Subaru WRX Long-Term Update | Say goodbye to the silly stalk

Our long-term 2023 Subaru WRX test car has now landed in my care. After just a week with the little sport sedan, I'm still just as fond of it as I was when I first drove it back in 2021, but there's a feature I can't stand: the silly monostable turn signal stalk. Well, there's good news for all of you potential buyers who feel the same way: The Drive reported earlier this week that it's going away for 2024. There's even a video from a Subaru sales rep linked from Reddit; it's real!

Just what is a monostable turn signal stalk? Well, it's a design where the stalk always returns to the center position no matter whether you simply tap it to indicate a lane change or depress it fully to indicate a turn. To cancel a "long" indicator, you have to tap in the reverse direction but not so far that you accidentally indicate the opposite turn. That may sound a lot like the way a "normal" turn signal indicator works, but the lack of a detent to "grab" it when you're signaling a turn will play havoc with your muscle memory.