The legendary Subaru WRX STI sports sedan has all but made a comeback. Three years after plans for a new model were axed globally, STI in Japan has unveiled a sharper and more powerful version of the new WRX. However, it’s not the global offering the WRX STI once was.
Figure 1: Subaru WRX STI S210 Edition (Credit: Japanese Media, including Car Watch)
Limited Edition for Japan
The S210 STI, unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon, is not officially badged as a ‘Subaru WRX STI‘. It’s not a series-production global offering like the WRX STI last sold in 2021, and is instead limited to 500 cars for the Japanese market.
Despite this, it’s a new Subaru WRX with the power boost, chassis upgrades and styling changes expected of a true STI. It lacks the signature driver-controlled centre differential, but it carries the hallowed badge.
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Based on the Standard WRX
The S210 is the ninth car in the Subaru Tecnica International (STI) division’s series of ultra-high-performance WRX-based limited editions. The most recent was the S209 sold in the US in 2019.
Previous iterations have been based on the WRX STI of the time. However, with no new STI donor model, the S210 is based on the standard WRX – which, in Japan, is exclusively sold with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).
Increased Power and Performance Upgrades
Power has been increased above the standard 202kW for the first time in a factory new-generation WRX. The 2.4-litre turbo four-cylinder engine now develops 221kW.
This is 20kW down on the 241kW of the last S-series STI sold in Japan, the S208 of 2018, despite a 20 per cent larger engine.
Torque remains unchanged at 375Nm, matching regular models in Japan – and 25Nm up on Australian and US examples.
STI attributes the power increase to a retuned ECU, a new exhaust system with a low-back-pressure muffler and “cannonball shaped chamber”, and “newly-developed” intake and pre-turbo ducts.
Figure 2: Engine and Wheel of Subaru WRX STI S210 Edition (Credit: Japanese Media, including Car Watch)
CVT Transmission Tuned for Performance
The Subaru performance division boasts that the S210 is the first S-series model with the ‘Subaru Performance Transmission’ – the marketing term for the WRX’s CVT – after decades of manual-only models.
The CVT has been retuned to match the power boost for a “high degree of controllability”.
Larger 19-inch BBS forged wheels wrapped in 255/35 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres have been fitted. These hide drilled brake discs with red six-piston Brembo calipers up front, new brake pads, and retuned brake boosters.
There are also specially-tuned adaptive dampers, new rear anti-roll bar bushes, a CVT fluid cooler, a front strut tower bar, and additional front and rear stiffener bars.
Distinctive Styling
Unlike the S209, the S210 is only slightly wider than the car it is based on – 20mm broader, with new gloss black wheel-arch cladding. It gains an STI front splitter, rear diffuser and side skirts, plus a carbon-fibre rear wing.
The front grille, mirror caps, roof antenna and other elements are finished in gloss black, with some featuring STI’s signature cherry red accents.
Exclusive Interior
Inside, there are Recaro front bucket seats with carbon-fibre backrests, nappa leather-trimmed padding and eight-way power adjustment. Red contrast stitching and seat belts, unique dashboard wrapping, suede on the armrests and centre console, black highlights, and S210 badges further enhance the interior.
Limited Availability and Uncertain Future
The 2025 STI S210 – or Subaru STI S210 – is due in Japanese showrooms later this year, through a “sales method” which will be announced by the end of May.
This limited-edition model leaves open the question of whether a true global WRX STI will ever return.
The Subaru WRX STI Is Back, But Only With a CVT
There are many WRX special editions, but only this one is a full-fat STI, according to Subie. It’s not perfect, though.
Nearly three years ago, Subaru said a true STI version of the current WRX would never happen. It didn’t explain why, although shortly after the announcement, reports emerged that stricter emissions regulations killed the performance formula.
Fast forward to 2025, and Subie has had a change of heart. At the Tokyo Auto Salon, a full-fat WRX STI is on display.
Increased Power and Performance Enhancements
The S210, officially considered a legitimate Subaru Tecnica International vehicle and “the pinnacle of the STI complete cars,” is based on the JDM-spec WRX S4 STI Sport R EX.
The Japanese special has had its 2.4-litre turbocharged gasoline engine massaged for more power. It now makes 296 hp and 277 lb-ft (375 Nm) of torque, giving it an advantage of 25 hp and 19 lb-ft (26 Nm) over the regular WRX we get in America.
However, the increased output still pales in comparison to the S209 launched in the US in 2019 with a meaty 341 hp and 330 lb-ft (450 Nm).
The hotter special edition had a six-speed manual transmission, which sadly isn’t the case for the S210. It does have something called the “Subaru Performance Transmission,” a marketing jargon that tries to make CVTs more exciting.
The S210 gets its extra oomph from an upgraded exhaust system and different intake ducts. Engineers also tweaked the ECU of the boxer engine, which pumps out full power at 5,700 rpm and peak torque from 2,000 rpm.
Elsewhere, it gets 19-inch BBS forged wheels with 255/35R19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, front Brembo brakes, electronically controlled dampers, and a Subaru Performance transmission fluid cooler.
Distinctive Styling and Interior
Beyond the mechanical changes, the sports sedan has an aerodynamic body kit with a carbon rear spoiler and black accents. Inside, there are eight-way Recaro carbon bucket seats, red seatbelts, plenty of piano-black surfaces, and a serial number plate to remind you it’s not a run-of-the-mill WRX but an actual STI.
Limited Availability
Subaru is only making 500 cars and will open the order books this spring. Pricing hasn’t been disclosed, but the S210 certainly won’t be cheap, given its many upgrades and rarity.
