​​You Can Still Get a CD Player in a 2026 Subaru WRX​ 

Some people may look at the 2026 Subaru WRX and view it as a throwback. Maybe they’re reflecting on the WRX’s decades-long legacy of rally victories, or maybe they’re simply smitten with the car’s engaging, tactile feel, especially in an era filled with anodyne, numb vehicles. Here’s one other possibility: according to the CarBuzz website, the 2026 WRX is the last vehicle in the market to offer a CD player. 

Available as an option, the CD player lets you dust off all of those shiny discs you had laying around the house – maybe in the garage – and slide them in for old time’s sake. 

If you’re looking at the WRX dashboard and are puzzled where a CD player could go, given the dashboard is centered around a massive 11.6-inch touchscreen, you’re not alone. The optional CD player, when installed, is actually mounted underneath the center console’s armrest inside the cubby. It is set up for you to slide in the disc for playback, yet it is hidden from the rest of the interior.  

How do you justify getting a CD player for your WRX? Think of it as embracing a growing nostalgic wave. Following the renaissance of the vinyl record inudustry, there’s also a movement of audio enthusiasts rediscovering – or at least re-embracing – the CD in an era dominated by compressed streaming audio.  

Back in 1982, Sony and Philips developed the compact disc as a convenient way to deliver audio reproduction without needing to change sides, as you would on vinyl records and cassettes. These 120-millimeter diameter discs were developed to hold up to 700 megabytes of data, which is roughly enough space to hold 80 minutes of uncompressed audio. 

If no longer have your CDs around to playback in a 2026 WRX, there are other more modern ways for music playback. There is a set of USB-A and USB-C ports for front and back occupants. Plus, the WRX offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integrated onto the 11.6-inch Subaru Multimedia touchscreen. Some WRX trim levels offer an 11-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system to let the music play inside the 2026 WRXs cabin.  

However, the best soundtrack enthusiasts will point to is from the quad stainless-steel outlets from the 2026 WRXs exhaust system. That noise begins from the throttle pushing the 271-horsepower turbocharged 2.4-liter BOXER engine, connected to either a six-speed manual transmission or the Subaru Performance Transmission.  

If you like your audio playback old or new school, you can order the CD player for your 2026 WRX from Michael Hohl Subaru. Contact us to find out how you can that retro vibe back into one soon.