First Drive: 2025 Subaru WRX tS – Almost an STI

We’re supposed to issue judgement here, so my verdict is, if you want a track-capable WRX you can drive every day, the WRX tS is your ride. Read the whole review at HeadlightNews.com.

It’s not an STI, exactly, but it’s just as good.

Subaru changed its image overnight when the 2002 Impreza WRX went on sale in America. That happened in the fall of 2001, and in the blink of an eye, Subaru rocketed to the forefront of the boy-racer competition.

The original WRX featured a turbocharged engine, rally-inspired styling, and all-wheel drive – something none of the Honda, Mazda, Toyota and Nissan competitors of the time could offer. The WRX has been through several generations since then, but the 2025 WRX tS still inspires the same breathtaking awe as the first one.

The 2025 WRX tS is based on the current generation WRX, with targeted performance enhancements. Those enhancements include cockpit-adjustable electronic dampers, six-piston Brembo front brake calipers and two-piston fixed rear calipers, Recaro Ultrasuede seats, and a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard equipment. The somewhat odd “tS” designation stands for “tuned by STI” which is distinct from an STI-produced model.

Design

The WRX tS looks just like a standard WRX, except you can see the big brakes with gold calipers peeking out from behind the unique 19-inch satin-grey wheels that are standard on the WRX tS.

There are some exclusive accents, and there’s a “Galaxy Purple” exterior paint color unique to the WRX tS, but as the Subaru people told us, most buyers choose World Rally Blue, because it’s very, very attractive.

The signal feature of the WRX tS interior is the presence of Recaro seats trimmed in Ultrasuede. They look great, and depending on your size, will fit you perfectly. I’m a bigger guy, 6-feet and 280 pounds of dad bod, so the bolsters were a little tight for me, but they did an admirable job of holding me in place. If you’re skinnier than I am, you’ll love them.

I also rode in the back seat, which was spacious and comfortable. What you won’t find, however, is a roof opening. Subaru gave the tS a solid roof to accommodate track-day helmet clearance needs.

Powertrain

The powertrain on the WRX is the same 271-horsepower and 258 foot-pound 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer engine that powers the standard WRX.

This leaves space for a possible future WRX STI model to come to market with 300 or more hp, but let’s cut to the chase and note that this is a great engine with plenty of power.

More to the point, the WRX tS also comes with a 6-speed manual transmission with a viscous coupling limited slip center differential. Active torque vectoring and traction control have largely taken the place of limited slip front and rear differentials over the past decade, and you will never notice the WRX tS losing traction in hard cornering. It’s smarter than that.

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Driving Impressions

The WRX tS offers several drive modes, yielding the opportunity to individualize your choices for throttle response, steering feel, and even the adaptive cruise behavior using the Subaru EyeSight system. This is key to the driving experience because if you punch up Sport+ in every category, you’re ready to take on a racetrack with very little body roll, stiff dampers, instant throttle response, and heavy steering.

On the road, especially if you’re in an area with bumpy pavement (and really, that’s most of us) we found that setting the suspension to its softest “Comfort” setting and keeping the steering and throttle in “Sport” made for a perfect combination. In fact, it’s reminiscent of the more compliant suspension in the original WRX.

The rest of the driving experience is “as expected” for a WRX. That means excellent power delivery, smooth shifting, and predictable handling. Subaru brought us to Sonoma Raceway – among the most challenging technical tracks in North America, and treated us to hot laps with veteran F1 driver Scott Speed before we took the WRX tS out ourselves. Speed showed that the car effortlessly executes a smooth four-wheel drift at the limit.

Going somewhat more cautiously, I found that the WRX tS communicates well with the driver, sticks to the ground and never lacks for traction or brakes. Speaking of which, it would take more than I could give to make those Brembos fade. Overall, this is an A+ track car, and thoroughly deserving of the WRX badge.

Technology

On the dash, the WRX tS features an all-new 11.6-inch center display, which offers improved legibility and the capability to prominently show additional information to the driver, including map display and route guidance information. One great feature is that the heated seats are now controllable through the screen with dedicated virtual buttons that don’t disappear – so a heated tushie is always within easy reach.

Another new feature for the WRX tS is the digital dashboard display – 12.3 inches of sharp, configurable driver information. It will display your navigation information, tunes, or performance gauges.

There’s also a selection of USB-C and USB-A ports, and a wireless device charger on the console. We turned on the radio, and it works. We even used CarPlay and listened to some tunes. Suffice to say the audio system is great, but this is a track-ready car so it’s less of a selling point.

Safety

Also of note, the tS includes Subaru’s EyeSight adaptive cruise and forward collision mitigation system, which is new here. Until now, EyeSight and manual gearboxes were mutually exclusive. Given the industry’s 2029 regulatory requirement to implement automatic emergency braking on everything, it’s good to know that’s not a death knell for the stick shift.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration awards the WRX with a five-star crash test rating, and there’s no reason to think the WRX tS won’t be included.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety likewise gives the WRX a “Top Safety Pick” designation.

Wrap Up

Wrapping up the WRX tS is easy. There are no trim levels to speak of because the tS is its own trim level. Also, Subaru has not yet announced pricing, but hinted that it won’t be wildly outside the regular WRX price walk. We’re supposed to issue judgement here, so my verdict is, if you want a track-capable WRX you can drive every day, the WRX tS is your ride.

The 2025 Subaru WRX will roll into dealer showrooms during the fourth quarter of 2024. Look for pricing to be announced closer to that on-sale date.