Three model years into the current WRX and the STI drought continues. Instead of giving us the hot Subaru rally sedan it knows we all want, Subie has opted to give us yet another slightly sharpened WRX, this year in the form of the 2025 Subaru WRX tS.
tS stands for “tuned by STI” and the biggest mechanical difference between it and last year’s WRX TR are electronic adaptive dampers from the GT model but, as the name suggests, tuned by STI. Just like the TR, the tS gets Recaro Ultrasuede seats and Brembo brakes with bigger pads and rotors—the six-piston front, dual-piston rear calipers, however, are painted gold. These hide behind 19-inch wheels wrapped in 245-section Bridgestone Potenza S007s.
WRX tS is manual-only and does not come with a moonroof in the interest of, according to Subaru, less weight, a lower center of gravity, and more room for a helmet.
As for creature comforts, the 2025 WRX gains a fully digital instrument cluster (just like the Porsche 911!) measuring 12.3 inches. This would make the WRX cabin feel modern if it weren’t for the hilarious mountainous wallpaper and skeuomorphic, milled-alloy gauges, which makes it look like what somebody from 2007 thinks a gauge cluster from 2024 would be.
Look, it’s great that Subaru is putting more screens in our rally sport compacts, but I think it’s time for it to stop messing around with “tuned by STI,” “Tuner Ready,” and unobtanium Prodrive engineering exercises and just give us the damn WRX STI already.
Anywho, the 2025 Subaru WRX tS will make its public debut at Wicked Big Meet on June 2 in Stafford, Connecticut, the country’s biggest Subie enthusiast festival, and hit dealers in the first quarter of 2025. Pricing is TBA at the moment. As a reminder, the Subaru WRX is powered by a 2.4-liter turbocharged flat-four hooked up to symmetrical AWD and makes 271 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque.
Got a tip or question for the author about the WRX tS? You can reach him here: chris.tsui@thedrive.com