The Subaru WRX Makes a Powerful Comeback

      Subaru

      Looking back about a year, the sales of the Subaru WRX were not in a favorable position. The year 2025 marked the model's weakest performance ever, but this wasn't necessarily due to a decrease in demand. The WRX was impacted by Subaru’s manufacturing shifts over the past few years, as the new Forester took precedence in the production schedule. While it was unfortunate, this decision made sense from a business standpoint, considering the SUV is a significant contributor to sales for the small manufacturer.

      However, that is now behind us. With inventory for the sport sedan restored and its base model back on offer, the WRX has experienced a significantly more positive end to the summer—specifically, a 191% increase in comfort.

      The WRX wrapped up August with nearly three times the sales it achieved during the same month in 2025—1,778 units compared to 611. Year-to-date, the WRX is performing 37.7% better than it was at the start of September 2025, having already sold 10,324 units. This figure is just about 600 cars short of the total for 2025, making it highly likely that the rally-inspired sedan will exceed last year’s all-time low.

      Naturally, this is good news. It appears that Subaru discontinued the base WRX knowing it needed to maximize each sale during a drawn-out period of limited inventory. The base model returned in January priced at $32,495, roughly $5,000 less than the six-speed Premium, which was the entry-level option last year.

      Currently, the base WRX comes equipped with more features than ever, though Subaru’s sparse meaningful performance enhancements—beyond improved brakes and suspension for the higher-end trims like the TR and tS—have made the current iteration feel somewhat outdated. Additionally, a limited-slip differential remains unavailable at any trim level, and every WRX continues to come standard with the same 271-horsepower, 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer-four engine. We want to hold out hope that the special models hinted at by STI in Japan earlier this year will surprise us, but past disappointments make us cautious.

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