You can send all the petitions to Subaru to build a new STI, but it doesn’t seem likely that it’ll ever happen. These days, if you want a hot sedan from Gunma, your best and only bet is the current WRX.
It seems that Subaru is doing everything to the WRX except give it the full STI treatment. We’ve seen other upgraded versions, as well as the fully fledged rally car (that won, by the way).
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Well folks, here’s yet another WRX with STI goodies but without the all-out STI treatment. Dubbed the Subaru WRX tS, it gets chassis tweaks that should make it even better to drive, along with a few more upgrades.
But, hold up. Isn’t the tS already available? Well, yes, and it’s even sold in local showrooms. However, this new version takes the ‘tuned by STI’ (hence, tS) theme a step further.
So, what’s been added to the new tS? Well, the red WRX badge on the grille might throw people off into thinking that it is an STI. That said, the more important changes are under the skin. For starters, it comes with electronically control dampers to suit various driving conditions.
There’s also the addition of adjustable driving modes on top of the other Sport modes already present in the car. The Brembo brakes are now of the six-piston variety at the front and also has a two-piston setup at the back. As a bit of a callback to past Imprezas, those pistons are painted gold. It would’ve been nice if the wheels were gold, too.
Inside, the 2025 Subaru WRX tS swaps out the normal bucket seats for a pair of Ultrasuede black Recaros with blue accents. The Recaro branding is more prominent here, and you get WRX tS stitched on the headrests. There’s more blue accents on the door panels and on the dashboard. Another thing setting it apart from other WRX variants is the redesigned 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. It’s a totally different display and it even has an STI logo in it.
Untouched is its 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer engine. It still makes 271hp and 350Nm of torque. Thankfully, the only transmission choice for it is an honest to goodness six-speed manual.
Could this version be sold in the Philippines? It’s possible, but the extent of the upgrades might not be as comprehensive as the North American version. Still, any change is welcome for this performance sedan.
While it may not be a new WRX STI, the new tS at least gets more input from Subaru’s in-house tuning firm. At the rate Subaru is going, they might end up making an STI without the badge. Just give it a healthy power boost, raise the output to around 300hp and we can be happy with that.
