Subaru WRX and STI getting new engines
Tuesday, 21 July 2020
The upcoming WRX and WRX STI refreshes will get tweaked versions of Subaru's 2.4-litre turbocharged flat-four, according to a new report.
Japan’s Car Sensor broke the news, saying the mill could be worked to produce as much as 298kW/490Nm, which would put it right up against the likes of the Toyota Supra and Nissan’s new Z car, potentially badged ‘400Z’. We wouldn’t be surprised if the non-STI WRX gets a lesser state of tune, though.
At the moment, the FA24 engine is serving duty in the North American Ascent, Legacy and Outback where it makes 194kW/376Nm. It has been rumoured the engine will find its way into the second-generation Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ as well.
Subaru will, predictably, achieve the jump in output by fiddling with engine internals and increasing the boost.
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Switching engines from the current 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre powerplants will give Subaru better emissions figures owing to a newer engine design while retaining the driveability of more displacement. As well as the bump in power, of course.
As for transmissions, the six-speed manual will reportedly soldier on (at least in Japan) but Car Sensor says the existing CVT is only rated at up to 400Nm of twist. What Subie will do with it remains to be seen. Toyota is offering input into the hi-po models so Subaru may be looking into taking one of the larger brand’s automatics, like the eight-speeder found in the Lexus LX 570.
The Impreza and XV will also get new engines at some stage too, with a 1.5-litre turbo unit replacing the current naturally-aspirated flat-four. We wouldn’t expect a massive power increase but there should be more low-end torque to improve driveability and reduce emissions. Meanwhile, the next Levorg will get a 1.8-litre turbo four.
The Impreza is also slated to receive the e-Boxer powertrain for those more concerned with greenifying their commute.
Shown at an event in Europe pre-Covid, the Impreza e-Boxer uses the same 110kW/196Nm 2.0-litre petrol engine and 12.3kW/66Nm electric motor hybrid powertrain as the related Forester and XV models, with drive sent to all four corners through a CVT transmission.
Fuel consumption wasn't confirmed but expect it to come in beneath the Forester and XV's 6.7 and 6.5 respective litres per 100km.
As for when we can expect to see the new models, we’re not sure yet. We’d expect more information on this front soon.