2025 Subaru WRX tS Review: Forget What The Badge Says, It's The Real Deal

Subaru's legacy can be a blessing and a curse. After all, to a certain generation of car enthusiast, no other brand is so closely connected with going sideways at speed and with an accompanying fantail of gravel. No surprise, then, that the unveil of the 2025 WRX tS brought plenty of comparisons with rally racers of old — not to mention criticisms that Subaru had forgotten just what made it so special.

At the risk of sounding blasphemous, though, I was never much of a rally fan. I'm not really concerned whether the WRX tS is a worthy descendant of iconic Subaru race cars, more how it compares to modern-day "attainable but still practical" options like the GR Corolla and Civic Type R. After all, with its roughly $45k sticker, that's exactly the competition that Subaru's sedan takes on.

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There's no vast wing, and no outrageous bodykit. The 19-inch satin gray alloy wheels are handsome but relatively subtle, as is the new Galaxy Purple Pearl paint; only the glimmer of gold from the standard Brembo brakes, and the red WRX badging, catch the eye. With Subaru's hefty application of black cladding around the front and rear valances, and the wheel arches, the sedan looks a little like a crossover that melted.

The important part, of course, isn't the aesthetic but the drivetrain. Subaru's 2.4-liter turbocharged BOXER four-cylinder brings 271 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque to play, routed through a six-speed manual transmission to standard all-wheel drive. There's active torque vectoring via braking, along with adaptive dampers, their stiffness tweaked via the drive modes. Driven sensibly — yes, I know, I know — and its 22 mpg combined EPA rating is easily exceeded. 

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There's a good argument to be made that the WRX tS represents the drivetrain sweet spot in the sports sedan's line-up. Subaru offers its stick shift on lower trims of WRX, but not with the electronically controlled dampers; if you wanted those, you previously needed the WRX GT, but that swapped the manual transmission for a CVT. It's only now, with the new tS, that you can have both the manual and the trick dampers in one car.

Assuming you can drive a manual, the tS is clearly the WRX to have. No disrespect to Subaru's engineers intended, but the recipe here is beguilingly straightforward. An engine with enough horses, but not too much; three pedals to feel suitably engaged; levels of torque that deliver pull, but don't excuse you from downshifting if you want to maintain pace.

You can't opt out, not if you want the full WRX tS experience. Certainly, you can drive it casually — the softer setting for the adaptive dampers actually leaves it more successful at that than the WRX TR, with its ache-provokingly stiff tune — and the clutch pedal is neatly weighted to avoid left foot strain without sacrificing feedback in the process. The transmission's throw is just forgiving enough that urban jaunts don't demand rally driver levels of precision.

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Work your way out to the back roads, however, and the fun is readily within reach. Power levels that are sufficient, not excessive, leave you feeling an active participant in getting the best out of each corner and each straight. It sounds raspy and a little raw, not that I'd argue with a little extra aggression from the quad-pipe exhaust system.

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A Midwestern winter having done its usual number on already-rough roads, the ultra-stiff suspension in the fiercest Sport+ mode proved too much. Individual mode, however, allows you to dial in your pick of suspension, power, and steering settings, meaning you needn't sacrifice immediacy simply because your lower back is complaining.

That adjustment is all done through Subaru's infotainment touchscreen, with a mode-cycling button on the steering wheel. Subaru also throws in blue leather trim for the standard-fit Recaro sports seats — I hope you don't have love handles, because they're snug — with matching panels on the doors, arm rests, and more. It brightens what's otherwise a fairly dour and plastic-heavy interior, helpful since the tS also gets a moonroof delete by default.

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Meanwhile, all the usual WRX foibles and frustrations carry over. The 11.6-inch portrait touchscreen is standard on the WRX tS, flanked by useful knobs and buttons for the key volume and temperature controls, and with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support. 

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It's also frustratingly sluggish to respond on first boot, and the UI manages to look cluttered despite all that screen real-estate.

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The WRX is, at least, reasonably spacious. Four adults will fit no problem (whoever's relegated to the rear center space will have to contend with the sizable driveshaft intrusion running down the center) and there's 12.5 cu-ft to play with in the trunk.

There are times when it can be liberating, not bringing a ton of expectations with you to the driver's seat. Long-time Subaru fans may have their arguments about whether the WRX tS does or does not live up to the automaker's rallying legacy, but I'm no Colin McRae, and I'm okay with that. This particular Subaru's charm is its amenable stick-shift, its fun-to-wring-out turbo BOXER engine, and the aggression variation allowed by its trick suspension.

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It's also $45,705 before destination, however, and that leaves the WRX tS facing some notable competition. Honda's glorious Civic Type R is about the same price, has more power and a sublime transmission, but is front-wheel drive. A top-spec Toyota GR Corolla Premium Plus is in the same price bracket, with a similarly wonderful manual and all-wheel drive, but it's smaller and less practical than the Subaru.

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Personally, the ability to adjust the front/rear power split in the Toyota would give it the edge for me (I'd love the Honda, but prefer AWD for that aforementioned winter), but I don't have kids to tote around. That's somewhere the WRX tS' more practical rear seats would pay dividends. In the end — just as with the Honda and the Toyota — you're getting a lot for your money here, and while Subaru may not give the tS the badge many are hoping for, that makes it no less engaging as the star of the WRX line-up.