections, the cabin is well finished for the class, and 411 litres of boot space is a genuine sedan number rather than a hot-hatch compromise.
The turbocharged AWD layout means insurance is a real line item for younger drivers here, and fuel consumption around 9.5 L/100 km in mixed use is honest for the performance on offer but noticeably thirstier than a Golf GTI driven the same way. Subaru's smaller Bahrain dealer network is the other factor to weigh — parts and specialist knowledge exist, but not on every corner.