2020 Subaru WRX RS Review: The Simple Pleasure of a Manual Transmission

Auto123 reviews the 2020 Subaru WRX RS.

There are some cars that make their mark on the collective imagination through their appearance, their sound or even their motorsports fame. The Subaru WRX is one of those mythical cars that draw young and once-young sensation-seeking motorists in like moths to a flame, thanks in part to its business card that reads, unofficially, “road-legal rally car”.

Now, this version we tested is a straight WRX version, less lunatic in its capacities than the model range-topping WRX STI, but still, for everyday use, the Subaru WRX equipped with the RS package is a great way to get around in on a curving highway or side road or winding up a mountainside, in any season to boot.

Launched in 2014 (as a 2015 model), the current generation of the WRX is starting to show clear signs of aging compared to its category rivals, but despite its mild technical anachronisms, the Subaru brand’s resident sports sedan still has a few tricks up its sleeve. Most notable is a short six-speed manual transmission, a component that is likely soon to be consigned to the dustbin of automotive history.

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