Subaru Australia has teased a new version of its WRX sports sedan online, hinting that we’ll soon see the STI name return alongside higher-performance parts on a new flagship grade.
In a video uploaded to social media, Subaru teased a WRX sedan with Recaro front seats, gold-coloured Brembo six-piston brake calipers, black alloy wheels, STI-branded exhaust tips and a big wing – the latter of which was a classic STI design cue.
The video ends with the sound of a WRX accelerating, with the time between its gear changes seeming to indicate it’s fitted with a manual transmission.
Subaru Australia confirmed to CarExpert that further information will be revealed “very soon”.
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Curiously, badging shown in the latest video reveals the upcoming model will wear the top-spec WRX tS (Tuned by STI) branding – clearing up any speculation of a fully fledged STI return.
The current-generation WRX launched in Australia in 2022 and heralded the death of the full-fat STI variant, and Subaru’s long-serving ‘EJ’ engine along with it.
Since the STI’s demise, the closest model to it in the Australian lineup has been the top-spec tS sedan, however unlike STIs of old, it has identical outputs to the wider WRX lineup and is only available with a continuously variable transmission (CVT).
Previous reports suggest the tS trim level will soon gain a manual transmission like the base and mid-spec RS variants.
However, the features shown in this teaser bear a striking resemblance to last year’s limited-edition WRX Club Spec, of which only 150 were made available in Australia.
The WRX Club Spec was fitted with unique components including matte grey 19-inch alloy wheels in Bridgestone rubber, Brembo brake calipers, tuned steering and suspension, an STI rear wing, and Recaro front seats.
It’s possible this is an indirect return of the manual-only Club Spec trim level as a permanent variant wearing the tS badge, however this is yet to be confirmed.
The model teased also has similarities to the Japanese-market WRX S4 STI Sport R-Black Limited.
The Japan-only model features the same Recaro seats and STI rear wing teased here, though it differs with its black mirror caps and the fact it’s only available with the CVT automatic, which is marketed as the ‘Subaru Performance Transmission’.
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Subaru WRX S4 STI Sport R-Black Limited -
Subaru WRX STI S210
The Subaru WRX S4 STI Sport R-Black Limited costs 5,302,000 Japanese yen (A$55,332), while the lower-spec WRX S4 STI Sport R EX on which it’s based costs 5,027,000 yen (A$52,442).
This incoming model is unrelated to the recently revealed WRX STI S210, another Japan-only automatic edition with bespoke performance components and a power bump.
In Australia, the WRX sedan lineup starts from $47,490 before on-road costs in manual guise, and $49,990 plus on-roads for the CVT auto.
The most expensive manual Subaru in Australia is currently the WRX RS at $52,990 before on-roads.
All Subaru WRXs sold in Australia are powered by a turbocharged 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine, producing 202kW and 350Nm.
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Subaru WRX Club Spec -
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