Premium 4dr All-Wheel Drive Sedan
2020 Subaru WRX

For 2020, Subaru has launched another round of color-themed limited-edition WRX and STI models. They’re called Series.White, and, big surprise, come in a bright white paint scheme. They’re also limited to 500 units a piece, and in the case of the WRX model we tested, it comes with a variety of performance upgrades including an exclusive Bilstein suspension. It’s an attractive model that makes a strong case in a vacuum, but it’s a questionable value even against other Subaru variants. The 2020 Subaru WRX Series.White is basically a WRX Premium with the Performance Package, plus a few extra things. That means it has the Recaro power seats, Brembo four-piston front calipers and two-piston rear calipers, and no sunroof for weight savings. Specific to the Series.White is the aforementioned Bilstein suspension as well as the exclusive Ceramic White paint, dark bronze wheels, steering-adaptive LED headlights and LED fog lights. The price for all this is $34,895. That’s just $1,450 more than the Performance Package-equipped WRX Premium, and you’re getting exclusivity, a stylish color combo and ostensibly better suspension, so things seem pretty good starting out. The good feeling sticks around when you take the WRX Series.White out for a spirited drive. What really shines is the chassis and drivetrain. It’s solid as a rock and super responsive. Every little input from the fast, accurate steering gets an immediate and eager response from the car. It feels neutral on back roads, something helped by the all-wheel drive that has a splits power 50/50 front/rear and features a viscous limited-slip center differential. With minimal body roll and maximum grip, the WRX eggs you on, asking you to push it harder and faster through corners. And when it’s time to slow down, the Brembo brakes provide excellent feedback and a solid, firm pedal feel. Speaking of pedals, they’re laid out nice and close to each other for easy rev-matched downshifts. Be careful of the clutch, though, as it’s on the long side and has light-switch engagement, but works great when you’re driving hard. And yes, the six-speed manual is the only transmission available. The engine is more of a mixed bag. With the same 268 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque as any other WRX, the 2.0-liter turbo flat-four puts up good numbers, but the delivery isn’t great. At low rpm, it feels sluggish as you wait for the boost to build, and at high rpm, you can tell it’s running out of huff. But keep the revs in the middle of the tachometer, and you get some superb mid-range torque that makes it fun to squirt around town and on back roads. The exhaust is extremely quiet, though, and only mildly coarse mechanical humming comes from under the hood. The tradeoff to the WRX’s peppy performance is a subpar experience when you’re not hustling it. The stiff suspension leads to lots of bumping and bouncing around on city streets. That’s something specific to the Series.White and its unique suspension tuning. But other things …
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