Subaru has been carving out a pretty nice niche for themselves. The drift-happy brand was introduced state-side as a car for farmers: high ride-height, a low center of gravity, and symmetrical all-wheel-drive. Those three pillars are what support the brand as they’ve been adopted by the mainstream, first as the default professor-car, and know as a practical daily driver.
Having standard AWD has been a great selling point for them, so much so that more and more vehicles come with some sort of electronically-assisted four-corner power. But it’s that focus on standardization that’s really helped the brand extend far beyond their (relatively) meager size. With one powertrain to support almost their entire lineup (Toyota parts notwithstanding), the Subaru Global Platform has allowed the Tokyo-based company to simplify its manufacturing process while continuing to offer an array of vehicles.
By keeping things so streamlined, engineering-wise, it also allows the company to focus on reliability. Sure, you can Google Subaru Reliability and learn more about head gaskets than you’ve ever wanted to know, but those days are (mostly) over. Instead, Subaru’s have become so commonplace that its vehicles are almost boring. The Outback’s settled into an SUV-lite, the Imprezza is a dull, boxy, hatchback, and the Forester looks like an uninteresting version of its older iterations.
Has Becoming Mainstream Made Subaru Boring?
Then, there’s the WRX STI. One of the main contributors to Subie’s reputation, the mid-level WRX and its more powerful sibling, the STI, are renowned for their performance, handling, and outright fun. Whether knee-deep in the mud or sliding sideways through a parking lot, these cars have occupied a category of their own (or, at least, since Mitsubishi gave up on the Lancer Evo.)
Now rumors are coming out about the next-gen WRX STI, and they’re something to get excited about. While previous generations were based on the Imprezza, it seems that the new model will be built off of the non-US Levorg, which, it should be mentioned, is a wagon.
The WRX STI has One Purpose: to Go Sideways
Subaru unveiled the Levorg STI concept at the Tokyo Auto Show, with the suggestion being that this would come to North America under the WRX STI badge. Specs haven’t been announced, but it was revealed that the new model will offer a number of selectable driving modes, giving more control over power, AWD balance, and suspension. Electronic dampers will be standard, as well, which is a first for the company.
If and when this is happening remains to be made official. But we’ll be here, waiting eagerly when an announcement is made.