We’ve always loved Subaru. It’s kind of the anti-brand brand. It’s filling the shoes Swedish car makers filled in the 70’s and 80’s. When SUVs were all the rage, Subie held fast with the Outback wagon. And when it came to performance cars, it stuck to its guns with the wonderful WRX rally-bred sedans and wagons.

Yep, Subaru are everyday friendly great vehicles that just happen to do things a little differently. So, when they asked us to drive the 2025 WRX tS – code for tuned by STI, the brand’s performance division – we jumped at the chance.

Hot Hot Hot!

The tS may be the hottest looking WRX yet – but in typical Subaru fashion, it’s done in a low-key manner.

So low key, in fact that you may not notice that the WRX you’re looking at is a tS. Up front is the signature Subaru hexagonal grille with Pleiades badge and a tasty red WRX script that really pops. Adding to the drama, hook-shaped driving lights bracketing projector LED headlights. A familiar sight to WRX fans is the prominent hood scoop, which is a delight to look at from the outside as well as behind the wheel. A blacked-out lower fascia houses projector fogs and gives a serious, rally-ready look.

The profile remains one of the vehicles best angles with chunky, muscular fender flares, blacked out wheel well trim, and a swoopy roofline. This is a fresh, modern sedan. tS give aways include foldable mirrors, a roof-mounted shark fin antenna, and rear spoiler – all now finished in Crystal Black Silica. But the big-ticket items that will make you swoon for a tS are the unique 19-inch wheels in satin gray that look large, chunky and serious, and beautiful gold paint on the Brembo brake calipers.

The rearview is equally aggressive, with rear taillights that glow with a look inspired by volcanic magma. Really cool. A small tS badge on the bag is the giveaway, and like the front, a blacked-out lower fascia looks tough. And nothing says power better than a pair of dual exhaust pipes poking out underneath.

And while you have a choice of 8 great colors for your tS, we can’t imagine one we’d love more than our tester’s WR Blue Pearl paint that’s as pure Subaru as it’s horizontally opposed boxer engine. Just perfect!

Blue By You

Open the door and you’re greeted by a symphony in Subie blue, including seats, center console and door panels. We like it actually, as the otherwise loads of grayish plastics can make the interior a bit dour.

You’ll be smiling as soon as you sit down, thanks to front Recaro Performance Design front seats that offer loads of support, and Subaru notes that the Y-shaped design at the center of the backrest help support the sides and shoulder blades. We’ll just say they are supremely comfortable and even without a lumbar adjustment we always felt great, even after long hours at the wheel. The seats are as stylish as they are supportive with black Ultrasuede with contrasting blue accents and WRX tS logo embossed on the headrests.

The tS also gets a major upgrade with a full 12.3-inch digital gauge package, that echoes an analog 8,000 rpm tach and 180-mph speedometer but also serves up loads of digital info from a turbo boost gauge to map and route guidance. It’s a fresh look and we hope all WRX models get this in the future.

Info-tainment is handled by a large 11.6-inch, tablet-style, Subaru Starlink Multimedia system, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, rear vision camera, Sirius XM and more. While we normally prefer climate control off screen, Subaru at least gives a dedicated area, so you don’t have to go digging around to get comfy.

This is the first time we’ve had a gripe with the info-tainment system, with a noticeable lag from when we’d tap a button and when the action would happen. We’re thinking it was a glitch on our tester, but something worth checking out. We do love that Subaru still gives you traditional volume and tuning knobs for easy control.

Adding to that feeling of control is a fat, flat-bottomed leather steering wheel with easy-to-use remote controls for audio, cruise control and display items. Handy and well thought out.

That well thought out feeling applies to the rest of the interior, with comfortable adult-size rear seats that split-fold to expand the spacious trunk area even further. While some may bemoan that Subie doesn’t offer a hatchback WRX anymore, the usefulness of this sedan should keep most people happy. Or you could always look at a Forester or Outback. More functional, but certainly less thrilling to drive!

A Thrill to Drive

The best part about any WRX is the drive.

Some may be disappointed that the tS has no more power than other ‘rex models, but this is a wonderful powerplant that’s sure to make an enthusiast smile.

Under that sexy hood scoop is a 2.4-liter, horizontally opposed, turbo, flat 4-cylinder, pumping out 271 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft of torque coming in at just 2,000 rpm. This engine starts with a loud “whump” and when cold the sound out of the exhaust is loud and proud. (Ask our neighbors). Once it warms up it calms down a bit, but this still has that distinct Subie warble, and it loves to pull hard and gives strong acceleration.

Offered only in 6-speed manual for the tS (our choice to be sure) 0-60 mph comes up in the mid 5’s – plenty quick to keep up with many sports cars, and as an added bonus, the big meaty torque band means there’s plenty of power always on tap, for easy passing without having to stir the gears. With a light clutch and easy to negotiate stick shift, the manual WRX is quite easy to drive, even in stop-and-go traffic.  

While the engine and trans are shared with other models, the chassis is unique to the tS, with STI-tuned adaptive dampers. While the sport setting is really responsive and perfect for track work, we found the regular settings even better, with a buttery smooth ride that was quick to respond, but not harsh, and steering that was light but still feelsome.  The combination of Subaru AWD and those large 19-inch tires give loads of grip, and it’s easy to dole out all of that power and come out of turns with a real head of steam. This car begs for a twisty road!

We were equally impressed in the daily commute. The tS reminded us very much of the polished and refined Audi products. It becomes an extremely easy car to drive in traffic, around town, on the twisties and more. It’s the complete performance package.

And making that package complete are massive Brembo brakes, with 6-piston calipers, with larger pads and rotors that clamp down hard, refuse to fade and stop you now! Great pedal feel makes them easy to modulate, too.

And while we feel that a responsive vehicle is the best you can have for safety, Subaru also includes its excellent Eyesight Driver Assist Technology, with Adaptive Cruise Control, Pre-Collision Braking System, Lane Departure and Sway Warning, and Lead Vehicle Start Alert. It’s a very well-integrated system, and you feel well looked after.

Lots of $$ for the tS?

The WRX made its bones on bringing affordable rally-bred performance to the masses, and it continues for 2025. The line up starts with the Premium model for $37,750, and for this blend of performance and practicality, it’s an impressive value. The tS is priced at the other end of the WRX spectrum and starts at $47,705. With no other options and $1,170 for Destination, we rang the bell at $48,875.

At that price, we’d also consider the Honda Civic Type R, also a phenomenal performance vehicle, but it is limited to front wheel drive, if that matters to you. There’s also a new VW Golf R with AWD and it’s a fantastic blend of Euro goodness – its kryptonite is that you can’t get one with a manual transmission. We say drive all three, and figure which checks all your boxes.

A superb blend of driving fun, comfort and unique Subie-goodness, the 2025 Subaru WRX tS is a phenomenal performance sedan!