2025 Subaru WRX tS Tested: Sharper Chops Come at a Price

• The new WRX tS is the closest we'll get to a modern Subaru WRX STI.
• The tS combines the WRX TR's larger brakes with the WRX GT's adaptive suspension and is only offered with a manual transmission.
• There's a decidedly old-school nature to the tS' performance — for better and for worse.

What makes the tS unique?

The tS starts with the WRX TR's big Brembo brakes, with six-piston calipers up front and two-piston calipers out back. They're painted gold, too, which looks great against the WRX's signature World Rally Blue hue. Too bad the 19-inch wheels aren't offered in proper rally-car gold as well.

The tS also gets the WRX GT's five suspension settings: Comfort, Normal, Sport, Sport+ and Individual. This is the first time Subaru has paired the adjustable dampers with a manual transmission, and to its credit, the company says the tS' setup is slightly stiffer than the GT's across all settings.

Inside, the tS has generously bolstered Recaro front seats and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster. The rest of the cabin carries over from the standard WRX, including the 11.6-inch vertical touchscreen, which houses one of the worst modern infotainment systems available today. At least wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included so you can override most of Subaru's native functions. But this system is slow to start up, responses to inputs are super laggy, and the whole screen easily washes out in sunlight.

Familiar test results

The tS uses the same 2.4-liter turbocharged flat-four engine as the standard WRX, with 271 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. On our scales, the tS weighed in at 3,425 pounds — just 25 pounds heavier than the last WRX Limited we tested — so it's not really a shock that the two Subies clocked the same 6.0-second 0-60 mph time. Both ran the quarter mile in 14.1 seconds as well, though the tS was slightly faster, with a 98.5 mph trap speed compared to the Limited's 97.7 mph.

"Getting all of the performance out of the WRX requires a bit of brutality and very little mechanical sympathy," notes senior vehicle test editor Kurt Niebuhr. "You'll need to rev the engine to around 4,500 rpm and rapidly release the clutch while adding full throttle. This results in a moderate shudder from the chassis and a slight hint of wheelspin before you need to stab at the clutch and rip the shifter into second gear. In an effort by Subaru to preserve the drivetrain, there's a pause before you get full power after each shift. But that delay feels like an eternity when you're in a hurry."

The brakes are similarly old-school, with harsh noise and vibrations from the antilock braking system during hard stops. Even so, the WRX comes to a halt with stability and confidence; we recorded stops from 60 mph in 115 feet. Surprisingly, the standard WRX Limited did better here, needing just 110 feet to stop from 60 mph.

The tS is equipped with 19-inch wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza S007 summer tires, but on our 200-foot skidpad, we didn't see a noticeable uptick in grip. We recorded 0.99 g in the WRX tS, while the WRX Limited (18-inch wheels with Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tires) pulled off 0.98 g. We'd really like to see a bigger improvement here.

Sharp and balanced

On the road and around our handling course, the WRX tS is a blast. It feels like a much more complete package than other WRX models, with the steering, braking and balance all nicely dialed in.

Niebuhr again: "You can attack a corner on the brakes and the tS will subtly rotate toward the apex, allowing you to pick up the throttle earlier for a quicker exit. The tS never feels clumsy or overwhelmed in a string of corners, and the stability control stays well out of the way to allow you to push and have some fun."

On the road, we appreciate the differentiation between the different damper settings and are really glad this car has a custom Individual mode. The steering feels too heavy in Sport+, so it's nice to be able to dial that back to Comfort while keeping the suspension and powertrain in their most aggressive settings.

It'll cost you

The Subaru WRX tS is, without question, the best-performing version of this stalwart rally car for the road. But it's not the only game in town. A Honda Civic Type R — arguably the king of all compact performance cars — costs $47,045 including destination. A loaded Toyota GR Corolla with a manual and all-wheel drive? $47,125. Both hot hatches have better tech and nicer interior materials and are, arguably, more hilarious little hooligans on the road.

At $46,875 (including $1,170 for destination), the WRX tS isn't cheap; the price matches that of the automatic-only WRX GT, and the WRX TR isn't available anymore, so that's off the table. Considering the tS' upgrades don't make it vastly more exciting to drive than other WRX models, we aren't sure it's worth the roughly $5,500 upcharge over a Limited.

Photos by Keith Buglewicz