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**The Next Generation WRX: A Debate on its Design**

A portion of this video was sponsored by Pronamel.

So, a few weeks ago, Subaru unveiled the next generation WRX. It looks like this. Take it all in. I'll give you a second. Within minutes of it being posted online, thousands of commenters made their opinions known, declaring it the ugliest WRX of all time.

But is that true? And why does that argument sound so familiar?

**The Case for the Best-Looking WRX**

Today, on Wheelhouse, we'll look at the WRX's past to see if the case we made, that this is actually the best-looking WRX ever, and if the car was ever really good-looking to begin with. I don't think so. I mean, that's the reason we made this episode.

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From the very first Impreza WRX to the strangely named... (rest of the content remains unchanged)

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- A portion of this videowas sponsored by Pronamel.- So, a few weeks ago,Subaru unveiled the next generation WRX.It looks like this.Take it all in.I'll give you a second.Within minutes of it being posted online,thousands of commentersmade their opinions known,declaring it the ugliest WRX of all time.But is that true?And why does that argumentsounds so familiar?Today, on Wheelhouse,we'll look at the WRX's pastto see if the case we made,that this is actually thebest looking WRX ever,and if the car was ever reallygood-looking to begin with.I don't think so.I mean, that's the reasonwe made this episode.- Thanks to Pronamel for sponsoringthis portion of today's video.Now, cars are fun, we know that,but adding boost to cars is even more fun.I wish somebody would addboost to boring old toothpaste.Whoa! Pronamel mineral boost toothpaste?Now, we're talking.Boost up your routineto keep an enamel strong,protected, and brightwith Pronamel mineral boost.This toothpaste has been developedto strengthen your enamel's absorptionof calcium and phosphate.Plus, tested to protectyour precious little teethfrom acidic foods and drinkswhen you brush them just twice a day.Now, we all agree boost is great,but what good is boostwithout a cool vehiclein which to put it.No way! The all new Pronamelenamel protection toothbrush?Unlike that generic one you've been using,the Pronamel enamel protection toothbrushprotects against over brushing,with duo flex technologyfor better cleaning and less pressure.So, what happens whenyou put the two together?Boost up your dental routine,and get Pronamel mineral boost toothpasteanywhere you buy toothpasteor buy it now by clickingthe link in the description.Thanks to Pronamel for sponsoringthat portion of this video.- From the very first Impreza WRXto the strangely name "bugeye,"to the even more strangely name "blobeye,"to the kinda cool "hawkeye,"all the way to the newer models-which for sure look better,but feel less like rally cars-the WRX has had a convoluted history.Our story begins way back in 1992,when Fuji Heavy Industries, AKA Subaru,took their legacy platformand chop the wheelbaseto create a compact car that would go onto take the rally world by storm.The new Impreza was apretty standard compact carfor the time,but the performance WRX trim,standing for World Rally Experimental,is what caught people's attention.It's rally-focused stylingcame with a hood scoop,aggressive fog lights, and a rear wingthat transformed the lookof the sedate Imprezainto a mean purposefulindustrial looking beast,that seemed designed fromits very inception-to win.And with all-wheel-drive,a limited-slip differential,and a turbocharged two liter engineputting out 237 horsepower,it made more power thanthe Mustang of the timewith half the cylinders,earning the nickname, "Rex."Unfortunately, that was a racethat rarely happened in real life.As we'd have to wait 10 more yearsbefore we'd see a WRX forsale in North America.Instead, we had to lustfrom afar as Colin McRaeracked up World RallyChampionship manufacturers titlesyear after year in 1995, '96 and '97.Meanwhile, Subaru did makeconcessions to American buyers,offering us thenon-turbocharged Impreza 2.5 RSas a little bit of teasebefore we got the real WRX.Coming out in 1998,this RS looked like a WRX,even offering the same iconicblue and gold paint scheme.But the naturally aspiratedengines 165 horsepower,just didn't get the jobdone in the same way.Thankfully though,us Yankees didn't have tosettle for the RS for very long,as the second generation "bugeye" WRXfinally made it to the new world in 2002.And the response was,let's say, mixed.Does that sound familiar?Subaru deemed the design new age.Some people loved itand some people thoughtit would literally bringthe end of the world.It had a bold surprised lookthat was a distinct departurefrom the Impreza era placed.Some people described it as alien looking,which felt right in line withthe Oakley's of the time,while others said the headlightswere too reminiscent of a Dodge Neon.Personally, I really liked the "bugeye",but that might be out of nostalgia,not because it's pretty.While some people at the timehated those huge headlights out front,they absolutely loved whatwas hidden behind them-a turbocharged four cylinder engine,pumping out 227 horsepower,and 217 foot pounds of torque.Numbers that were enoughto send the little Rexto 60 in just 5.6 secondsand complete the quarter mile in 14.3.Nevermind that it got 250horsepower everywhere else,those numbers were enough to outperformthe BMW three series of the time.A fact that Subaru was eagerto remind us of again and again.The "bugeye" only stuck aroundon American shores for three yearsbefore the aptly named "blobeye"WRX showed up as a faceliftfor the second generation WRX.The reaction to the "bugeye" was so strongthat Subaru employed PeterStevens to handle the new look.The same guy responsible for carslike the McLaren F1 and the Jaguar XJR-15,both great looking cars.The busier, more aggressive designaim to update the looks of a modelonly a few years old at the timewith a more squared off headlight design,canards, and vents in the front fasciathat forced air all over those brakes.Regardless, the "blobeye"again had a mixed reaction,with some claiming that functionhad finally won over form,while others deeming it thebest looking WRX of all time.I don't really agreewith that, but go off.Love it or hate it,the "blobeye" has thedistinction of being the erawhen the STi finally made it to America.With 300 horsepower arrivingat a screaming 6,000 RPMand a matching 300 foot pounds of torque,the STi was finally on US soil.With its 4.87 seconds 0-60,it was a huge improvementover the regular WRX.Though, it would have been more impressivehad the previous years "Evo"not already bested number for less money.But the STi broughtwith it a new aesthetic,thanks to its badging.Subaru Technica International or STiis Subaru's Skunkworks division,using the now familiar STi badgingto designate the cars it work on.Officially, the color forSTi is cherry blossom red,a color with deep meaning and importancein Japanese culture.Every year, the citizens of Japanwait through the dreary months of winterfor the arrival of thecherry blossoms in spring.It's such an importantpart of their heritagethat they often offer cherry treesto other nations as a sign of friendship.It's the reason why Washington DCis covered in cherry trees today,thanks to a gift from Japanover a hundred years ago.Unfortunately though, cherry blossom redis a bit too close topink for American tasteor at least Americans of 1994.And the pink badgingcause its own controversy,quite stupidly, enough that Subaruhad pushed the shade closerand closer to red ever since.Personally, I think the STibadges should be pink as hell.You know, cause pink is a coloryou don't really see veryoften in the car industry,and I don't really careif you think it's girlybecause like we're beyond that.All that aside,even the STi wasn't enoughto save the "blobeye".And by 2006, it was time for the WRXto get another facelift.This time around, Subaruturned to Andreas Zapatinas,chief designer at Centro Stile Alfa Romeoto handle the job.And the result of this little partnershipwas the "hawkeye" WRX,what Pumphrey affectionately refers toas the "pig nose" WRX.And do you think people finally agreedon whether or not it looked good?They did not.This aggressively angledfront-end was America's first lookat the new corporate face of Subaru.Featuring the unsurprisinglycontroversial at this point,jet intake and wings grill designthat was intended to pay homageto the company's aircraftmanufacturing routes,back when Fuji Heavy Industrieswas called Nakajima Aircraft Companyand were constructingairplanes to fight World War IIalongside with MitsubishiHeavy Industries.By now, the Impreza was seven yearsinto its second generation,and another facelift wasn'tgonna get the job done.It's at this point where we leavethe "bugeye", "blobeye", "hawkeye" years.And despite the controversy,this has to be consideredthe most iconic eraof one of the mostcelebrated cars of all time.They might not be the prettiest cars,but they are some of the coolest.Unfortunately, thethird generation Imprezadidn't offer much in wayof relief from criticism.With a more bulbous conventional design,the third generationImpreza arrived longer,wider, and heavier thanthe outgoing model,and gone with a frameless windowsthat had been iconicallySubaru up to that point.Road & Track described thedesign as have in quote:"Looks of a running shoeand the personality of a tasseled loafer."That's rough.It was immediately lambastedfor being too soft,having too much compromise,and to no one's surprise,people didn't even getpast the break-in periodbefore they started predictingthe demise of the WRX.Sounds familiar, right?To Subaru's credit,they address those concernsthe following year.Re-engineering thesuspension to be more in linewith the car's rally routes,with new springs andstruts, and a swaybar,better tires, blah, blah, blah.But the damage had already been done.You only get one chance tomake a first impression,and this one wasn't good.Things only got worse with the 2011 model,with the WRX getting the wide-body shellthat had previously onlybeen enjoyed by the STi,leading to a fresh roundof kinda-deserved hatefrom the STi crowd.I mean, if I'm gonna spendthousands of extra dollarsfor a special trim,I'd prefer if the lower trimdidn't look exactly thesame as my car, right?And while the regular Impreza had, by now,moved on to its fourth generation,the WRX would continue on withthe previous Impreza platformfor a few more years,while Subaru developed anentirely separate platformfor the WRX, or so they said.The new WRX actually arrivedin 2014 on a modified versionof the Impreza platforms called the VA,and this caused its own troubles.Back in 2012, Subaru hadintroduced the Crosstrek,known as a Subaru XVoutside of North America.It was also built on a modified versionof the Impreza platform.This new crossover wasn't avery flattering comparison.People latched on toit as yet more evidenceof the compromises that were sureto lead to the death of the WRX.But for the first time,the Impreza name was fullydropped from the marketing.The WRX was finally anearly standalone model.Now, it's fresh first-generation.But even as the WRX was finallycementing it's own identity,people were criticizing itfor being a watered-downversion of itself.No longer a race-ready rally car availableat your local dealership,the WRX had become asorry shadow of itself,killed by compromise excess,and bloated by bowing to thewhims and wallets of peoplewho would never take the car off-road,let alone race it.The time had come for a change,for a reclamation,a return to the Rex's roots.And just when we thought therewas no hope to hold on to,we were presented with this,the Subaru VIZIV concept.This is what everyone was waiting for.It was bold and futuristicand definitely uncompromised.It was a complete departurefrom the path that WRXhad been trudging alongfor the past decade,and it was finally headingin the right direction.And better than that,we had good reason to believe the next WRXwould be heavily influencedby the VIZIV conceptand become more of a driver's car again,thanks to articles likethis and this and thisand perhaps this and this.Instead, what we got was,well, by now, youalready know what we got.How did we get from somethingas sexy as the VIZIV conceptto something as safe as this?With the 2022 modelsdebuting on a new chassis,the Subaru Global Platform,it would seem there wasplenty of opportunityto make the car exactly what we all wantedrather than needing to fitinto a predetermined box.And yet, here we are,facing the same compromisesthat we seem to deal within every WRX iteration-too small of wheels, bulky lights,and a rear diffuserthat looks like the caris hiking up its pants foran afternoon of clam digging.All the sexy lines and anglesseem to have been smoothedover to produce what looks likea hybrid, no pun intended,between a WRX and a Crosstrek.And while I like both those cars,I don't think they go well together.Just as before, people are postulatingthat Subaru is setting theirsights on an older audience,more interested in comfortthan rally competence.And considering that the average ageof a new car buyer is 55 years old,they might be right.But is it really dueto the aesthetics aloneor are we just dealing withan exceptionally passionate fan-basethat keeps getting disappointed?Internet designers have already takena swing at improving things.And improve them, they have,but the changes madeare largely evolutionaryrather than revolutionary.This is a game of inches wherewheels are just a bit bigger,lights are just a bit more narrow,and lines are a bit sharper.That can't be all that separatessomething like the much-loved VIZIVfrom the ugliest WRX ever, can it?I think there's something else going onbehind the madness here,and it has to do with expectations.It was widely speculatedthat we'd see 300horsepower for the new WRX.And in reality, we got three.We were promised a returnto the spirit of a carthat punched way above itsweight and price point.Instead, we got more of the same.The WRX used to be an economy carthat Subaru turned into a rally carthat was somewhat affordable.Now, it's demanding sports car priceswithout really delivering on that promise.People wanted to own onebecause they saw Subaru outthere killing it in the WRC.and they wanted to take hometheir very own rally car,but Subaru hasn't won amanufacturer's championshipsince the '90s.And the last time they tookhome a drivers' championshipwas 2003, just one year after the WRXfinally made it to America.The economic downturn of2008 saw them withdrawfrom WRC officially,never to return.And while they're still bringing home winson the US National Rally Circuit,the WRX was born and bred at the WRC.And we just haven't felt that heritagefor far too many years.Now, on top of that,we can look again atthe Mustang comparison.In the last 20 years,the Mustang has gone from260 to 460 horsepower,dropped a second off of its 0-60 time,and almost two seconds offof its quarter mile time,while the WRX is putting uppretty much the same numbersas it did when it arrivedon North American shores.Sure, the Mustang costa bit more than WRX now,but when it comes to their performance,you're sure getting what you paid for.The true test of thisnew car will be the STi.I am holding out hope thatthis is where the new WRXwill really shine.Giving us back some ofthe angle and attitudethat seems to have beenlost in translation,along with some big,big horsepower numbers,even though it's really hardto make huge horsepower on bar syringes.But after all,if the racks can't bring us alittle attitude to the party,then why are we even here?(playful music)(horse neighing)It's been years, but thecomments still haunts me.More HRSPRS?Was it even possible?How much horse is too much horse?I had to know.Test after test,failure after failure,I began to doubt that I'd ever find out,then it happened.I think I have it.I think I have it!I've done it.I've done it.HRSPRS are infinite.So, saddle up, boys and girls,and hit the trails with this100% scientifically accuratenew HRSPRS shirt.Available right now at donutmedia.com.And it features everythingthat you need to knowabout pure equine muscle.A real horse, they costa thousands of dollars,but this pony is $29.98,which is way less than $30.Go ask your mathematician uncle.Thanks for watching. Letme know what you thinkof this video and yourthoughts on the new WRX.The STi, just make orbreak for that car, really.It looks like a hiking shoe.It looks like a Merrell.You don't want yourcars to look like shoes.I still want a WRX, despite all of that.Jeremiah just started up his car,so I gotta go 'cause it's loud.Be kind.See you next time.I love you.Wait, what?That's not my line.