It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that the manual is dead, right? I mean, you can’t get a Corvette or a BMW 3-series with a stick, so it’s time for us three-pedal evangelists to go kick rocks, right? Evidently not, as Subaru has confirmed with a little teaser tweet on Tuesday that the 2022 Subaru WRX will still offer a do-it-yourself shifter, at least as an option.
When it comes to vehicles still available with a stick, the WRX is one that I probably would have bet on keeping it around. Really the only constants in the manual universe are the Subaru WRX and the Mazda MX-5. If either of those ever drop the stick, it’s well and truly done for. If you want a reasonably fun and reasonably affordable family performance sedan with three pedals and a thingamajig in the center console for shifting, WRX is pretty much your only option.
Interestingly, this teaser also includes a shot of the gauge cluster as the engine sings toward redline. That redline is a smidgen lower than the current WRX, 6,000 versus 6,600 rippums. As others, including The Drive, have indicated, this is likely because the next WRX will drop its FA-based 2.0-liter engine in favor of the 2.4 liter found in Subaru’s large boi Ascent model. In that application it produces 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque, which is quite comparable to the current WRX, which produces 268 horseys and 258 lb-ft. Americans claim they like horsepower, but what they really like is torque.
The WRX was supposed to be unveiled at the New York Auto Show later this week, but because that show has been cancelled thanks to Coronavirus restrictions for a second year in a row, the unveil has been officially pushed back to September. Here’s hoping it’s a good one.
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