Subaru introduced the Impreza a little over a year ago but fans hoping to see a new WRX are in for a bit of a wait.
In an interview with Motoring, Subaru Australia Managing Director Colin Christie confirmed the next-generation model is still two and half to three years away.
That’s a pretty long wait and it could suggest the WRX and WRX STI will be introduced after the company gives the Impreza a facelift.
Regardless of what happens, the new WRX will ride on the Subaru Global Platform and the model could come equipped with a new engine. The company hasn’t confirmed the latter detail but the reason for the delay is being chalked up to mysterious “powertrain developments.” The timing also matches up with previous reports suggesting Subaru is working on a new generation of turbocharged boxer engines which will start showing up in 2019.
In the meantime, the current WRX is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder boxer engine with 268 hp (200 kW) and 258 lb-ft (349 Nm) of torque. Moving up to the WRX STI rewards buyers with a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder producing 305 hp (227 kW) and 290 lb-ft (393 Nm) of torque. Both are connected to a six-speed manual transmission which sends power to the ground via a symmetrical all-wheel drive system.
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