2025 Subaru WRX tS First Drive: No STI Needed

This isn't your stereotypical WRX. It's sophisticated, smooth, and comfortable. It shines on the street as well as on the track. And it finally comes in purple.

Subaru showed off the new 2025 WRX tS among the vineyards of Napa and the apexes of Sonoma (Raceway, that is). This new performance variant of the company's legendary sport sedan demonstrates that new tech and comfort features can enhance the overall WRX experience without diluting its purity. That's a challenge, for sure, since coarseness is traditionally part of the WRX's charm — or at least, that's what owners of older versions tell ourselves as we shout to our passengers through road noise and rattling teeth.

File too vigorously at the WRX's rough edges, though, and it loses something essential. Subaru, rightfully proud of its reputation for practical, durable family haulers, walks a fine line here, giving the WRX the glow-up it needs to appeal to buyers beyond its stereotypical trucker-hat-vaper-bro audience, without turning it into, say, an Outback clone. (Not that there's anything wrong with the Outback. I have one of those, too.)

In short, the WRX tS isn't perfect, but it's got some really desirable updates. Here's what I learned during my test drives.

The WRX — and WRX tS — is surprisingly family friendly. I know this because I daily-drive a 2019 WRX with my four-year-old son's booster seat in the back, and according to Subaru, other parents have finally caught on. The WRX lineup competes primarily with all-wheel-drive hot hatches like the Honda Civic Type R, the Toyota GR Corolla, and Volkswagen Golf R; to a lesser degree, Honda's Civic Si and VW GTI fall into this group too, at a lower price point and without AWD.

The WRX is the only sedan among that group, which seems like a minor plot point until you own one. Subaru points out that WRX owners tend to make better and more frequent use of the cargo space and backseat than owners of the competition, which tracks with the brand's appeal; Subaru's market research shows a typical WRX buyer has kids, has pets, and goes camping. Check, check, and check. I'd add, too, that if you're a middle-aged parent who has largely outgrown the segment's reputation if not the cars themselves, and doesn't want negative attention from cops or street racers or what have you, the WRX can largely fly under the radar.

The WRX tS gets the same 2.4-liter four-cylinder, twin-scroll turbocharged engine featured across the rest of the lineup, rated for 271 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. These numbers are similar to much of Subaru's current wagon and crossover range, and fall short of competitors' ratings, but honestly, it's mostly fine — this is a well-rounded daily driver, not a drag racer. Much more on that below.

The tS is available only with a six-speed manual transmission, which is the way it should be driven anyway. Subaru notes that 83% of WRX buyers choose the manual transmission, so it's nice to know there are plenty of like-minded folks still out there.

The EPA hasn't yet published fuel economy ratings for the WRX tS; expect those closer to its early 2025 on-sale date.

The addition of Subaru's EyeSight package is a pretty nice touch for the WRX; up until a couple years or so ago, it was available only with automatic-transmission WRX models. Now it's standard. This package bundles features like automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, and the like; if you find them intrusive, they can be turned off, or their sensitivity can be adjusted in the drive mode settings. It's a welcome change, in my opinion, now that I have a kid to protect. Subaru says it's necessary to meet the forthcoming updated National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) standards, which emphasize automatic emergency braking, in particular; furthermore, Subaru says, safety is part of the brand's reputation.

Other great features include electronically controlled adaptive dampers, tuned specifically for the WRX tS, and segment-exclusive 6-piston Brembo front brake calipers. Brembo also supplies 2-piston rear calipers and cross-drilled rotors. The forged wheels wear Bridgestone Potenza S007 tires, which offer great street performance with plenty of traction. There's also an exclusive interior color scheme with Recaro front sport seats.

The WRX tS looks much like the rest of the WRX lineup, with a few exclusive touches. First off, the newly available Galaxy Purple Pearl paint is a highlight. The WRX has been available in purple before, briefly back in the Impreza WRX hatchback days, and though this new Galaxy Purple debuts on the 2025 WRX tS, Subaru can't confirm the color won't be extended to other models in the lineup. It's kind of a dark, dusty purple, not too far off from the WRX's navy, and while I was hoping for a brighter jewel-toned purple, still. Purple.

The WRX tS gets some exterior elements, such as the rear decklid trim and side mirror caps, in Crystal Black, to help the tS stand out from the rest of the lineup. The forged gunmetal 19-inch wheels look awesome over the shimmery gold Brembo calipers.

Inside, the WRX ts features Subaru's 11.6-inch portrait-oriented infotainment touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a new digital gauge cluster with adjustable display modes. The big touchscreen isn't new for the WRX, but it still grates; I still think a display that big is an unnecessary distraction in a driver-oriented car, though I know I'm in the minority there.

The new gauge cluster, though, is super cool. There are three settings, including normal gauge-y stuff and mirroring of the navigation map with directions.

The WRX tS also features the first-ever blue-accented WRX interior, an homage to the car's signature, best-selling World Rally Blue exterior color. The heated front Recaro sport seats, with blue bolsters and embroidered with the WRX tS logo, are supportive but likely too snug or too firmly bolstered for many potential buyers. The color scheme also features blue leather door panel inserts and armrests, and blue contrast stitching along the dashboard and seats. The blue gives me pause; I like the idea in theory, but the big, bright swathes are on the juvenile side for a car that's otherwise pretty sophisticated.

It's amazing how comfortable the current-gen WRX is compared to the previous generation, still, even though this generation is several years old. Even on its 19's, the tS is reasonably quiet on decent quality pavement, and playing with the drive mode settings can smooth out any unpleasant texture.

Our street test wound through the hills, valleys, and mountains of Napa and Sonoma counties. The car stays glued to the road. Steering responds quickly. Shifts are smooth. The clutch is delightfully firm, with a little bit of fight in the pedal weight — a pleasure after recently driving some competing vehicles with hardly any clutch feedback.

The WRX is plenty swift. Subaru could probably squeeze out some more power and distill a bit more joy from the experience, and people who pony up a lot more for the top-tier WRX would certainly appreciate it. Sure, the WRX tS has only 11 horsepower more than my Outback Wilderness, but it's so light on its feet, so much more limber and agile and eager, that you're missing most of the point if you're hung up on specs.

The big news here? The selectable driving modes exclusive to the WRX tS. It features Comfort, Normal, Sport, Sport+, and Individual; of these, the tS gets exclusive throttle tuning in Normal and Sport modes, and exclusive steering settings in Comfort, Normal, and Sport.

The WRX tS defaults to Sport mode upon starting, unlike most vehicles with selectable driving modes, so keep that in mind if you'd prefer Comfort or Normal. Sport is where the WRX shines on the street; Sport+ was a little too harsh even on the mostly-smooth California roads, and a little too aggressive for the mountains for my taste. I wish I had Comfort or Normal in my WRX, to make things a little easier when my mom comes to visit.

The Individual mode, which enables the driver to customize settings for throttle, steering, suspension, and the EyeSight safety nannies intrigues. However, it would take a lot more time behind the wheel to really fine-tune the perfect combination of settings and make the most of its potential.

The WRX tS also gets specific suspension tuning, distinct from the WRX GT, courtesy of Subaru Tecnica International. It's designed for track use, as well as for everyday driving.

First off, if you ever get to ride with Subaru Motorsports pro race car driver Scott Speed, do it. Second, if you're ever tossed the keys to a WRX at Sonoma Raceway, don't look back.

Although normal driving impressions are above, logically, our test drive schedule put me in the WRX tS for my laps at Sonoma before I got the chance to drive it on the street, which makes for an interesting sort of role reversal. I didn't bother with Normal or Comfort settings on the track, just toggled between Sport and Sport+ to get a feel for those options where they were most useful. The difference is definitely noticeable, even with my limited skills. Sport mode is delightfully firm and confidence-inspiring, yet still fairly comfortable; switching to Sport+ added a noticeable clench to the steering response and made the car feel closer to the pavement. You can feel the tS working for you, like the way your legs and butt feel working through a challenging yet exhilarating deadlift.

Being a Sonoma newbie and an intermediate performance driver at best, I didn't manage more than 80 mph on the track, though I'm fine admitting the flaws were mine and not the car's. Lap after lap, I'd hit the rev limiter and realize I couldn't upshift because I was approaching a turn. Scott Speed put us all to shame, meanwhile, as expected. It'll be a while before I giggle that hard again, and the WRX tS seemed happy with its repeated floggings.

If Subaru's pricing expectations are accurate (more on that below), the 2025 WRX tS will come in right in line with the Honda Civic Type R, a little more expensive than the Toyota GR Corolla, and a little less expensive than the Volkswagen Golf R, all three of which have at least 300 horsepower. So yeah, the Subie falls short on paper in that respect, and if that alone is a dealbreaker for some shoppers, so be it. For what it's worth, Subaru also considers the Honda Civic Si and VW GTI competitors to the WRX. Those two deserve mention in the sense that affordable front-wheel-drive hot hatches certainly deserve credit for keeping this segment going, but all-wheel drive is a key aspect of the WRX's identity.

The power disparity raises a fair question (and we've all thought it), why not just make an STI again? Subaru says this is unlikely for the U.S. market, due mostly to regulatory requirements, primarily the moving target of emissions standards. Subaru hasn't said it can't be done, just that it can't be done profitably. The company notes, too, that STI sales were tracked as part of WRX sales, and the STI made up such a small percentage of WRX sales that Subaru's hardly suffering for its absence.

Pricing will be announced closer to this Subie's on-sale date in early 2025. Subaru says it will be similar to WRX GT pricing, which is currently $44,215 for the 2024 model, before destination. The tS will replace the WRX TR, which is currently $41,655; the GT is staying, and Subaru says they're different enough to both hang out at the top of the lineup with similar price tags.

Even if you've narrowed your choice for a sport compact down to the WRX lineup, there are plenty of questions. To make a decision based solely or primarily on horsepower is to miss a whole lot of the point, particularly in terms of the scant competition discussed above, but when the entire WRX lineup features the same engine, it's fair to put extra weight on that five-figure price difference from the base to the top.

Is the WRX tS worth $12,000 more than the base WRX, even though they have the same powertrain? The base WRX is a pretty good car, and even though it lacks some boast-worthy features, it's leagues ahead of the previous generation WRX and a bargain compared to its Honda and Volkswagen rivals. If you value comfort and sophistication, or if you're old but not dead, I'd argue the tS is worth the upgrade, thanks to the Recaro seats as well as the aforementioned numerous performance upgrades.

Don't mourn the STI too much, even if you might have bought one. Even if the WRX tS isn't quite your speed, so to speak, the current WRX lineup is the best it's ever been, potentially overbearing tech features and all.