2 days ago
Subaru Teases New Performance Model, Possibly a Reborn WRX STI
Subaru recently teased an image of an upcoming performance model to debut at this year's Japan Mobility Show (a.k.a. Tokyo auto show).
Details are thinner than a 1990s Forester head gasket, but could this be the next STI?
Subaru does offer some sportier versions of the WRX, but the STI hasn't been around since 2021.
The first Subaru WRX STI debuted in 1994 and took a full decade to reach audiences in the United States. The last STI bowed in 2021 but is still greatly missed. Subaru does build the WRX in its current 271-hp form, and there's a tS model with big Brembo brakes and Recaro seats, but we're still waiting for a proper STI variant. Now, some tantalizing news out of Japan suggests such a car might be on the way, as reported by Car Watch.
The Super Taikyu racing series has several classes, from GT3 Mercedes and Ferraris down to a sub-1500-cc class. Subaru competes mid-pack, and at a recent media scrum at Fuji Raceway, Subaru's chief technical officer confirmed that there is a new performance model bound to debut at this year's Japan Mobility Show.
Formerly the Tokyo auto show, the JMS is held every two years and will be opening at the end of October this year. There are always plenty of cool concepts unveiled, some of them far beyond the constraints of actual production, but the teaser image Subaru showed off looks like something the company could actually build.
But pause before you hit that celebratory vape pen, Subie fans. The blurred image (pictured above) sure looks like it could be a station wagon–a version of the Levorg that Subaru sells in markets outside the U.S. That model already comes with the WRX's turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four in the Australian and New Zealand markets, and it's set to debut with that engine in Japan soon. This may just be that upcoming variant.
Subaru
However, the teaser sure looks to have a lot more aggressive aerodynamics than either the Levorg or the current WRX and a different front grille. Rumors about the STI getting some kind of electrification have been swirling for ages, but there's little stopping Subaru from upping the boost to the 2.4-liter motor and putting out an STI with something in the 300-hp arena. Even with the STI's exit from the U.S. market years ago, the WRX faithful have kept sales high, especially of manual-transmission models.
You have to think Subaru would be able to move more than a few WRX-powered wagons or even a Crosstrek XT variant if it chose to bring either of those to market. Perhaps more important is the need for a flagship model. Right now, the Toyota GR Corolla gets to claim all that rally heritage, and even Forester and Outback shoppers can understand a hood-scooped Subie flying sideways on gravel.
Stay tuned for what's coming in October and hope for a Colin McRae of STI sunshine to shine again in Subaru's lineup. We waited a decade for the STI to cross the Pacific. Here's hoping the wait isn't as long this time around.
Brendan McAleer
Contributing Editor
Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki's half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.
