QOTD: Will A Price Cut Give The Subaru WRX A Boost?

by Tim Healey

Published: January 21st, 2026

qotd will a price cut give the subaru wrx a boost

Matt P. covered Subaru's WRX price cut today, along with the car's sales issues.

Will dropping the price give this generation of the WRX a shot in the arm? Or do we need to wait until the next generation arrives?

I used to love the WRX, circa 2013. That generation of the car was a blast to drive, and so what if it was a little rough around the edges, especially in terms of NVH? So what if the styling was kinda ugly -- the automotive equivalent of a bulldog? Affordable fun with all-wheel drive utility could be had.

Maybe I've softened with age, or maybe the competition is stronger, or both, but the current WRX doesn't appeal to me as much. I am still cool with the styling -- fun trumps attractiveness -- but there's no more STI (though the tS comes close) and the price has jumped. As far as the lack of refinement goes, I could live with that a lower price point, but it's also worth noting that most of the competition offers more refinement for similar money -- and that's even after today's price cut.

The good news is that a lot the WRX's flaws can be fixed with a redesign. Looks are subjective, sure, but the NVH can be tightened up without losing the car's pugnacious fun. If Subaru does that right and sets the MSRP at the right amount, well, people like me might fall back in love.

It's your turn. What do you think? Sound off below.

[Image: Subaru]

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Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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5 of 13 comments

MaintenanceCosts 5 days ago

The WRX hasn't gotten substantially better in any respect in over a decade. The competition improved over that time. That's really it.

2 Reply
- See 2 previous
- Matt Posky 5 days ago
  
  I maintain that the WRX is still a wonderful car that's been let down by some bad design choices and unrealistic pricing. It's also in an odd niche. On a rutted, snowy road with more potholes than pavement, the WRX remains magical to drive. There are not many cars that can do what it does best.
  But we don't spend all of our time zipping down those kinds of roads, or that kind of weather, and Subaru's rivals figured out that they could either make something more hardcore than the WRX or focus on delivering a more refined passenger car at a similar (or lower) price point that's still fun to drive.
  
  2
- Jkross22 5 days ago
  
  Agreed, MC. Subaru stopped improving anything and relied on redesigns to keep things different, but the interiors are terrible save for the BRZ. I was in one of their more recent wagons and would have thought it was 15 years old. Incredibly cheap interior for a 45k plus wagon.
  
  2
- Bkojote 5 days ago
  
  Pretty much agree- Subaru just hasn't done much to the formula to make it more competitive 20 years later. The interior isn't a straight up dumpster like it used to be, but it feels more 2006 than 2026.
  And while it's never been known for looks or nice interiors, what made it special 20 years ago is less pronounced today in an era where just about any AWD EV will eat its lunch.
  And finally, Subaru's market research seems questionable at best. No STI for the hardcore enthusiasts? No hatchback? No wagon? A giant, horrible touch screen that runs like an 18 year old Android phone?
  
  2
1995 SC 5 days ago

Pricing is a decision for management

2 Reply