After much teasing and the cancellation of a planned debut at the NYIAS that organizers were forced to abandon due to COVID-19, Subaru finally revealed the all new 2022 WRX late last week.

We knew Subaru was making some big changes to its hot sedan, so expectations were high. But judging from your comments, the 2022 car disappointed as many people as it pleased.

The WRX has moved away from the Impreza that originally spawned it, switching to the Subaru Global Platform you’ll find on cars like the Outback and Forester. And it’s gained an extra 400cc of capacity thanks to a bigger 2.4-liter boxer four.

Related: 2022 Subaru WRX Gets Just 3 HP More, But First Ever Adaptive Suspension Option

There’s also a new, better quality interior, and a revised exterior design that’s recognisably WRX from the front, but one with a little more visual bite. And the stiffer chassis structure promises improvements to ride, handling and refinement. But our first look at the 2022 car left us, and you, with some questions:

What’s Going On With Those Crossover Wheel Arch Trims?

Crossovers and SUVs are in vogue right now and sedans are falling out of fashion. So by sticking on those plastic arch spats is Subaru trying to tell us the WRX is now a crossover? And a crossover sedan, at that, like some kind of AMC Eagle for the 2020s? Some of you seem to love those new arches, others can’t stand them.

Why Do The Rear Lights Kinda Look Like the 2012 Honda Civic’s, And Why Is That Rear Bumper So Ugly?

As pointed out by CarScoops commentator Frank Bullitt in our WRX story, there’s a familiar feeling with both the 9th generation Honda Civic’s (2012MY above) lights and, perhaps to a lesser extent, last year’s, previous generation 2020 Civic (below)

By moving the WRX to the Subaru Global Platform, the Japanese automaker had a chance to do something radically different with its hot sedan. Which only left some of you even more confused that it somehow ended up looking like a 10 year old Honda Civic from the back. Again, just as many seemed to love the new look as hate it.

What Happened To The 300 HP The Rumor Mill Promised?

If the 2022 WRX comes in around $30k in base trim, as expected, it’s going to be competing against cars like the 241 hp 2022 VW Golf GTi. So the 271 hp its new 2.4-liter boxer motor makes looks strong, and leaves a path clear for the next STI to step into the class above.

But that’s only 3 hp more than the old 2.0-liter engine made, and rumors from Japan had got us excited that the WRX was getting a solid 300 hp. And although the FA24 engine gets 11 hp more in WRX trim than it does in the Ascent SUV, the Ascent makes 277 lbs-ft, and the WRX can only muster 258 lbs-ft, the same as last year’s 2.0 car.

So did Subaru get this new WRX bang on, or is it lacking a clear sense of self and fails to make a clear step forward in performance?