The Subaru WRX STI Is "Back" (But There’s a Catch)
Image courtesy of Subaru
It is January, which means two things: I have failed my New Year’s resolution to stop drinking coffee after noon, and Subaru has unveiled a car at the Tokyo Auto Salon that makes me physically angry with desire.
Meet the Subaru WRX S4 STI Sport # (pronounced "Sharp"). It broke cover yesterday in Japan, and it is, for all intents and purposes, the modern STI we have been begging for since the VB chassis launched without a wing. It has Recaro buckets. It has forged BBS wheels wrapped in sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 5 rubber. It has a transmission cooler, strut tower braces, and flexible draw stiffeners (a classic Subaru term that sounds fake but actually works).
Most importantly, the 2.4-liter turbo boxer engine has been massaged. While official horsepower numbers are "under review," whispers from the show floor suggest a healthy bump over the standard WRX, likely pushing comfortably past the 300 hp mark thanks to a high-flow intake and exhaust setup.
So, when can you head down to your local dealer and finance one at 6% APR? You can’t.
Subaru has announced that production is limited to 500 units. And, in a move that feels like a personal attack on the American enthusiast community, they are all staying in Japan. To get one, Japanese buyers have to enter a lottery system. That’s right—you have to win a raffle for the privilege of buying the car.
This is the classic enthusiast paradox. We scream from the rooftops that we want a harder-edged, track-capable WRX. Subaru listens, builds it, and then keeps it locked in the domestic market like a rare Pokémon. It highlights the widening gap between the global "performance" market and the American "consumer" market. Subaru of America is likely looking at the sales data, seeing that we buy Wilderness editions by the boatload to drive to Whole Foods, and deciding that a stiff-suspension track toy just doesn't pencil out for US crash testing and emissions certification.
They aren't wrong, financially speaking. But emotionally? It hurts. The "Sport #" looks fantastic. It fixes the visual heaviness of the plastic cladding by painting it body color (optional) and adding aggressive aero bits that actually balance the car’s proportions. It proves the VB chassis had the bones of a looker all along; it just needed the STI treatment to bring it out.
For now, we American fans have to settle for the WRX TR and the aftermarket. It’s a fine car, but seeing what could have been sitting on the stage in Tokyo is a reminder that the grass is always greener—and the boost is always higher—on the other side of the Pacific.
