2020 Subaru Crosstrek

VB WRX Swapped GT7 Crosstrek

It’s hard to pinpoint when exactly the idea for the swap started to form. I had modified my Crosstrek quite a bit after buying it new in early 2020, but no matter what I did, the 150 horsepower FB20 engine always held it back. The 6 speed manual transmission made it somewhat enjoyable, but I found myself slowly falling out of love with the car.

When Subaru transitioned its entire lineup to the "Subaru Global Platform", I saw an opportunity. I didn’t know anything for certain, but I suspected that a full drivetrain swap might be possible given how similar the chassis were. The new FA24 engine caught my interest as well, especially with how much potential it showed compared to the older EJ motors. I began studying part diagrams, part numbers, chassis measurements, etc., and I found enough similarities to make me think that it might actually work.

After I gathered as much information as I could, I sought out some hard evidence to form a more accurate risk assessment. I got in contact with Dan Hurwitz, the owner of Mach V Motorsports, a Subaru specialty shop in the Northern Virginia area. They clearly had immense experience, and I hoped they might be aware of any pitfalls that I may have overlooked. After pitching my idea to Dan, he suggested that we take some measurements and photos to compare the two cars. With my car up on one lift, and Dan’s VB on another, we measured the subframes to see if they were similar. Dan was also gracious enough to let me peer around the interior of his car to try and eyeball what, if anything, might be the same. There were similarities, but nothing that gave me absolute certainty. Ultimately, I had reached the limit of what research alone could tell me, so I had to make a decision whether or not to take the risk and go for it.

I deliberated for a few weeks, and before making my final decision, I decided to visit my local Subaru dealership and test drive a VB. I told myself if I didn’t fall in love with how it drove, then I'd abandon the swap and probably sell the Crosstrek. When the test drive concluded, my mind was made up. The WRX drove exactly how I always wished the Crosstrek could. It was smooth, responsive, and knowing that the aftermarket support for the VB chassis had developed quite substantially since its debut, there was plenty of room for improvement.

I immediately began to scour salvage auctions for potential donors. In early October 2024, I won an auction for a 2022 Subaru WRX Premium, with the promising FA24 and 6 speed manual transmission. Not long after the car arrived, I began tearing it down in my tiny one car garage at my apartment. I didn't really have a gameplan, I just started pulling parts off and setting them aside. There was a lot of trial and error finding out how things came apart, but I felt that as time went on, I better understood how the car was put together. After a number of weekends in the garage, I had the entire WRX interior stripped down to bare metal. Every single electrical connector was labeled with tape, and every piece of hardware was placed into labeled plastic bags so that I would have some idea of where everything went when it came time for reassembly.

Once the interior was done, I focused on the mechanical components. I was already familiar with the Crosstrek's suspension layout, and the WRX's subframes were nearly identical. The VB's rear subframe came apart easily, but when it came to removing the engine and transmission, I simply didn't have the means to do it on my own. I was completely out of space in the garage, and the thought of trying to use an engine crane by myself to get the motor out was daunting to say the least. I made the decision to only swap the rear subframes and leave the drivetrain swap to the experts at Mach V. I removed as much as I could from the engine bay like the intercooler, intake, bulkhead harness, etc. to make the process as easy as possible for them. Once I ran out of things to pull off, I set to work on the Crosstrek.

Around this time I was able to acquire a second garage at my apartment complex. Without the extra space, I genuinely don't know how I would have continued with the project. I repeated the same teardown process on the Crosstrek - interior, rear subframe, and front end - until both cars were essentially in the same state. Then came the exciting part: installing VB components into the Crosstrek. I began with running the interior wiring all throughout the cabin, and feeding the bulkhead harness through the firewall. For the most part, everything lined up well. There were a few issues towards the rear of the car, mainly to do with making systems designed for a sedan function in a hatchback. Not having much experience with wiring, I entrusted Mach V with resolving those issues.

With the interior mostly reassembled, I swapped the WRX's rear subframe onto the Crosstrek. Everything bolted up perfectly, and I was able to carry over most of the suspension modifications that were already on the Crosstrek before the swap. I got both cars ready for transport to Mach V, and after making sure I had everything in order, the two cars were towed to the shop in late August 2025.

Over the following weeks, Dan kept me updated, while I ferried parts back and forth from my garage to the shop as needed. Before long, Mach V had removed the powertrains from both cars, and not long after that, the WRX drivetrain was in the Crosstrek. Absolutely no modifications were done to make it fit, it just bolted right up (the Subaru Global Platform earned its namesake). However, there was one snag: the Crosstrek's radiator core support wasn't compatible with the WRX's radiator and accessories. A few options were explored, but I ultimately decided that transplanting the WRX's core support and doing the full front end swap would be the best way forward. It would provide OEM fitment for all of the components that were designed to fit on it, and would keep my options open for future upgrades that were popular on the VBs.

To perform the operation, both cars were brought to a body shop just up the street called Independent Car Collision, owned by the exceptionally talented Marc Gomez. Marc got the core support swapped over, and we did some test fitting to see how the body panels lined up. The front bumper and hood fit perfectly, but the front fenders were a different story. The mounting points of the fenders were not the same on both cars, so we decided to cut both fenders and re-stitch them back together such that they would mount up to the chassis correctly, but follow the body lines of the VB front end. After that was done, everything got a fresh coat of paint and the car headed back down the road to Mach V for some finishing touches under the hood and to resolve the remaining wiring issues on the interior.

A few weeks later, the car started for the first time. Everything fit under the hood as if it belonged there, and aside from a few minor bugs still being tracked down, the car is fully functional. For now, it behaves just like a stock VB WRX, but that won't last long. The goal was always more power, and while the swap nearly doubled the Crosstrek's original horsepower figure, I fully intend on adding bolt-ons and experiencing for myself what this powertrain is capable of.

• Whiteline Front Sway Bar
• Whiteline Rear Sway Bar
• Whiteline Front Adjustable End Links
• Whiteline Rear Adjustable End Links
• Whiteline Adjustable Rear Toe Arms
• ISC Suspension Adjustable Rear Lower Control Arms
• ISC Suspension N1 Coilovers
• Custom Catback Exhaust

• OEM Rain Guards
• OEM STI Spoiler
• Gloss Black Powdercoated OEM 2022+ WRX Wheels