There’s Finally A New Subaru WRX STI, And We Hate It

Ever since the Subaru WRX STI died in 2021, we’ve been keeping our fingers crossed for a new version. Even though we can’t buy the new WRX in Europe, the world would still be a better place with a properly big-power, boxer-engined rally-inspired saloon.

Now, finally, after several false starts, the WRX STI is back. If you live in Japan, and don’t mind that it’s significantly less powerful than the old STI and that it has a CVT gearbox. Why, oh why, must you keep doing this to us, Subaru?

The car in question is called the WRX S210 STI, and for the time being, it’s just a prototype, but Subaru plans a run of 500 for the Japanese market. That name is promising, because the combination of S and three numbers has always denoted some of the most special Imprezas and STIs of all. The last car in this sequence was 2019’s WRX STI S209, a US-only special edition with 341bhp and all sorts of chassis tricks up its sleeve.

The S210… isn’t that. Its 2.4-litre turbo flat-four does have more power than the standard WRX, thanks to a new air filter, intake ducts, uprated exhaust system and tweaked ECU. That sees power upped from the standard 271bhp to 296bhp, while the 277lb ft torque figure is unchanged. That’s a decent power figure, until you remember it’s exactly the same as the Impreza S201 had… in 2001.

All that’s channelled to all four wheels, natch, through the Subaru Performance Transmission. This, sadly, is not some fancy-schmancy auto-blipping, short-throw manual – it’s a slushy CVT that’s been calibrated to do an impression of a proper automatic. Sigh.

In all fairness, the chassis has had a going-over too, with sticky new Michelin tyres, reworked springs and electronic dampers, and new rear stabilisers. There are now six-pot Brembo brake callipers up front, with beefed-up pads, drilled rotors and new servos all-round.

There’s some uprated aero, noticeably the new side skirts and big carbon rear wing, while on the inside there’s a pair of eight-way adjustable Recaro sports seats for the front occupants.

So yes, this is the most serious the current-gen WRX has gotten and finally marks the return of an STI version, we can’t help but be a bit underwhelmed. Come on, Subaru. You’re better than this.