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  • The 2022 Subaru WRX is one of the best cheap AWD sedans right now
  • Don’t give in to the hate, the new WRX drives like it should
  • We expect the 2022 WRX to start around $30,000

For those of you still on the fence about Subaru’s latest, we don’t blame you. People hate the Subaru WRX because it tricks your eyes. That’s all down to the plastic body cladding, easily the most-hated aspect of the new WRX. But maybe we should lower the pitchforks. Maybe the 2022 Subaru WRX doesn’t deserve all the negative press, and maybe it should be further up this list.

The 2022 Subaru WRX doesn’t deserve the hate

A rally blue 2022 Subaru WRX AWD sedan shot on a rainy day
The 2022 WRX is a killer cheap AWD sedan | Subaru

The list in question is courtesy of AutoGuide, and it’s a list of the best budget AWD sedans. That, on the surface, sounds like it’s right up the WRX’s alley. And it is. Instead, the AWD Toyota Camry takes the top spot, with an MSRP of $26,695. It’s a fair choice. The Camry is a cheaper AWD car. But it’s not really an enthusiast’s car, now is it? The Camry is a best-selling sedan for a reason, but we’d like our cheap AWD sedan with a little more Sauce.

That’s all to say that the 2022 Subaru WRX doesn’t deserve the hate. We ought to thank the powers that be we’re still getting stick shift, AWD, rally-bred performance cars in 2021. As EVs encroach further and further into the limelight, cars like the new ‘Rex will disappear. The plastic cladding is a bit of an eyesore, but we’d rather have the new WRX look like an Outback Wilderness than be canceled altogether.

Is the new Subaru WRX a good car?

A Rally Blue 2022 Subaru WRX, which swayed Doug DeMuro's opinion, shot from the front 3/4 in the rain
Doug DeMuro liked the WRX more than anyone thought he would | Subaru

Obviously, that’s only true if the new Subaru WRX (and the impending 2022 Subaru WRX STI) drives good. They’re both enthusiast cars, after all. Thankfully, the review embargo lifted earlier this week, and the news is good. The 2022 Subaru WRX refines and prunes the existing WRX formula that helps to make it one of the best cheap AWD sedans. And not just for enthusiasts. There’s also a more comfort-leaning WRX GT that offers adjustable dampers and an automatic transmission.

But that Sauce we were talking about earlier is really there in the manual transmission 2022 WRX. Members of the press have praised the WRX’s ability to stay completely neutral in corners. One might think it was Swedish it stays so neutral. Plus, thanks to that reworked Subaru Outback engine, the 2022 WRX has eliminated one of it’s biggest issues: the rev-hang. With that gone, the WRX feels faster than ever, despite its power figures ( 271 hp, 258 lb-ft) barely moving as compared to the 2014-2021 Subaru WRX.

How much will the new WRX cost?

The 2.4L engine of the new Subaru WRX
The WRX shares an engine with the Outback | Subaru

We think the new WRX should be a lot further up everyone’s lists, especially at the WRX’s estimated $30,000 price point. The new WRX is a serious budget performance car, and now the GT trim brings some real mass appeal to what is an already popular sports sedan. All we can say is that we’re very excited for what the 2022 STI holds.

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Chase Bierenkoven

Chase Bierenkoven has been obsessed with cars his whole life and now finds joy in sharing what he’s learned from his own daily drivers. Chase earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Criminology with a focus on legal studies from the Metropolitan State University of Denver and quickly became an automotive journalist. When he isn’t writing, Chase is either driving his passion project, a 2004 BMW M3 in Carbon Schwartz Metallic, or playing around Colorado’s terrain, mainly mountain biking and skiing.