Exceptional power, stick shift and easy parking at Duluth Farmer’s Market. Photo by John Gilbert.

Lurking there between the companies committed to vaulting ahead to electrification and those reluctant to staying behind with old but proven technology, Subaru is a prime example. 

Subaru is partnering with Toyota in creating some new hybrid and futuristic EVs, but amid its array of SUVs it also builds a shining example of the good ol’ days with the WRX tS.

Recently, I had the chance to spend a week on Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior with a 2025 Subaru WRX tS, which is in its first official year, and is only confusing if you try to memorize the name. We got very accustomed to the WRX as a compact or subcompact sporty sedan, and learned to love the high-performance version as the WRX STI — where the operative nickname “STI” was most memorable.

For some reason, Subaru, the Japanese company that has won countless international competitions off-roading with modified WRX STI vehicles, has decided that it would not only take on Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Hyundai, Kia and the rest of the automotive world but it would also challenge computer auto-correct and spell-checking gadgetry by naming the new sporty WRX simply the “tS.”  The problem here is that the “t” is lower-case, and the “S” is cap.

Try writing it a dozen or so times and you’ll find your device has jumped at the chance to switch around those two letters or change it to a more familiar sequence of letters.

But approach the WRX tS and you start to suspect its capabilities right away, from the stunning Sapphire Blue Pearl paint job that practically glows, even in subdued light, to the black grille and foglight enclosures and redesign tweaks to the headlights. 

The hood scoop is familiar, and it also is functional, to help cool the 2.4-liter turbocharged flat-opposed four-cylinder, which produces 271 horsepower at 5,600 RPMs and 258 foot-pounds of torque, to be sent to all four wheels (of course) — a trademark Subaru asset.

The best way to keep the initials clear in mind is that STI stands for Subaru Tecnica International — the in-house Subaru technical team that turns those basic and mundane normal cars into screamers that deserve to show off the special initials. And officially, “tS” means this beast was tuned and prepared by STI. 

That means a standard upgrade to firmer suspension, with electronically controlled dampers, and six-piston front Brembo brake that swiftly and precisely will haul you down to zero.

Also standard are high-performance Bridgestone Potenza tires, which you might prefer to swap out for all-seasons if you’re in snow country. Those tires really hold turns and give the oversized brakes and firmer suspension room to operate and encourage you to play with the drive mode selection settings. Given the stiff suspension and low-profile tires, you may agree that the comfort setting is most amenable.

Climb inside, and you are left with no doubts about the legitimacy of the new WRX tS. 
First, you are grabbed by the clutches of the standard Recaro performance-designed bucket seat bolsters. If you are a couple pounds, or inches, above where you want to be, those seats are positively unforgiving. But if you’re at playing weight, you will be thankful that those seats will keep you upright in the wildest turns and curves you can find.

And you will want to find them, because when you look at the console shift lever, you won’t see any “P-R-N-D-1-2” numbers, because it is a stick shift. 

Yes, there are a multitude among us who cannot operate a manual transmission. That pedal on the left of the brake is the clutch, and you step down on it in order to shift the lever from first on up through sixth.
For those of us who can, and who actually enjoy, shifting for ourselves, the freedom is complete rather than letting the contemporary and excellent modern automatics do the gear seecting.

However, the WRX tS shifter takes a bit of getting used to because the engine is so potent it will seem eager to jump away from your control or any thoughts of not spinning the tires. But once you reacquaint yourself with the touch required, takeoffs can be smoothly initiated and shifts after launch are easily done.

Just remember to also shove the clutch in when you stop for a red light, and be prepared for a solid left-leg workout if you do a lot of driving in traffic.

One thing that is missing from the old STI models is the enormous rear wing arrangement, which used to be the easiest way to recognize one, by the way it obscures much of the view through the rear-view mirror. It will not be missed, and it gives Subaru the chance to style the rear lights and hatchback. 

The stability remains, and your driving feel will accept the sticker price of right around $45,000.
In Duluth, of course, you are faced with extra clutch concentration when you go up the hills of virtually every avenue heading skyward from Lake Superior, although you have a counteracting benefit every time you come back down, because you downshift to third or even second and become your own “hill descent control.”

You become your own king of the road while driving, because you can accelerate from any speed upward at the touch of the gas pedal, and if you don’t accelerate quickly enough, just downshift and pop the clutch and find yourself pushed back against the backrest in your Recaro. 

Drivers sharing the road with you might neglect to give you the proper respect, but if they’re smart, that will only last until the get a glimpse ar those satin grey 19-inch wheels or that monstrous hood scoop.
While driving, you can enjoy the 12.3-inch digital gauge enclosure, while your passenger can share being entertained by the full-length vertical information screen that runs down the middle from the dashboard to the console. Everything imaginable is included on that screen, so you can adjust climate control or the audio system, or read the map for navigation, while the upper part of that screen is the EyeSight level driver assist display.

The gauge cluster has the usual speedometer and tachometer instruments that you can set as analog even though they’re digital. While we drove on one 90-mile excursion, it showed we were getting 27.5 miles per gallon, which I thought was pretty good, considering I had to battle the urge to downshift and hit the gas — simply because it was so much fun!

Incidentally, the tach, on the left, red-lines at 6,000 and on the face of it is superimposed the outlines of the letters “STI” just as a reminder of this vehicle’s heredity.

Doubtful you would forget, of course, because while new Subaru models show off the next-generation future stuff, the WRX tS only comes with a 6-speed stick.