New 2022 Subaru WRX Wagon Confirmed For Australia, Looks Like A 1.8 GL

One omission from the recent 2022 Subaru WRX reveal that prevented the reborn rally icon from winning a maximum five-star “want one” rating from us was the option of a five-door body.

Well, it looks like we’re all putting in our visa requests to move to Oz. Subaru Australia has just confirmed the availability of a square-back WRX load lugger that definitely won’t be coming to North America.

The Aussie-spec WRX Sportwagon is significantly different to its sedan brother, and that’s not just down to the about of luggage you can fit in the trunk. Based on the Levorg wagon which shares the WRX sedan’s Subaru Global Platform architecture, the five-door WRX does without the sedan’s black plastic wheelarch cladding and controversial rear bumper.

Minus those features, the WRX wagon looks much stealthier. Or is it just plain boring? We weren’t sure about some of the 2022 WRX sedan’s styling add-ons, but think Subaru might have gone too far the other way this time.

The Sportwagon, which is a visual clone of the Levorg STi sold in Japan, isn’t entirely bereft of performance styling cues, however. The 18-inch wheels are fairly small, and nothing special to look at, but there’s a prominent hood scoop to feed cold air to the engine, a split pair of large circular tailpipes, a tailgate spoiler and heavily sculpted rear bumper.

And while it might not look as fast as the WRX sedan, it should go almost as quickly, because the pair share the same 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer four. Subaru Australia hasn’t confirmed power outputs yet, but the Aussie-spec WRX twins are expected to make roughly the same 271 hp and 258 lb-ft as the U.S. market sedan.

To match its demure styling, however, the WRX Sportwagon comes exclusively with Subaru’s CVT automatic transmission, whereas the sedan – on both sides of the Pacific – is available with a choice of CVT or six-speed manual. Naturally, both cars come with Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel drive system and a set of bucket seats to keep you in place while you’re testing it out by carving between those errant kangaroos.

And in case the all-wheel drive chassis can’t keep you out of trouble, Subaru’s EyeSight driver assistance package comes standard on the Sportwagon and CVT-equipped WRX sedans. WRX wagon deliveries begin in Australia in spring 2022, alongside those of the sedan, but don’t hold your breath for a U.S.-spec version of the more practical WRX. Instead, spare a thought for Brits, who won’t get either version of the WRX.

Is Subaru missing a trick by not bringing the WRX wagon to North America? Leave a comment to let us know.