The Best Performance Cars of 2016 Under $30,000

3. Subaru WRX

Subaru managed to tick off plenty of folks with the timid looks of the redesigned WRX last year after showing off an aggressive concept. Luckily, most of us have gotten over it and accept the WRX for what it is—a blah-looking sedan with insane performance credentials.

The highlight of the WRX’s performance credentials is its 2.0-liter turbocharged boxer-four engine that spits out 268 ponies and 258 pound-feet of twist. This mates with either a six-cog manual or a CVT before routing the power to all four wheels. Highway speeds approach at 5.4 seconds with the manual and 5.9 seconds with the CVT.

Making the WRX even more desirable is the fact that buyers have two options under the $30k price threshold. There is the base model at $26,595 and the Premium at $28,895. This also gives buyers a little wiggle room to add things like the STI short-0throw shifter or a wheel package.