A New STI-Branded Subaru WRX Is Coming, And We’re Disappointed

We’re still not over the death of the Subaru WRX STI. Since its departure in 2017 (for those of us in Europe, anyway), rumours of the legendary nameplate making some sort of comeback have burbled away despite the Japanese manufacturer quashing any hopes.

So, when the email that read “Subaru Corporation and its motorsport subsidiary Subaru Tecnica International will exhibit at Tokyo Auto Salon 2024” arrived this morning, we got a little excited. It proved short-lived, however.

Yes, the teaser image shows the iconic pink three letters appearing on the back of a WRX, which turns out to be a prototype for an upcoming ‘special edition’ of the Japan-only S4 STI Sport.

Details on what exactly that special edition will have remain to be seen, but the teaser does reveal a slight ducktail spoiler. A little more interesting than the base car, but it’s nothing like the gigantic wings found on the Imprezas of old.

We suspect if any mechanical changes are to come, it won’t be to the 2.4-litre four-cylinder boxer, producing a not-awful 271bhp. Mind you, it’s only available with a CVT so extracting all of that sounds like a miserable experience.

Rather, we’d imagine STI will do some fettling to the car’s suspension and brakes at most, as it has a habit of doing with STI Sport versions of the BRZ. Speaking of which, Subaru will also be bringing along a limited version of the current iteration of the sports car which will gain a carbon rear spoiler to “express driving enjoyment”.

Joining those will be a Subaru Levorg Layback with some STI goodies, plus the motorsport division’s SuperGT GT300-spec BRZ and a WRX built to take on the Nürburgring next year.

It looks like our dreams of a brand-new, full-blown WRX STI will have to stay locked in our imaginations for the foreseeable future.