"Subaru has to include an
"Subaru has to include an automatic in the WRX lineup so they can use EyeSight to get the WRX the top IIHS safety scores."
Subaru considers the GT it's halo car, especially in Japan but also in the US. They invested heavily into the S4 and bringing it to the US didn't require any additional crash testing, though they likely did volunteer it.
At the same time, Subaru is a smart company. Much of the Eyesight capabilities cannot work with a manual...but most importantly, the VAST majority of enthusiasts buying 6-speed WRX's would not check the box & pay $1,500 (est.) for Eyesight. So investing engineering into a manual-compatible system would be an utter waste. ESPECIALLY considering the amount of money they are now diverting to E-cars.
And go ahead, bitch and whine about that, too. But when the dedicated "STI" comes along, as a full electric or hybrid and challenges Tesla's, all this complaining will fade into the dark past. The problem with the bench-racing keyboard warrior crowd is an utter lack of understanding product planning and the short and long term decision making that goes into it. Remember the Civic - went from a small, nimble, feisty hatch to essentially the new Accord...but the Accord was getting bigger, too. The new Civic was got bigger, quieter, and performance variants were weak...then the IRS went away and legions of fans left it. Yet you'd never know this occurred because an evolving fan base obscured it.
The WRX is much like my 2001 Audi S4. That car was a "troublemaker" - a car that shouldn't have had a market - a sedan when coupes were still alive - it was heavy, yet you'd never know it driving it. It challenged the contemporary Japanese competition in every way. So while the new WRX is too refined, no longer a bad-boy, which I understand, in 2022 it is refined in the way the 2001 S4 was. And no less fun. And my GT? After 21 years since I bought that S4, it packs a lot more tech, is lighter, has more HP/TQ, shifts faster than a manual, is lined with ultrasuede everywhere, and cost just $8,000 more than the S4. And I paid MSRP on the WRX...while I got a deal on the S4 lot car. Take that out and my WRX cost a mere $5,800 more.
It's a goddamn wonderful car. But you need to have been around long enough, and understand that history subtly repeats itself, and if you incorporate this thing called "perspective" you realize the sky isn't falling. And hate, as it always does, fades the more a person opens their eyes.