My New Car

It was over 10 years ago that my daughter took this picture of me picking up my new 2016 Subaru WRX.  After driving it for three fun-filled years, I wrote a post (click here for that post) pondering if it could possibly be my last sports car.  In that post, I noted that my WRX had changed my perspective on what a sports car could be and that it did not have to be a small two-seater convertible like my 2002 Mazda Miata.

There were several factors that influenced my change in viewpoint.  It certainly helped in the fun department with my WRX having a 268 horsepower, turbo-charged engine that offered super-fast acceleration.  Compared to my naturally aspirated 142 horsepower Miata, it had nearly double the horsepower with less than a 400-pound increase in gross vehicle weight.   Another of the things that changed my mind was how much more comfortable a ride I got in my WRX versus my Miata.  And finally, that a 4-door sports car was much more practical for a granddaddy with a small flock of grandchildren occasionally needing a ride.

Well in the ensuing years, one thing has changed—the WRX’s ride.

The ride quality of all cars deteriorates over time just due to normal wear and tear on the suspension components.  I first began to notice a change in my WRX a couple of years ago on a drive to and from Nashville to drop off our oldest son at the Nashville airport for his flight back to California.  After the three-hour drive there and the three-hour drive back to Memphis, I felt like I had been brutally beaten with small baseball bats.  While poor road conditions on parts of I-40 certainly contributed to my unpleasant trip, it was an eye-opening experience, and I began to pay attention to the car’s ride just around town.  And oh, if I happen to hit one of the many potholes on some of the Memphis roads, it had a bone jarring effect as the low-profile tires offered little cushioning capacity.

That was the last road trip I ever took in the WRX.  After that, I began to drive my wife’s 2024 Outback whenever she did not need it.  And on both of my trips to Northwest Arkansas to visit my sisters, I borrowed my wife’s car.

The more I drove my wife’s car; I began to notice several things.  First, I liked the enhanced technology available on her car such as Apple CarPlay (which was not available in 2016) and adaptive cruise control.  Second, I appreciated the much more comfortable ride.  Third and most surprisingly to me, I enjoyed not having to shift a manual transmission.

To understand this last factor, I need to mention that I have been driving for over fifty years and in all those years, only a single year did I not drive a manual transmission car.  My first car had a stick shift and every car since except for a 1978 Pontiac Grand Prix, has had a manual transmission.  I have always felt that a big part of the fun of driving is running through the gears and I have had over a half century of that kind of motoring delight.

So, you might be wondering am I giving up on that shifting kind of fun?  Well, the answer is no, as I still have my 2002 Miata which will become a classic in 2027.  It stays in the garage with the top down and when the weather is nice, I look for excuses to take it for a spin.

With such a life altering decision, what car should I buy?  Well one thing I knew is it would not have a manual transmission.  And the other thing I knew for sure was it would be a Subaru as I credit my wife’s 2016 Outback for saving her life in a rollover crash in which she was involved in 2023.

I could have opted for an automatic transmission WRX, but I knew my aging body was ready for a more comfortable ride.  I had previously thought my next car would be a Subaru Legacy, the sedan version of the Outback station wagon.  But Subaru discontinued it in 2025 due to lagging sales and Subaru also dropped the non-WRX Impreza sedan.

If you happen to notice cars on the road, you probably have found that you see a lot more Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs).  Over the last decade, sales of SUVs have increased dramatically.   And at the same time, car manufacturers have discontinued many slower selling sedan models.

I never really thought of myself as an SUV kind of guy but that has changed as well.

So, what did I buy?  A 2026 Subaru Crosstrek.  This is Subaru’s smallest SUV and a model that I have driven many times as my oldest son has one and whenever we visit his family in California, I drive their Crosstrek shuttling the kids to school or other activities.  And my sister bought one last year which I have also driven whenever we are together.

While an SUV has “Sport” in its title, it is not really a sports car, although some SUVs made by Porsche probably have a lot of horsepower.  My new car has 180 horsepower, so 100 less than my WRX.  But still more than my Miata.

The first time I drove it, I loved how much more comfortable a ride it had.  But also, it had a certain familiarity to it.  Being just two years newer than my wife’s Outback, the touch screen was exactly the same…

… and the steering wheel controls were identical with a heated steering wheel to boot.

The one difference is the S-I toggle below the cruise control on the right side of the steering wheel. When I asked the salesman what that was, he told me it could be toggled between the default I Mode (Intelligent Mode) and S Mode (Sport Mode).  In Sport Mode, more power is delivered faster with a steeper torque curve providing enhanced acceleration.  How cool!

I know I will miss the super-fast acceleration of the WRX, but I also know I will enjoy more the much better ride quality of the Crosstrek.  Acceleration is brief but once up to speed, it’s the continued improved ride I will notice the most.  And whenever I want a more spirited drive, I can always hit the S Mode for improved acceleration.

So, the answer to that post from seven years ago about my WRX possibly being the last sports car I would buy, the answer is yes indeed!