[NEWS] Next-Gen Subaru WRX Will Still Have A Manual

The Nissan Z, the new Toyota 86 / Subaru BRZ, and now the Subaru WRX 
are all "sticking" (sorry!) with a proper manual gearbox option.  :-)
(At least in the US, other countries may be different, but they should 
still be able to special order one.)



From Jalopnik.com ...


    Next-Gen Subaru WRX Will Still Have A Manual
    --------------------------------------------
    The rally-inspired sport sedan legend will let you shift
    your own.

    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.

       Subaru (@subaru_usa)
       The most exciting WRX ever is coming soon. Engineered
       to thrill, the 2022 #SubaruWRX is everything your
       right foot has been waiting for. Sign up to get the
       latest updates at http://subaru.com/2022-wrx.

    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. 


<https://jalopnik.com/next-gen-subaru-wrx-will-still-have-a-manual-1847505165>