True, the latest Subaru WRX is less edgy (no STi wing, that is) and with horsepower and torque levels that are downright mainstream.
But the 2025 WRX tS comes with a six-speed manual, grippy Recaro seats, and high-performance Brembo brakes with gold calipers, while delivering a car that is much better suited for daily driving.
“If you live on a logging road, get the tS. You might also want it if you don’t live on a logging road but just want to drive like you do,” Mark Vaughn says.

The Subaru WRX STi was a thing to behold back in the day, and not just because of the garish wing on the back that stood tall enough to bifurcate a driver’s rear view.

When it debuted in the 2004 model year, its 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder boxer churned out what was then a monumental 120 hp per liter. It was a big deal to reach the 300-hp threshold with such a small engine—not so much anymore.

The engine was raspy and loud and it set aflutter the hearts of many a young aspiring rally racer, and most of the fun—besides smacking the 7,000-rpm redline—came from rowing the gears of the six-speed manual transmission.

The STi became a memory in the US four years ago (this short-run WRX STI S210 won’t come here) when the redesigned second-generation standalone WRX hit the market with a level of refinement that may have baffled some WRX admirers.

Do those folks really want a raft of driver-assistance nannies, Apple Car Play, a premium audio system, and an optional CVT?

True, the latest Subaru WRX is less edgy (no STi wing, that is) and with horsepower and torque levels that are downright mainstream (271 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque).

2025 Subaru WRX tS cockpit.

But for the 2025 model year there’s a WRX tS that bakes in enough of the old recipe—particularly the six-speed manual, grippy Recaro seats, and high-performance Brembo brakes with gold calipers—to recall the rollicking good times of the past, while delivering a car that is much better suited for daily driving.

And in many ways this 2025 WRX tS benefits from technologies that perhaps existed long ago but are now affordable enough for a Subaru—like the STI-tuned electronically controlled dampers for better handling and ride comfort from the standard 245/35 R19 Bridgestone Potenza S007 tires.

There’s more tunability on the fly with Sport, Normal, and Comfort modes to adjust settings for power steering and throttle response.

Autoweek’s Mark Vaughn and I both drove the WRX tS, and my pre-production tester stickered for $49,270, including $395 for the Galaxy Purple Pearl paint and the $1,170 destination fee. It comes from Subaru’s plant in Gunma, Japan, so beware the tariff implications.

Vaughn notes the WRX ts offers the most performance of any Subaru sold now, and he finds 271 hp to be plenty for driving about in earnest.

“As soon as I got into this I was reminded that a daily driver can still be fun. It makes going to Trader Joe’s enjoyable. You may even take the long way there. And once you arrive, you can use Active Torque Vectoring to get the last parking spot in those always undersized TJ lots.”

As he often does, Vaughn pointed the WRX tS toward Angeles Crest Highway. “The six-speed manual makes every drive more engaging and the car’s was, if a bit notchy, still direct. I have never managed to master clutch engagement in performance Subarus. I once spent most of a day at the drag strip trying to get the promised 0-60 mph time out of the old WRX STi.”

An overabundance of engineering went into the WRX’s Vehicle Dynamics Control, and Vaughn says the car felt tight on fast sweepers, with little body roll and always-predictable behavior. He had the drive mode set to Performance+.

“The steering, if I’m not picking nits, felt on/off. It would grab hold of the rack and then you’d have to nudge it loose,” Vaughn says of the jerky steering feel. “Maybe it was the altitude making me hallucinate, but the quick-ratio (13.5:1) dual-pinion electric power steering wasn’t as smooth as I’d have liked.”

2025 Subaru WRX tS.

Are there many competitors in this price range offering this performance? The Mitsubishi Evo is long gone and may have been the best four-door that really stacked up against the WRX STI for the current just-under-$50,000 price tag.

“At least that’s what I thought at first,” Vaughn says, noting that the BMW 2-Series and 3-Series, Audi A3 and S3, Acura Integra, Alfa Romeo Giulia, and Cadillac CT4 start for under $50,000.

“And those are all more sophisticated,” he says. “The Subaru outdoes most of them with performance AWD, and would maybe clean up on a rally course.”

2025 Subaru WRX tS.

Bottom line is, few mainstream brands have competitors to challenge the WRX, and the tS variant has still more of an edge.

“So it comes down to what you want the car to do,” Vaughn says. “If you live on a logging road, get the tS. You might also want it if you don’t live on a logging road but just want to drive like you do.”

For the record, when asked about prospects for a new WRX STI, Subaru says its future sports and performance cars need to meet changing emissions standards.

“As part of that effort, Subaru Corporation is exploring opportunities for the next-generation Subaru WRX STI, including electrification,” the automaker has said. “In the meantime, a next generation internal-combustion-engine WRX STI will not be produced based upon the new WRX platform.”

Have you driven the WRX tS? What do you think of the prospects for an electrified WRX STI? Please comment below.