Autoblog West Coast Editor Michael Harley discusses the new 2015 Subaru WRX with Subaru National Product Communications Manager Dominick Infante at the 2013 LA Auto Show. The all-new WRX is slated to debut in showrooms in spring of 2014.
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MICHAEL HARLEY: Hi, I'm Mike Harley, west coast editor for Autoblog. And I'm here at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show, standing on Subaru's stage because they've got the brand new 2015 WRX. There's a ton of things that make this so much better than the outgoing model. So I brought along Dominick Infante from Subaru to tell us all about it.
So under the hood, we've got a new direct injected two-liter engine, making 268 horsepower. Tell us a little bit more about it.
DOMINICK INFANTE: Sure, this is the FA engine, as we call it internally. It is actually based on the BRZ engine. We also use this motor in a modified form in the Subaru Forester XT. So it is a two-liter turbo-charge. It's actually physically smaller than our old two-liters. 268 horsepower, which is very good for a car this size, and decent fuel economy.
MICHAEL HARLEY: Now the big news is, the five-speed manual transmission is gone. It's been replaced by a six-speed menu gearbox or an optional CVT transmission. Tell us about those.
DOMINICK INFANTE: Well, yeah. Obviously, six-speed manual now standard. Big improvements-- got a short throw shifter on it, nicer feel than the last generation car.
And then also, the Sport Lineartronic is our new CVT that we designed for this car. And it's designed for a sports car. I know what people think. You know, maybe a CVT isn't the best option. We're going to go out there and try and change your minds.
MICHAEL HARLEY: So in terms of performance, obviously, improved in every single parameter, correct?
DOMINICK INFANTE: The handling on his car is the best feeling WRX ever, and I think by a wide margin. When you drive this car, the level of grip we're getting out of this is just literally amazing. I mean, this car flies for the [INAUDIBLE].
And, obviously, all wheel drive, you can put that power down in the corner. That's the great thing about driving a WRX or an STI. You're always able to explode out of those corners. And you're really going to shoot out of a corner in this car because you're carrying so much more speed into it.
And the bigger brakes, something I think that we really needed on this car. And for your true enthusiasts, we've changed the bolt pattern on the wheels to the same one as the STI, something that people had been wanting for a long time. People were swapping their tires back and forth, especially if they're using it for track days. Much easier to use this.
And a great thing also-- you know, yes, we're going to a stand only, but the both rear seats fold down. We've got our very large trunk. It'll hold four racing tires and jacks, no problem.
MICHAEL HARLEY: We're all very excited to get behind the wheel of the completely redesigned 2015 WRX. But Autoblog, we're going to have to wait till December to get our first test. As far as consumers are concerned, expect it in showrooms in April. And unfortunately, Subaru has yet to announce pricing. We're all going to have to sit around and wait and see. I'm Mike Harley for Autoblog.
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