Subaru WRX STI Is Finally Back—But Only With a CVT and Only In Japan – The Drive
By Nico DeMattia
Posted YesterdaySubaru is finally giving its fans what they want. Well, sort of. Up until now, Subaru gave us everything but a WRX STI. There was the WRX TR, GT, and soon-to-be-released tS. Now, though, an official Subaru WRX STI is finally here. However, it doesn’t come without a few caveats.This new S210 STI is going to be limited to just 500 units, all of which will be for the Japanese market only. And lastly—and this is the big one—it only comes with a CVT. GASP. While many WRX models offer CVTs, and they’re decent sport sedans, an STI should have a manual transmission, especially if it’s limited to just 500 cars. What mass market is Subaru appealing to with the CVT? According to Subaru, it’s supposed to be a “two-pedal sports sedan directly descended from the Nürburgring 24-hour race machine.” OK.Even more frustrating is that the rest of the car seems awesome. Its engine is the same “FA24” 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder but it’s been juiced up a bit from the WRX tS. It has a new air intake system, lower back-pressure muffler, and an ECU tune, so it makes 300 horsepower, versus the tS’ 271 horsepower. It also features upgraded STI wheels, sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, six-piston Brembo brakes, and Subaru’s “STI Flexible” anti-roll bars, to make it stop and handle better, too.It’s also the best-looking version of the WRX so far, with its fixed wing and kick-ass wheels. Inside, it has fantastic carbon fiber Recaro bucket seats that look like from a Porsche 911 GT3.Subaru finally creating an “STI,” only to extremely limit its production and exclusively give it a bland transmission feels like a disservice to its fans. A CVT spoils the fun in every other version of the WRX, even if it is called the “Subaru Performance Transmission,” so there’s no reason to expect otherwise here. Hopefully, this car shows Subaru there’s a real customer demand for STIs, though, and gets to work on a more global production version with an appropriate gearbox of course.Got tips? Send ’em to tips@thedrive.comNico DeMattia is one of The Drive’s weekend editors. He started writing about cars on his own blog to express his opinions when no one else would publish them back in 2015, and eventually turned it into a full-time career. His work can be found here and at BMWBlog.Get the latest car news, reviews, and features.By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.© 2025 Recurrent Ventures. All Rights Reserved.Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.Some benefits of our Car Shopping program may not be available in your area. Please see terms for details.
Source: https://www.thedrive.com/news/subaru-finally-brings-back-the-wrx-sti-but-theres-a-catch
