Subaru has been building the current-generation WRX for five years and has introduced a plethora of special, limited-edition versions in different markets, including Japan and the U.S. Despite all of this, it still hasn’t launched a proper STI model. Could this mystery prototype offer a glimpse of the long-awaited STI, or will it be another package that leaves Subaru fans feeling underwhelmed?
Our spy photographers recently snapped this black WRX testing at the Nürburgring, and from the front, it looks pretty much exactly the same as any other. There’s the same familiar grille, bumper, air intakes, and large hood scoop. It all looks rather uninspiring. What makes this test car interesting is its rear end, and it has us scratching our heads.
New panels have been attached to the rear quarters of the WRX and now extend outward, sitting roughly in line with the taillights. Similarly, a new lip spoiler sits in line with these panels, making this prototype look almost like a WRX Longtail. As a way to tweak the car’s aerodynamic properties, Subaru’s design is certainly intriguing. It’s also vastly different from the large fixed rear wings we’ve come to expect of new WRX models, and any potential future STI. A small piece of camouflage is also visible on a unique rear diffuser.
What is Subaru planning with this prototype?
What’s particularly curious about this prototype is that everything other than the rear looks like a normal WRX. It doesn’t have enlarged air intakes or bigger brakes as you’d expect for a high-performance STI model. In fact, this prototype doesn’t even appear to have the same beefy Brembo brake calipers as the regular model, so it seems unlikely that it has any additional power under the hood.
This raises more questions than answers. Is Subaru simply developing yet another special edition WRX with a distinctive rear? Is it planning to release these new rear panels as an optional extra for the standard model? Or is Subaru simply investigating ways to make the performance sedan slightly more aerodynamically efficient? Either way, it’s definitely interesting.
These spy images have emerged just a week after Subaru announced it’s bringing back a manual transmission option to the standard WRX in Japan. This transmission is unrelated to the TY75 six-speed of the U.S. model and is instead the same TY85 gearbox as the previous-generation WRX STI. Subaru is clearly willing to invest significant time and resources in the current WRX, but whether that leads to a new STI remains to be seen.
Baldauf
