A lot of talk here in recent months you can look up n the search bar.  So I won’t elaborate, but yes the new Subaru CVTs are fine.

A cvt in a WRX is an interesting proposition - and one of the most profane, sacreligious ideas to purists in the entire car world.  A WRX with a manual gearbox is an instant classic, and coveted by every 25-year-old single male coast to coast (and a few females too). But a CVT destroys the car’s very essence.

Well, I had a 2018 WRX with the FA20DIT motor and the 6 speed manual, and I can tell you that it was glorious in its natural habitat.  Taking that thing up a mountain road in foul weather was a spiritually enlightening experience. BUT - driving it in rush hour traffic in my daily commute was a chore.  Definitely a rough way to start the day.

I didn’t fault the car or the designers.  It truly was a great car for what it was.  Reliable, easy to service, well balanced handling.  Step on the gas and turn the wheel and it did what you told it.  But at the time, the question of reliability with the CVT was significant, so I didn’t seriously consider it.

So fast forward to 2023.  The Subaru CVTs are much more reliable, generally speaking.  So should you get one in a WRX?  Well, that depends. Like @chucktobias suggests, driving it the way a typical WRX driver would might strain the CVT, and of course would not reward you viscerally like the manual would.  But the CVT would be WAAAY more livable in daily driving.  

So if what you want is a WRX, get the manual.  If what you want is a Corolla/Civic with a little personality, get the CVT.

BTW: judging by my local dealer, CVT WRXs are about the most plentiful Subarus in the supply chain.  You might get a good deal on one.

I got to test drive joy ride the WRX with a manual transmission.  That was fun.  IMHO WRX w/ a CVT doesn’t make sense. Gotta get it with a manual.

I would not expect a CVT to last long given the power output of the WRX engine and the way those cars are typically driven.