But how does the car actually drive?
You can see from the chart that the all-wheel-drive Subarus get off the line quicker than the front-wheel-drive Hyundai and Volkswagen, posting quicker 0-60 mph and quarter-mile times than those cars. The new WRX was a tenth slower to 60 mph than the last one, but it made up the difference by the end of the straightaway, nipping the old WRX by three-tenths at the quarter-mile mark. That said, getting the best launch required a lack of mechanical sympathy. From the WRX test notes:
"Welp, I'll be honest and say I thought I broke this car trying to launch it. Even with the new engine, there's a significant amount of turbo lag below about 3,000 rpm. That means getting the ideal launch basically means dropping the clutch from about 5,000 rpm. The best run was done with ESC/TC disabled. If you leave it on, the car just wants to buck and bog off the line. The driveline shock when you drop the clutch is so harsh and severe that I half expected a pile of metal and fluid on the ground. The transmission is geared short enough that you stay in boost on the upshifts. You have to shift to third to hit 60 mph. Each upshift is harsh, too, and the tires want to chirp on the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts."