Subaru WRX Teased Ahead of its 2013 LA Motor Show Debut

As you may know, the next-gen 2015 Subaru WRX is scheduled to debut at the 2013 LA Motor Show next Friday. Ever since the refreshingly aggressive Subaru WRX Concept from this year’s New York Auto Show, we and the rest of the automotive blog-o-sphere have held high hopes for the production model’s aesthetic.

For reference, this is the Subaru WRX Concept we saw earlier this year:

However, our hopes were shaken a couple months ago when we found a disturbing story in which an unknown car made a television appearance on a Japanese news show showcasing Subaru’s new EyeSight technologies. The car looked very much like an Impreza with a hood scoop, but Subaru gave no name for the car on TV. This is what it looked like:

That’s where we’re at coming into today’s story; we’re eager to see the new Subaru WRX production model, but we’re also nervous that it will share previous generations’ Impreza-ness. Especially because Subaru has specifically said that’s what they’re trying to avoid.

Fortunately, Subaru eased our fears earlier this week when it released an official front-clip-only teaser for the upcoming 2015 Subaru WRX, which is pictured below:

As you can see, the rendering looks muscular and sleek. Distinct body lines, an aggressive grille, a squared-off bumper, the signature hood scoop and new LED headlights all lead us to believe that Subaru has successfully translated the initial WRX Concept into an appealing WRX production model. If anything, it looks as if the upcoming Subie has even more musculature in production than it did in concept, which would be a rare feat.

But then, these front-and-back images were leaked online…

And like a splash of ice-cold water, we were snapped back to reality. The Subaru WRX Concept was too much to hope for. The digital teaser was too much to hope for. It was all too much too hope for.

As you can see, the rear image in particular looks almost exactly like a regular Subaru Impreza. If not for the sculpted fenders and the slight rear spoiler, you wouldn’t notice a difference between the Impreza and the pictured WRX without extensive inspection.

There’s no doubt that the 2015 Subaru WRX will be significantly more attractive than its predecessors, but in the clear light of day, it simply doesn’t live up to our (admittedly) high hopes.

Fortunately, all hope is still not lost. As said earlier, these are unofficial, leaked images, which may mean they’re fake. Subaru has not released any confirmed teasers beyond the original front-clip-only image. So, if these are fake renderings, it would make sense for the rear shot to be unimpressive since Subaru’s official teaser only details the front half of the vehicle. Plus, even if they’re real, we can still hold out hope that the Subaru WRX STi will be more impressive; we should hopefully find out for sure at the beginning of next year.

Ultimately, it’s fully possible that we’re being too pessimistic. So, if you’re a Subaru fan, don’t let our cynicism ruin your excitement for the LA Motor Show’s WRX debut! The car will undoubtedly look better in the metal than in any rendering. Plus, there’s more to a car than mere design, and we’re sure that the 2015 Subaru WRX will be even more responsive and fun-to-drive than its well-loved Impreza WRX predecessors. Either way, we’ll find out for sure next week when the car officially debuts.

Until then, thanks for reading!