In March 2022, there was a startling announcement: Subaru would not produce a next-generation gas-powered WRX STI. Nearly three years later, the company appears to have had a change of heart. The automaker just announced a new STI-branded Subaru WRX it calls the S210. Based on the WRX S4 STI Sport R EX — which the company released as a Japan-only model in 2024 — the new 2025 Subaru WRX STI (S210) isn’t exactly the STI-branded WRX enthusiasts wanted, but it’s here anyway.
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While the transition to the S210 badge should have ideally resulted in an uptick in performance when compared to the previous-generation S209 WRX STI, that’s not what the S210 iteration gets. In fact, with 296 horsepower and 276 pound-feet of torque, the new 2025 car is only marginally more powerful than the standard Subaru WRX models currently on sale in the U.S. For context, the standard versions of the U.S.-spec WRXs offer 271 hp and make 258 lb-ft of torque.
Another facet of the new Subaru WRX STI that hasn’t gone over well with the enthusiast crowd is the decision to offer the car with a continuously variable transmission. This is quite the departure from the S209, which featured a 6-speed manual gearbox. For enthusiasts still interested in getting the S210, Subaru has, for all practical purposes, indicated that this would remain a Japan-only model, at least for the time being, and that it would only have a limited production run of 500 cars.
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