Autoblog Updates Their Long-Term WRX

Automotive publications and websites test vehicles all the time. They will usually have a car lent to them from the manufacturer for a week or so. They put it through their rounds of tests and write or broadcast what they think while the car goes off to another reviewer. However, even they know that these tests are incomplete, which is why they will select some vehicles for a significantly longer test, such as for a year or up to 10,000-30,000 or more miles. This gives them a proper idea of how their readers/listeners will really use a car. Do the things that thrilled them initially hold up on a daily commute? What originally unnoticed things rise to become appreciated or unappreciated over time? Ewing Subaru of Plano has blogged about these long-term tests in the past.

Just Can’t Leave it Alone

The problem is, these are car guys. If you give them a car like the Subaru WRX, they have a hard time not tinkering with it like car guys do. Autoblog succumbed to the temptation and added a few items to its 2023 Solar Orange Pearl WRX. 

At the same time, a strut-tower brace, short-throw shifter, and STi mufflers, complete with new exhaust tips, were added from Subaru’s STi aftermarket catalog. 

The author was proud that they didn’t add anything purely cosmetic but did take time to praise the dual exhaust outlets on each side, replacing the twin round outlets on each side, which he describes as “either hexagonal or heptagonal, depending on how you define a “side.” Since Subaru aftermarket parts are installed by a Subaru dealer, none of the mods impacted the vehicle’s warranty. 

Beauty is in the Ear of the Beholder

Of course, the whole point of new mufflers is to change the sound, and the mufflers did just that. The site page offered recorded before-and-after examples of the difference, and it is a textbook example of why items are aftermarket rather than built into the car in the first place. The sound is much more baritone in nature, which makes it much boomier inside the cabin. He goes on to describe it like this: “I’m pleased to report that it’s not exacerbated by drone at highway speeds. You notice it a lot more around town than you do during a steady-state cruise. That’s a win. Still, the added low-frequency noise may not be to everybody’s liking, and those in condo or apartment complexes should take their neighbors’ sleep schedules into account.“ 

In short, it is a personal choice, which is what accessorizing a car like the WRX is all about. The regular driver of the vehicle, who was out on assignment when the mods were made, weighed in on a separate article in which he said that the change became more subtle over time and noted this: “We don’t know how, but the exhaust almost sounds louder inside the car than outside. You can feel like a hooligan while driving, but without drawing the ire of your neighbors.”

Where the Verdict is Still Out

The original author stated that he had no real issue with the stock shift linkage, and the short-throw shifter took some getting used to. The strut brace would take additional time to evaluate. This all illustrates that while the WRX offers impressive performance right out of the box, it is also a canvas from which you can personalize its dynamic attributes to your taste. 

Check out the impressive WRX at Ewing Subaru of Plano, where we have a remarkable number of models to choose from. Then, you might want to wander by our Accessories Department just to see what additional possibilities there are.