When we read the news that Subaru was offering a new WRX S4 STi we were excited. Then we learned the car would only be sold in Japan and we weren’t so excited. With only 500 cars being produced, would the return of the WRX STi be like today’s version of the legendary 22B? Let’s see what extra go-fast goodies Subaru has packed into this WRX S4 STi.
- The regular WRX’s turbo 2.4 L engine with the same 271 HP
- 19″ BBS wheels, forged aluminum, but in boring black
- Michelin Pilot Sport tires, which are actually really good tires
- Strut tower braces, front & rear
- A black front grille, black badges, and a little tiny black spoiler
- Silver stitching on the steering wheel, shift boot and Recaro seats
- The only transmission available is an automatic CVT
All this for the bargain price of $57,699 Canadian dollars (coverted from Yen). Wow!
To even be allowed the privilege of buying one of these vehicles, Japanese customers must enter a lottery being run by Subaru of Japan (from January 12th to 28th 2024). Only if you win the lottery do you get to pay a premium price for this ‘special’ car.
No; this new car is no 22B and it isn’t even a real STi. It’s sad to see Subaru using a once-glorious nameplate on…this. Used to be if you paid the extra cash for the STi you got a forged crankshaft, forged piston rods and hyper-cast pistons. You got lower/stiffer springs and struts. On some generations you even got a factory wide-body. On all of them you got the iconic giant wing.
Today you get some black paint on exterior trim, black 19″ wheels and some nice tires. And the whole ‘lottery’ thing is total BS. Artificially manufactured demand; it’s just hype.
Toyota owns 20% of Subaru, and they jointly manufacture the BRZ/GR86 twins. Toyota took exactly what made the WRX STi such a legend (powerful, turbocharged four-banger, all wheel drive, manual transmission and even a hatchback body) and applied it to the Toyota GR Corolla. Is this why Subaru does not build a car to the formula which they created?
CVT as the only tranny option???
That is outrageous!!!
Unbelievable, right Rubens? They make the top model WRX GT with the magnetic adjustable suspension, bigger wheels, grippier tires, all the interior amenities…and a CVT.
.
Why not make a performace model with the go-fast goodies and a manual gearbox!
.
And to call this an STi? That is sacrilegious!!!
The nerve! As an outsider for the most part, I don’t know what a lot of this means, but I get that this new “fancier” “highly desirable product you have to enter a lottery to buy” is rather egregious.
I actually drive a Corolla hatchback and I love it, but I didn’t get the GR. I’m a Toyota girl through and through.
I want to use the word ‘egalitarian’ in a sentence, but I cant make it happen.
.
If I have the cash, I should be able to buy the car of my dreams. This lottey BS rubs me the wrong way.
.
Its a Subaru for gosh sake, not a trip around the world! And I still have to pay for said Subaru
.
So silly