Subaru WRX 2023 review: tS Sportswagon long-term | Part 3

This really is the smartest WRX yet.

It has the family-friendly factor accounted for, with a tremendous amount of interior space and storage, and yet still manages to be fast and fun to drive, too.

Sure, the WRX isn’t on its lonesome when it comes to 'performance-meets-practicality'. There are other models out there for similar money that tick the box, too, like the VW Golf R wagon, VW Tiguan R, Skoda Octavia RS, and to a (literally) smaller extent, the Mini Clubman Cooper S and JCW models.

But the WRX wagon almost feels like it was designed to be family-friendly first and foremost, and that’s why it’ll be badly missed from my family’s day-to-day life.

This is our last month with the Rexxy wagon, and here’s a rundown of the practicality highs and lows we’ve experienced over the three months we’ve been custodians.

Positive number one: the boot is huge. It has a super wide opening, with an electric tailgate to make things easier, too. There’s a flat load-lip, and storage pockets either side.

Suffice it to say, it makes a great mobile nappy change table, though it is a low car, so mind your back.

The WRX wagon almost feels like it was designed to be family-friendly first and foremost. (Image: Matt Campbell)

Positive number two: the back seat is roomy. Over the months we’ve had the car, there have been multiple instances where we had three people in the back seat - every time, with a 0-4 child seat fitted behind the front passenger seat.

And while it’s not going to win any 'widest back seat in the world' awards (if that was a thing), you can fit and be comfortable enough in the back for a while. 

Positive number three: the amenities. There are heated front and rear (outboard) seats, and the rear seat gets fan vents as well. Plus there are USB ports in the rear.

Positive number four: good visibility. My partner and I found it super easy to see out of this car, and very easy to park, as well.

The boot has a super wide opening, with an electric tailgate to make things easier, too. (Image: Matt Campbell)

The camera system is clear and mostly pretty simple to get to grips with, though I wish there were parking sensors. The number of times my partner has driven into our driveway and not left me enough space to squeeze next to the WRX has been too many to count!

Positive number five: it’s super easy to use all the functions when you’re driving. The big touchscreen media system and the hard buttons and knobs at the side are all really easy to come to terms with when you’re on the move.

The controls on the steering wheel might appear to be too numerous, but once you learn them and their functions (like holding the cruise speed button down to go up in 1.0km/h increments, while triggering the button will increase the speed in 5.0km/h jumps) it’s really easy to live with.

Positive number six: driver profiles. In the tS spec, you can set a profile for different drivers, and it uses a clever camera system to read the driver’s face and figure out who is behind the wheel.

The WRX has good visibility making it very easy to park. (Image: Matt Campbell)

I’m 182cm (6’0”) and my partner is 168cm (5’5”), so we have very different set positions. But it doesn’t matter, because the driver profile memory system will adjust the seat and side mirrors to suit! Very neat.

Positive number seven: it won’t turn off the recirculating air-con, even if you stop the car. That means my partner can leave it on re-circ and it won’t revert back to fresh air automatically, as so many other vehicles do.

For context, she’s got a more sensitive nose, and does a lot of highway driving with fume-belching trucks around!

Positive number eight: lined door pockets. It might seem like a minor thing, but having lining in the door bottle holders and storage nooks means things won't rattle around when you're on the road.

This is just a selection of the stand-out positive points, but there are some negatives, too.

Negative number one: the sunroof is too small. My little daughter loves a sunroof, especially a panoramic one where she can see out above her head. That’s not the case in this car, with the tiny little opening in the turret only just covering the front seats. 

Negative number two: the ISOFIX points. They’re a bit hard to get to, and while so many other brands have fitted finishers that help tidy up that space, the WRX has a really poorly finished velcro cover, and a gaping hole behind it that shows the bare foam of the seat construction.  

Negative number three: CarPlay concerns. We’ve had ongoing issues with the touchscreen multimedia system dropping the connection for no apparent reason.

The halogen boot light makes for pretty dull light when you’re loading or unloading at night. (Image: Matt Campbell)

New cable, new phone, and we tried a few different options, and it still almost always drops out at some point when you’re driving more than 15 or 20 minutes.

Maybe there’s a software update that needs to be done, but it’s pretty frustrating because if you’re connected to a mapping system on your phone and you need the directions to be prompting you, you will need to re-input the address when it reconnects the phone. I guess you could just use the sat nav that’s built in?

Negative number four: halogen boot lamp. Maybe there’s a reason for it, but the boot light is halogen, not LED, and it makes for pretty dull light when you’re loading or unloading at night.

Those are the main practicality considerations I think you should be aware of if you’re thinking about the WRX as a family car. But the reality is that even the negative points raised here are negligible, and it has proven to be a terrific family car for my brood for the past few months.

The refinement, road manners, comfort and easy nature of the car has made it a pleasure to live with. (Image: Matt Campbell)

The fuel consumption hasn’t been too bad at all (no doubt helped by a lot of longer highway driving for commuting) and also has been remarkably consistent between 8.0L and 8.5L per 100 kilometres.

And the refinement, road manners, comfort and easy nature of the car has made it a pleasure to live with.

Acquired: 24 August 2022

Distance travelled this month: 1569km

Distance travelled in total: 5571km

Odometer: 8172km

Average fuel consumption in total: 8.4L/100km (measured at the pump)