Special performance sedan locked in for Australia: 2025 Subaru WRX AWD tS Spec B on the way to challenge Toyota GR Corolla and Honda Civic Type R with a six-speed manual gearbox and STI bits

There’s a new WRX on the way, but don’t hold your breath STI fans, it’s not the news you were hoping for.

Rather than the very limited-edition WRX STI S210 announced earlier this year, which was allocated predominantly for Japanese showrooms, Subaru Australia is sending us the WRX AWD tS Spec B as a new flagship variant instead.  

It starts at $61,490 (before on-road costs), which is about a $4000 premium over the current top-spec tS Sport’s price tag.

The Spec B ups the ante with a suite of track-ready design upgrades, including a large rear wing, 19-inch matte grey alloy wheels, Brembo brakes with ventilated brake discs and gold painted calipers and Recaro racing seats up front.

Subaru has added an STI Performance muffler, a power-adjustable driver's seat, a 12.3-inch digital instrument display and a leather steering wheel with an STI logo.

Arguably the most significant addition of all, though, is the inclusion of a six-speed manual gearbox, which comes paired to a 2.4-litre turbo-petrol flat-four Boxer engine with symmetrical all-wheel drive. Outputs remain the same at 202kW/350Nm.

It also gets selectable driving modes with electronically adjustable dampers, which is the first time it has been fitted to a manual WRX.

General Manager of Subaru Australia, Scott Lawrence, said, "The WRX AWD tS Spec B is where performance meets passion - a true celebration of everything that makes WRX iconic. It’s about that genuine, unfiltered connection between the driver and the road – a feeling that that speaks to driving purists and goes beyond what specs can convey."

Subaru discontinued the iconic WRX STI globally in 2022, which the brand said was a consequence of tightening emissions standards.

The EJ25 Final Edition bid farewell to the car in Australia in 2021 with a limited run of just 75 units.

It delivered 202kW/407Nm to all four wheels through Subaru's signature EJ25 2.5-litre flat-four turbo-petrol engine and a six-speed manual transmission for a 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.2 seconds.