Subaru Brings Back The Manual Of The WRX STI, But Not For Us (Yet)

Subaru is teasing a new WRX that will launch in its home market of Japan. A video on Subaru’s website confirms Japan’s new WRX will feature the TY85 manual transmission previously used in the WRX STI. This new WRX could be the first mass-produced Subaru with a manual in Japan since 2019, and it’ll be revealed sometime next month. Subaru’s Japanese division has a new website dedicated to the WRX, and while it only features a cryptic photo, a few lines of text, and a 15-minute-long video, all in Japanese, there’s plenty to dissect about the brand’s outlook on the WRX in Japan. Subaru is reportedly axing some of its WRX models in its home market, but now it looks like the automaker is about to add a new one into the mix. It’s hard to make out much of anything in the website’s teaser photo, but it shows a pretty clear outline of the car’s front end, which looks like the current fifth-generation WRX. The rear is definitely still a sedan. Sorry, no hatchback yet. Michael Simari|Car and DriverIn the U. S., the WRX is currently offered with the TY75 manual transmission.

Vik is the Co-Founder and former Editor at MotorAuthority, a leading U. S. website covering performance and luxury cars. Since 2025, he has contributed to CarBuzz, blending his engineering background and almost 20 years of automotive journalism experience to deliver cutting-edge news and analysis. Subaru of Japan has kicked off a teaser campaign for what it describes as a new WRX with a manual transmission. The automaker has released a single photo and described the car as carrying the WRX legacy into the next era. What all of this means remains unclear, but Subaru has scheduled the reveal for November, so we won't have long to wait for answers.

Back in the day, we used to regularly conduct “Cheap Speed” comparison tests of all the available sport compacts. In a 2009 version of this test, we gathered seven speedy compact cars for around $25,000. The Subaru WRX and the Volkswagen GTI were among the mainstays of this segment, and they’re still going strong today. But they don’t cost $25,000 anymore. Even so, Subaru and Volkswagen have worked admirably to keep these high-performance machines within a reasonably affordable price envelope. Here, we’ve brought together the base models of both cars to see whether they can still deliver on the same price-to-performance ratio that made them such legends in the first place. What We TestedIn the case of the WRX, the base model only recently returned to the lineup for 2026. With a starting price of $33,690, it does without some niceties but has the same all-wheel-drive system, 271-hp turbocharged flat-four, and six-speed manual transmission you’ll find in more expensive models. In GTI-speak, S means base model, and it’s a bit more expensive than the WRX to start.

Michal studies Automotive Journalism at Coventry University in the UK, and has been writing for CarBuzz since March 2025. He was nominated for student culture piece of the year recently and has been the Vavel.com F1 Editor. He studied Journalism at university to combine his love of writing and cars. Michal's love for cars started when he couldn't sleep as a baby. His father would watch the only thing on TV to help them relax - Formula 1. Since then, he's felt like he's had a V10 ringing in his mind.

Kyle has written professionally across the motorsport and motoring world since graduating from Plymouth University in 2018, and has acted as the MotoGP editor for Motorsport Week and as a Features Writer for HotCars early in his career. He joined CarBuzz as a Features Correspondent in 2023. His future in the automotive world has been guaranteed since he was a kid, as he remembers rattling off the names of car brands as one of his earliest memories.

Joel was previously an editor at Autoblog for nearly a decade, covering cars from humble economy hatchbacks to high-end sports cars. He has extensive driving experience with plenty of track time, and even dabbles in motorcycling. Joel has shared his experiences in the car world not just in text, but also on podcasts and web videos.