Tales From Then and Now: 25 Years of the Subaru WRX in America

Twenty-five years ago, I wanted nothing more than an Audi S4 Avant. In Imola Yellow, of course. I was only 26 years old; the S4 Wagon (as we Americans called it) cost $45,000. But this was before the dot-com bubble had fully popped, and I had a very silly six-figure software job. The Audi would be mine. Only I went to the dealer in flip-flops, a tattered Alice Donut T-shirt, and camouflage cargo shorts; I couldn’t get a salesperson (all men back then) to take me seriously. Could I test drive it? Absolutely not. But an alternative quickly emerged.

I was a huge fan of Automobile magazine (RIP), and I remember my hero (and future mentor and friend) Jamie Kitman had written an article about this new Japanese wagon called a Subaru WRX that he claimed had essentially the performance of a then-new 996 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S for a lot less money.

Angry at Audi, desperate for a fast wagon, and with cash burning a hole in my camo pocket, I marched over to the Subaru dealer. Of course I could test drive one! I loved it. I’d driven a co-worker’s S4 Avant, and this bug-eyed Japanese buggy was better in terms of handling and thrills, and it felt about as quick. Turns out Kitman was correct—the WRX represented an incredible performance value. It was about $25,500 to start, and I think I was out the door with the black one I bought on the spot for right about $27K. Being the mature consumer that I was, I immediately drove into the service center of the Audi dealer, began honking with my right hand, flipping off everyone else with my left, while shouting something real cringe. (The brand was able to get me back years later when an Audi PR man talked me out of a Volvo V60 Polestar and into an A4 Allroad. Don’t ask. But have you seen the new Allroad?)

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As for my 2002 Subaru WRX Wagon, I absolutely loved it. Not only was it the go-fast wagon I’d been craving, but The Fast and the Furious had just come out, and I felt like I was in the club. JDM, yo! I could haul my rather large bass amp around Los Angeles, and it once fit five kegs of beer, a jockey box, and my best friend’s wife. It was the perfect car for me, which is why I spent so much time on WRX forums, studying cheap and idiotic ways to ruin the poor thing.

Among the dumbest mods was removing the windshield washer reservoir (saves weight!) as well as some fireproofing material on the underside of the hood. I eventually installed a three-piece racing clutch, and my first WRX became essentially undrivable. Which is why in 2005 when my mother and I were rear-ended in it by a drunk 19-year-old in his mom’s Volvo (Thanksgiving night, on the 110 in Downtown L.A.), I replaced the black wagon with a 2006 Subaru Rally Blue “Hawkeye” Wagon. I believe I paid $28K for that one four years after my original, or basically about the same.

Then came the dark times, which thankfully only lasted for a year or so. But by then, the 2008 WRX was roundly and rightly criticized for gaining weight, losing power (230 hp down to 224), losing its limited-slip rear diff, soft looks, and hella soft springs. Or at least, hella softer than the previous three WRXs had. In a moment of mea maxima culpa, Subaru revised the WRX for the 2009 model year. If you ever see an OEM make year-on-year running changes, then you can be almost positive it is fully aware of how badly the product it’s trying to sell has missed the mark.

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The changes were massive. Power jumped to 265 hp, and torque increased from 226 to 244 lb-ft. As a result, the WRX managed to shave nearly a full second off its 0–60 hustle, dropping from 5.6 to 4.8 seconds in MotorTrend testing. It was so quick, it clipped the more powerful (and more expensive) WRX STI by 0.1 second. Add in the way stiffer springs (43 percent front, 42 percent rear) and the WRX was back, baby.

Then nothing really significant happened in WRX world, other than the beloved wagon going away in 2014. Funny story: I told Subaru I’d love to purchase the very last WRX Wagon, but I wanted it painted Tangerine Orange Pearl, a color only available on the sedan. Subaru said no, can’t be done. Something about the paint shop. I bought a 2015 Lava (some sort of color) Ford Fiesta ST instead. I love me a hot hatch, and right now I rock a 2023 Toyota GR Corolla. Ahem.

By the time the current WRX debuted in 2022, engine output had barely budged, coming in at 271 hp and 258 lb-ft. Gaining only six horsepower in 13 years, or 44 ponies in 20 years, is unusual in the car biz (unless you’re a Porsche GT3), especially in light of the fact Subaru canceled the STI outright in 2022. To put too fine of a point on it, the Porsche 911 Carrera S has leapt from 320 hp in 2002 all the way to 473 hp for 2027. Despite that, the WRX remained a great-to-drive entry-level performance consideration, as on the plus side the price was another thing that failed to increase substantially.

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For the 2025 model year, the least expensive WRX sold for $38,920. You might say, um, that’s $13,420 more than you paid back in 2002. True, but adjusted for inflation, I paid about $48,000 in 2026 dollars. In a smart, reading-the-room move, Subaru has lowered the price of all WRX models by $5,000 and introduced a new model called the WRX Base, which sells for $33,690 out the door. Again, adjust for inflation, and that’s about $14,000 less than I paid a quarter of a century ago. Wild.

Back to the 911 comparison, a 2002 Carrera S started at about $81,000. In 2026, that same model is $158,550. That $81K from 2002 would be $150,000 in today’s dollars. So we see what a performance bargain the WRX has become, especially the Base, which shaves $1,500 off the starting price and loses things like foglights. The question then becomes, is this new Base any good?

Luckily, Subaru had me along on a recent trip to the U.K. to celebrate 25 years of WRX in the U.S. (makes a lot of sense, I know, but at least we drove left-hand-drive cars!) and experience the new WRX Base on a racetrack, a drift track, and fast-flowing Welsh roads. My colleague Miguel Cortina came along on the (awesome) trip, and you can read his review of the 2026 Subaru WRX Base right here. Spoiler alert: I agree with every word he wrote.

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I’ll go even further in one aspect—Subaru took us to the incredible Oulton Park circuit, and we put in a dozen fast laps. The track is so good that I began texting my British car friends, lamenting, “Why have you never mentioned Oulton Park before?” Think Lime Rock, but with a big lake on the back straight. If you don’t know Lime Rock, think green, narrow, fast, fun, and lots of elevation. Unlike most famous British tracks that began life as RAF bases—Silverstone and Goodwood—Oulton Park was an army base during WWII, so it never had to be flat. Same goes for Brands Hatch.

Back to it, the WRX Base rocked around Oulton’s 2.7-mile circuit. As Miguel wrote, the car was so sure-footed (grippy) that each lap was an opportunity to work on your line. This WRX made me so confident so quickly—really fun and really impressive. Sure, a brake upgrade would be great, and my kingdom for another 1,000 revs before hitting redline (6,000 rpm). But for less than $35K? It’s the deal of the decade. Besides, with all the money you don’t spend, you too can begin modding your WRX. Just, uh, probably stay off the forums.