Used 2016 Subaru WRX Consumer Reviews
Used WRX for sale
Subaru continues to refine the WRX
Rob Weaver, 04/25/2016
2016 Subaru WRX STI 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
11 of 12 people found this review helpful
I traded my base 5 speed 2007 WRX Wagon in for a 6 speed 2016 WRX Limited in December 2015. After 5 months of driving, below are the good, the meh and the bad. GOOD Engine - The 2.0L Turbocharged engine is excellent. The powerband is very wide for such a small engine and pulls hard. You'll be going over the speed limit before you know it. Handling - The AWD system is terrific and big summer tires just beg you to go around corners at ridiculous speeds. Throw on some snow tires, and you'll be tearing through snow cursing at other drivers going at reasonable speeds in their inferior cars. Driving feel - The seats, steering wheel, instrumentation, and visibility are all set up very well. It feels like number one priority of this car is to give you excellent control of it. The seats hold you in place (even the leather ones in the limited) and are comfortable. The steering wheel is beefy and aesthetically fits the car well. The multi-functional display in the center of the dash is very useful and the option to have a digital speedometer is appreciated. The cabin is very open and 360 visibility is suburb. MEH Looks - I didn't like the looks of the car when I first saw it in 2015, but they have grown on me. It could never be considered a handsome car, but it does have a poised and aggressive enough look when you look at it from the right angle (going around a corner at a 45 degree angle). Clutch action & gearbox - The gearing is pretty decent overall, even if you won't spend much time in first gear. I do appreciate it that I can finally shift into first gear while moving in a Subaru. The gearbox is notchy, but that is appropriate for a car like this. The clutch action is grabby, much more so than my old WRX. The revs also tend to hang when you shift up, so that takes some getting used to. The interior - Based on reviews, I was expecting it to be pretty bad, but the interior really isn't too bad. It is a little too plastic-y with fake carbon fiber and whatnot, but you aren't expecting luxury car when you buy this one. It is definitely a step up from the 07 WRX. BAD Stereo/entertainment system - The stereo is pretty weak and the bluetooth takes awhile to connect. I probably will try to upgrade this in the future. Wagon??? - Add my vote to the "Where the hell is the wagon?" chorus. I understand they had to concentrate on one design to get the chassis stiffness right, but why wasn't that design a 5 door? OVERALL I bought this car for the power, handling, and driveability. The car is even better than expected in that respect. If you're the type of driver I am, there isn't really anything in this price range that can do the same things as this car can. It is the type of car that makes me look forward to drive it and it makes me want to take the back roads, even if it takes a little longer.
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Finally a timing chain
Calarco, 07/28/2015
updated 01/27/2017
2016 Subaru WRX 4dr Sedan AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
Quick engine. twin turbo kicks your head back at 3500rpms. ride is smooth, road noise due to 17inch rims with skinny tire side walls. great clutch and smooth shifting 6 speed. The Stereo just stinks. rear speakers mounted in rear door. WHY WHY WHY. HD FM reception fades in and out and with your windows down and sitting on I95 the volume is cranked to 40. Needs a AMP. OK on gas but likes the cooler burning 93 octane. Expensive. With heated seats and sunroof plus shipping and taxes, 30,000. And get the 500.00 5yr rim and tire replacement. Still breaking motor in. My last car was a 09 Mustang and this WRX beats the stang in everway except the stereo, and too much eye candy gauges. Under warranty; Throw out bearing on clutch. Recall on intake for turbo. A/c not that cold even after charge Ditch the dunlop tires. They are hard as rocks. I slapped on Continentals all season, Great comfort ride and good in snow
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2016 Subaru WRX for sale near you
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2016 WRX limited– Mostly positives!
JayJayJay, 02/04/2016
updated 03/25/2019
2016 Subaru WRX 4dr Sedan AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
OK, I’ve gotten to know this car incredibly well, and I love it. I’m sure you know about all the positives – – it’s got incredible lateral grip on the turns, and corners beautifully, and it’s very fast. It’s not a Ferrari, but if you leave your foot on the accelerator in high gear you’ll be over 100 miles an hour before you know it. And this car gives you tons of acceleration from about 3300 Rpm up, when the turbo kicks in, especially in the first three gears. It’s fun to pass other cars if you need to when the needle is above 3300. It’s got a lot of personality, and this is so much fun to drive. I love that most WRX’s are still stick shifts, although some of you are probably going to opt for the automatic option. You will amaze your friends who are, like not expecting much from it and then you take them on a windy Canyon Road. That’s what I love about this car, it’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing (although it does look a little bit aggressive). This model has an incredible stereo system with subwoofers that I love, and leather seats. Later years have the LED daytime running lights around the headlight edges — The C lights, as people call them. This one has LED headlights, but does not have the bright C lights like the new ones do. I wish it did. Gets a nice 30 miles to the gallon while cruising on the highway in sixth gear. Overall, I Love this car HOWEVER there are some drawbacks to this car that you should consider before you buy it: The suspension is very, very firm, which means the car drives spectacularly on smooth surfaces, and during turns, but, if you hit a pothole in this car, it is extremely jarring, and you will feel pain ( and maybe cry for a moment) for your poor vehicle’s suspension. Also, the all wheel drive is spectacular, and you can feel it working on turns. And when you go over little humps where maybe you catch a little air and only two wheels are on the ground, The all wheel drive keeps you connected to the road with the other two wheels. Awesome. .... ......but I find if I am slowly making a tight turn on uneven surface— like a place where the angle of the end of a driveway and the road are opposed —-the AWD system actually sort of jams up and automatically “stalls“. This can be dangerous if you’re waiting at an uneven gutter/driveway to turn into fast traffic! ....... You see a break in the traffic, pull out the clutch pedal to enter traffic, and suddenly there’s a grinding noise because the all wheel drive system is not meant for a slow, tight right-angle turn on uneven surfaces, and the engine literally stops giving you power — Power you need to get up to the speed of the traffic that’s zooming towards you. I know Subaru tries to be, and is, one of the safest car companies out there, but this seems like an accident waiting to happen for someone who doesn’t understand the system. Also Subaru has twice had to replace my side view mirror caps because the automatic mirror heaters inside them are causing the mirror caps to sort of melts a little bit. Annoying! Despite a couple of quirks, I love this car, so I extended my lease to 42 months, and if the new redesigned one was out, I imagine I would lease the new WRX, too,. I can’t wait to What Subaru does with it. At least I assume there is a new one coming out, this one’s been out for a few years now.
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Best I have ever owned!
Jonathan Guzman, 03/05/2016
updated 09/17/2018
2016 Subaru WRX Limited 4dr Sedan AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo CVT)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
Great control, great ride, and great style. This is the best car I have ever owned and it just keeps getting better every time I drive it. The limited edition has sooo many features that I wonder how it feel without them. The performance is so great I honestly don't know the difference between the STI and the Limited edition. Either way this is a great car and if you haven't test driven it yet, you need to. O and before I forget, I am a family man and this car has plenty of space for two baby car seats, which means if you're single you'll have plenty of space for those party weekends. UPDATE 9/16/2018: Still a great car, amazing performance, and great style that lasts. The only problem I have had with the car is a poor performing battery. Not a problem because I always replace my car battery with a dry-cell battery just because of the deep winter conditions that seem to weaken car batteries. Other than that I'm a Subaru owner for life.
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My new ride
vipin agrawal, 04/11/2016
2016 Subaru WRX STI Limited w/Low Profile Trunk Spoiler 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
The car is as advertised. A lot of fun to drive. I had a BMW 325i with sport suspension before this and feel that the STI does a much better job in the handling and taking the bumps. I think the Germans do a better job in the ergonomics dept when it comes to designing the interior and the material choices. I would have liked less (no) chrome in the interior. Gives it too flashy of a look much like most after-market stereo head units available today. The switches just don't have that German feel of solidness. On the other hand, the buyer of this car is really more into the power and handling - which this car delivers in boatloads. Whenever I have bought a German car in the past, I always knew that reliability was not going to be a strong suit. With this car, I didn't have that reservation at all. One slight glitch is that it took me a while to locate the break in period for a new car. It's 1000 miles and to keep it under 4000 rpms. I got the short shifter and it's fantastic, very precise and the car just sounds great. Almost makes me want to turn off the stereo and listen to the exhaust as I drive.
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