Subaru WRX Concept

WRX at NYIAS

      When I reached the Subaru section, I ran past the boring family cars for which they're known, the Outbacks and Foresters. I even skipped the sportier BRZ to get a look at the WRX concept. This car exudes excitement, from the aggressive headlights to the glowing exhaust tips. The headlight shape is very unorthodox, as an "eyebrow" extends beyond the bulb itself towards the grille, where it features "eyelashes" dropping down below the inner section of the "eyebrow." I particularly like the way Subaru experimented spatially, as the main rectangular bulb is set back deep in the car, and is outlined by emerging rectangular halos. 

WRX at NYIAS

       The hexagonal grille juts out in front of the angular headlights, and has a light-up neon green "WRX" badge on the lower right corner. The concept's lower front fascia is dominated by large attractive air vents, which lends to the sedan's sporty vibe. Below the headlights are equally futuristic fog lamps, which have backwards L-shape pieces accented by three vertical lights, which enhances the glowing effect of the front fascia. 

      The body features many strong character lines, which reinforce the vehicle's athletic nature. On the hood, the air intake is flanked by to converging creases, and a deep "canyon" extends from the intake to the front of the car. A sharp line goes from the headlights over the wheel arch and into the vent behind the wheel, where it then sweeps back to the taillights, create the sedan's coupe-like profile. This crease makes the car feel as if it is traveling through the air extremely fast, giving the sense of motion even when it's at rest, which unfortunately it will be forever, as it is purely a design study. 

WRX at NYIAS

WRX at NYIAS

       The vent, which sits behind the large silver twin-five-spoke wheels (accented by highlighter green brake discs) is a basic but necessary opening that allows for cooling for the brakes. Around back are the WRX's backwards C-shaped taillights, which protrude from the much narrower upper rear end. The taillights stand out because of the differently shaped crystals inside, which glowed and reminded me of lava. Beneath them are the exhaust tips, which have one last unique detail--a ring of bright green light around the edge.

      Hopefully Subaru will take as many of these awesome details into production as they can when the next-generation WRX model comes out in the next couple of years.

Grade

Front: A

Back: A

Overall: A