Ezra Dyer: Subarus and I Go Way Back

From the May/June 2025 issue of Car and Driver.Subarus and I go way back. I learned how to drive at age 11 on a GL wagon in the woods in Maine. Later, I built my own rally course out there and borrowed a cast-off Fast & Furious WRX STI to relive my childhood (but better). I’ve ridden with rally god Petter Solberg in Spain and driven the current WRX TR on the Targa Florio roads in Sicily. So, perhaps the 2024 WRX Premium that’s now in my driveway was preordained. When I signed the papers at the dealership, I told my wife, “I guess this is my midlife-crisis car.” She replied, “Oh, I wouldn’t say that. You’re probably past midlife.” Honey, put down the actuarial tables and help me bolt on this cold-air intake.Ezra Dyer|Car and DriverThe WRX has always been a flaming bag of poop on the doorstep of civilized automotive society, and the current one, introduced for 2022, continues in that tradition. Slamming the door no longer sounds like a steel-drum concert, but the WRX still doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s got a hood scoop, bulging fenders, and a manual hand brake. And nearly every WRX we saw on the dealer’s lot had a manual transmission. On cold starts, it sounds like the mufflers fell off (yes, there are two, leading to quad tips). Granted, the redline is lower than it used to be, and there’s no STI model, but the WRX still knows how to have fun. Instead of viewing it as a lesser STI, think of it as a Volkswagen GTI with a parole officer.Ezra Dyer|Car and DriverOn new cars, I am normally loath to mess with OEM hardware—my Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid’s interior looks like Eddie Murphy’s suit from Delirious, but it came that way from the factory. Nonetheless, about two days into WRX ownership, I was elbow-deep in the Subaru’s engine bay, installing the aftermarket intake, which makes every upshift sound like Optimus Prime snoring into a floor fan. I can feel the brim of my hat getting flatter with each fluttery whoosh of the wastegate. Next, I bought a set of winter wheels and tires. Then, when I’d mounted only the fronts, I took a photo to troll a WRX Facebook group: “I figured I’d be smart before the snow gets here and get some Bridgestone Blizzaks. Gonna see how these work on the front, and then maybe I’ll get two more for the back.” Ezra Dyer|Car and DriverI don’t know what’s wrong with me—I crave acceptance, yet I’m compelled to act in ways that invite furious scorn. Which means the WRX is the perfect car for me, simultaneously responsible and immature. If the WRX had a frontal lobe, it would be about 85 percent developed.On the grown-up side of the ledger, the WRX has a four-cylinder engine that gets decent fuel economy. It’s a good value, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety named it a Top Safety Pick. Sure-footed all-wheel drive is standard. The trunk is plenty big. The general public sees a practical little sedan, and that assessment is not inaccurate. But WRX owners look at the VB, as they call it, and see a blank canvas for automotive debauchery. Go watch the first six minutes of Baby Driver ( just look up “red WRX car chase”), and you’ll understand the mentality. Not every WRX gets used as a getaway car, but any of them could be on any given day. The first time I took mine to a snowy parking lot, I found you can rip donuts with the stability control on—I’d yet to learn the two-step process for turning it off. But at some point, the car seems to say, “Okay, guess we’re doing this,” and pivots around the inside front tire like it’s auditioning for the next Gymkhana video. I can’t wait to find out what happens when I actually turn the system fully off.Ezra Dyer|Car and DriverEzra Dyer|Car and DriverThe WRX’s dirty little secret is that it’s not that quick in a straight line, with a 2022 model we tested requiring a brutal redline clutch dump to hit 60 mph in just 5.5 seconds. It’s all chassis, this one—0.95 g on the skidpad and better braking performance than a BMW M3—but it’s no threat to the Honda Civic Type R or the Toyota GR Corolla under the hood. But here again, Subaru made a shrewd call: You can drive your WRX and enjoy it until the warranty expires, at which point you can throw a tune on it and have an easy 350 horsepower. Or you can just void the warranty—YOLO, LOL. This is a surprisingly popular move in a community that views the Nitro Circus crew as life coaches. Personally, I’m going to wait awhile to do that. Hey, nobody ever said a midlife crisis had to be quick.From the C/D ArchiveEzra Dyer is a Car and Driver senior editor and columnist. He’s now based in North Carolina but still remembers how to turn right. He owns a 2009 GEM e4 and once drove 206 mph. Those facts are mutually exclusive.
Source: caranddriver.com