When Subaru unveiled the 2022 WRX, the automaker showed it off with an 11.6-inch, portrait-oriented infotainment screen with support for Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Bluetooth. However, this isn’t the system that every buyer is getting. As this video from Alex on Autos shows, the entry-level unit is a far less impressive, dual-screen display.
There are two touchscreens with radio, media, and phone modes on top. The bottom has the vehicle control and driving assistance settings. In between, there are physical buttons for the radio, media, home, phone, and apps for accessing these things easily. A volume knob is on the left; a radio tuning knob is on the right. There are also buttons for tweaking the cabin temperature and defroster.
The massive plastic bezels around the outside of the screen take up some of the real estate that the 11.6-inch system would occupy. By modern standards, it’s not the most handsome or cutting-edge-looking display. The outdated layout looks out of place on a new, performance-focused vehicle.
A user on Reddit even created an image comparing the dual-screen look to a Nintendo 2DS (below).
To be fair, this system is not unique to the WRX. Both the Outback and Legacy have this same display on their base models. Still, those vehicles are a few years old, so there is somewhat of an excuse to use these screens. This double display is a worse fit on a new generation of the brand’s venerable performance product.
Things could be worse, though. In researching for this story, we found images of the Subaru Levorg’s base infotainment system for the Japanese market (below). Rather than two screens, there is just the lower one, and the design covers the upper area is a massive chunk of plastic. From a design perspective, it’s a tragedy.