There' s Science Behind The 2022 Subaru WRX' s Fugly Fender Flares CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell My Car Shopping Tools Car Reviews Car Finder Compare Cars Best Cars Car Dealerships Used Car Reviews Car Advice Home News There' s Science Behind The 2022 Subaru WRX' s Fugly Fender Flares
There' s Science Behind The 2022 Subaru WRX' s Fugly Fender Flares
Dec. 23, 2021 6:21 PM ET by Michael Butler Design / 23 Comments The answer is not disappointing. The Subaru WRX has never been a classically beautiful car, but fans across the world have overlooked, and in some cases fallen in love with, the look of this feisty AWD Japanese sports car. In its current form, the WRX looks arguably better than ever before, but the reveal of the 2022 model has some people up in arms. Why? Just look at those black plastic fender flares. Some have already fixed the issue in digital renderings, and the fact that a WRX wagon might be on its way has settled some angry feelings, but few actually know why they're there in the first place, so allow us to enlighten you. Subaru Subaru Subaru Subaru New for 2022 is a set of unpainted black fender flares in each corner. To most this doesn't make any sense, but Subaru says there's a method to the madness. At the media launch for the 2022 car in California last week, product manager Michael Redic gave a good insight into the bold choice, as reported by Road & Track. "This surface has a hexagonal, aerodynamic shape, kind of like a golf ball," he said. "It's functional. It's designed to help improve airflow." To prove his case and justify the existence of these ugly ducklings, Subaru engineers claim that the unpainted fenders fared substantially better in wind tunnel testing as compared to the painted versions. "Just changing the structure from paint to the hexagonal texture has a big improvement on the aerodynamics of the vehicle," Redic continued. Subaru Subaru Subaru Subaru According to Subaru, the painted flares would cause the air to "peel off" of the shape further down the accent, creating more turbulence at the back of the arch. The black plastic you see on the fenders has even been utilized underneath the car, where a lot of airflow occurs. To further push their point home, the Subaru engineers claim that the front fender vents "allow us to evacuate the air from the wheel well," which reduces pressure so that the car "remains very slippery." So now that the reason behind keeping those fenders unpainted is clear, perhaps there'll be less hate for the way they look. We've certainly developed a newfound respect for them. Subaru Subaru Subaru Subaru Source Credits: Road & Track Join The Discussion
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Subaru WRX Sedan Michael Butler Associate Editor After four blurry years in advertising school, and a harrowing career in the advertising industry, by the will of the car gods, and his passion for anything with more than four cylinders, he landed at CarBuzz where he covers breaking automotive news, writes the occasional review, and plays a very average game of Counter-Strike. In his personal time, Mike loves to waste money on project cars that only run once or twice a year, break his ankles at hardcore shows, and get dumb tattoos that make his mother cry. Contact Michael LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top