Subaru is overhauling its performance car lineup. We've already seen the next-gen BRZ. Next up is its more hirsute, all-wheel-drive older brother, the WRX and WRX STI. Subaru Australia (as spotted by Motor1) addressed the upcoming STI and WRX while celebrating the delivery of the 10,000th WRX STI in the country, saying that it is "certain to push the performance and technological boundaries still further."
How much further? That's not 100 percent clear. But previous rumors and reports have given us a fair idea of what we can expect from the next-gen Subaru WRX.
The New WRX and STI Should Get More Power
Reports have the new WRX making a major power leap using turnt up versions of the 2.4-liter four-cylinder from the Ascent. The base engine would bump up to 300 horsepower, nearly as much as the current WRX STI. The WRX STI, which rumors suggest may be manual only (sorry, Post Malone), could jump to 400 hp. That would be 90 hp more than the current WRX STI and 59 hp more than the limited edition WRX STI S209...which started at $64,000.
We Have a Pretty Good Idea What It'll Look Like
Subaru has used a similar design language in various VIVIZ concepts during the late 2010s. Those look quite similar to the Japan-only Levorg STI wagon unveiled earlier this year. That should be a good preview of what the next WRX will look like, especially in the front end.
The New WRX and STI Should Arrive Late in 2021
A leaked Subaru planning document had the WRX entering production in fall 2021, with the WRX STI following in fall 2022. The pandemic may have thrown things off during the interim, but a late 2021 arrival for the base WRX still seems reasonable.
