2025 Subaru WRX tS

It’s October 8th, 2024, and there’s a little bit of a “stronger than usual” passing through Napa, California, which is where I’m at now. Now, I don’t like to point fingers, but it may partially be because of this hot little four-door here: the 2025 Subaru WRX tS. Now, it’s got a number of improvements, some STI tuned, that make this stand apart from the rest of the WRX lineup. And, well, I’m by Sonoma Raceway, so we’re going to head there now to see what that all adds up to.

Since its 2022 arrival, this latest generation of WRX has been absent of a full STI variant; but that doesn’t mean STI hasn’t had a chance to tinker with it and as of now this tS is the ultimate expression of that.

Like I said, we had to hit up Sonoma to put all this special engineering to the test. But before our hot laps, let’s go over the specs.

For starters, and important to note, no additional power is derived from the turbocharged 2.4-liter flat four, still boxing in the 271 horsepower and 258 pound-foot weight class. Of course, it’s all wheel drive, but equipped with a six-speed manual only. No STI tuned CVT available and, well, we have a feeling most buyers are going to be fine with that, considering a greater than 80% take-rate for the three pedal transmission.

Now instead of extra muscle, the tS is all about agility. Six piston front and two piston rear Brembo brakes are mounted behind 19-inch wheels wrapped by Bridgestone Potenza S007 tires. And behind all of that are adaptive dampers capable of softening or hardening the ride at the touch of a button.

“I guess the suspension is really what the main draw is here, but to be honest with you, the brakes are the first thing that I notice. It’s like the BRZ tS we had at Roebling this year—those Brembos do work and they really provide a lot of stopping power, and it’s appreciated. These Bridgestone Potenzas, they’re also no joke. I mean, I’m getting lots of grip here.

Then on top of that, though, you get these electronic dampers. So I have it, of course, in the Sport+ mode… right now… it’s very firm. It feels really, really tight. And then that’s combined with Subaru’s all-wheel drive system, it’s combined with this 2.4-liter flat engine, and it’s combined with a six-speed manual transmission.

So, yeah, it is a lot of fun to drive on the track, of course… I know we can sit here and say not everybody’s going to take these to the track, but if you are going to autocross a WRX, this might be the one to do.”

Hot laps in a WRX… yeah, no complaints here, though that heat wave certainly made them “hotter” than I would’ve liked. Another point of note, the steering in the tS can also be made sharper through the settings. That, tethered to the suspension, the brakes and the WRX’s potent powertrain meant for a wonderfully competent on-track experience.

But the WRX, tS or not, is meant to be a daily driver. And with that in mind, we couldn’t just keep the tS on the track. So, we went out to spend some time on the Northern California’s byways. It was there where all those tS enhancements, while a little bit more subtle, still gave this a little bit of extra character.

Again, the STI-tuned suspension, the Brembo brakes and the adjustable steering all paired nicely with the unchanged powertrain. The 2.4-liter flat four is fun to push, and I’m a particular fan of the six speed box Subaru continues to supply the WRX with.

Now, the tS has specifically been supplied with a very Suba-blue cabin with matching Recaro seats, very comfortable and supportive. The Starlink Center tablet is joined by a 12.3-inch digital dash unit. It mirrors the standard analog gauges quite well, but it can be switched over to an Eyesight mode or navigation mode.

Now, you might be wondering what all this adds to the bottom line. Well, at the time of recording, tS pricing is yet to be confirmed. Considering 2024 TR and GT pricing hover somewhere around the mid-$40,000 mark, I think it’s safe to assume the tS will live around there too. Expect the first examples to arrive on dealer lots early next year.

So, it’s not an STI, but the 2025 tS is a clear example of Subaru still making solid, performance-oriented cars for performance-oriented drivers.

And whether you’re one of them or not, drive safe and stay tuned to MotorWeek.