Recently, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the official fuel economy ratings for the 2022 Subaru WRX. According to the report, the new WRX is as fuel-efficient as a four-wheel-drive 2.7-liter V6 Ford F-150 that’s sold in the US.
The 2022 Subaru WRX
Now, if you’ve driven or owned any version of the outgoing Subaru WRX, then you’ll know that it isn’t the most fuel-efficient performance sedan out there. To be exact, its turbocharged 2.0-liter or 2.5-liter (STI) engines are just average.
The new one however, has made a turn for the worse as its new 2.4-liter boxer turbo engine returned a rating of 8 km/liter on the city, and around 10 km/liter on the highway. Those are around the same ballpark as the larger, and much heavier V6-powered Ford F-150 pickup truck's EPA ratings. To put it simply, the new WRX isn’t looking too hot when it comes to fuel efficiency.
Compared to its competitors’ fuel ratings, the facts aren’t in favor of the new Subaru sedan as well. For instance, the Hyundai Elantra N and the Honda Civic Type R return a better in-city fuel rating of 9.4 km/liter. For highway runs, these two can then return 11.9 km/liter and 13.18 km/liter, respectively.
Mind you, the Civic Type R and the Elantra N models that were analyzed by the EPA were front-wheel-drive with manual gearboxes. Then again, even the Volkswagen Golf R which also has all-wheel-drive, still managed to get a better rating of 8.5 km/liter city and 12 km/liter highway.
As a consolation, the EPA tested the 2022 Subaru WRX 2.4-liter turbo with its “sports mode” turned on. There’s also the fact that the manual version of the WRX also returned a slightly better fuel rating of 11 km/liter on the highway. In-city fuel ratings for the manual version, though, remain identical with the CVT version.
One of the engine options of the US-spec Ford F-150 is a 2.7-liter V6 EcoBoost
For those unaware, the new 2.4-liter turbo on the 2022 WRX makes 271 horsepower and 350 Nm of torque. So for its size and weight, this Subaru model is indeed a hoot to drive. As such, most future buyers of this model won’t be bothered that much with its less than stellar fuel consumption ratings.
Then again, gasoline prices have recently spiked in the Philippines. As such, we’ll just have to wait and see how the market reacts to the fuel-hungry 2022 Subaru WRX when it reaches our shores.
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