Next-Gen Subaru WRX To Retain Manual Gearbox

Subaru has revealed that the next-generation WRX will be offered with a

traditionalmanual gearbox.

Speaking with Drive at the New York Auto Show, Subaru North America chief executive Tom Doll said the WRX will retain a stick shift but that the all-new Forester will be sold exclusively with a CVT.

“We’ll still have manual transmissions in our performance line like for the WRX, but just not in the Forester,” Doll said.

The executive went on to reveal that very few Forester buyers are interested in manual transmissions, hence the brand’s decision to no longer offer one for that model.

“We are only selling three to five per cent of the total volume as manual transmissions and with the fuel economy you get with the CVTs and the way they are leaned out it really makes the manual transmission car look not as efficient or greenhouse gas efficient,” Doll confirmed.

The next-generation Subaru WRX will take inspiration from the eye-catching Viziv Concept. The vehicle will be based on the Subaru Global Platform and arrive in 2020. Beyond the obvious inclusion of a boxer engine in the range of powertrains, reports assert that a plug-in hybrid is also on the cards. Power will inevitably increase across the range.