Subaru officially confirms next-generation WRX STI

Tuesday, 15 December 2020

Is the one-of-18 WRX Saigo worth $56k of your dollars? We find out.

Subaru Australia has let the cat out of the bag during celebrations of delivering 10,000 WRX STIs. There will indeed be a new WRX STI and it should be quite spicy.

The Aussie arm of Subaru says the new model “is certain to push the performance and technological boundaries still further” than its predecessors. That was a bit of a given but it’s still good to see an official affirmation of the go-fast four-door.

Nothing else was said about the new model but the rumour mill has been pointing to a fresh engine this time around, that being the 2.4-litre turbocharged flat-four currently employed in the North American Ascent, Outback and Legacy models. It is said to be spitting out 298kW of power and nearly 500Nm of torque, putting the STI right up against the Toyota GR Supra and the forthcoming Nissan 400Z.

The WRX STI will live on. Hopefully the next generation looks like this.

The new engine should offer better emissions compared to the current STI’s 221kW/407Nm 2.0-litre flat-four, owing to a newer engine design while retaining the driveability of more displacement.

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The lesser WRX will be slightly toned down compared to the STI, but it should still be a fantastic car to drive.

* Road test review: Subaru WRX Saigo

* Upcoming Subaru model launches leaked

* Subaru WRX and STI getting new engines

* Details emerge on next-gen Subaru WRX

Expect a lower-output version of the same engine to motivate the lesser WRX, although Subaru could also repurpose the ex-STI powerplant for WRX duties.

As for transmissions, the six-speed manual will reportedly soldier on (at least in Japan) but Japan’s Car Sensor says the existing CVT is only rated at up to 400Nm of twist. What Subie will do with it remains to be seen. Toyota is offering input into the hi-po models so Subaru may be looking into taking one of the larger brand’s automatics, like the eight-speeder found in the Lexus LX 570.

Subaru is expected to give the WRX and WRX STI siblings styling similar to the Viziv Performance and Performance STI concepts, which means a familiar overall shape with more pronounced and aggressive lines.

The Impreza and XV will also get new engines at some stage too, with a 1.5-litre turbo unit replacing the current naturally-aspirated flat-four. We wouldn’t expect a massive power increase but there should be more low-end torque to improve driveability and reduce emissions. Meanwhile, the next Levorg will get a 1.8-litre turbo four, while the Impreza is also slated to receive the e-Boxer powertrain.