Subaru teases manual-equipped performance hatch

Manuals aren't dead! Subaru has announced plans to introduce three new or revised manual models within the next 12 months.

3 hours ago

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Max Davies

Marketplace Journalist

Max Davies

Marketplace Journalist

Subaru has thrown performance enthusiasts a bone by teasing three new manual-transmission models, including a hatchback it promises will be distinct from its current performance range.

Teased at the recent Super Taikyu Fuji 24-Hour endurance race, where Toyota's GR division also showed off a wild twin-engine, seven-cylinder Camry, the three mysterious Subaru cars are intended to revive the brand's performance heritage and will launch before 2027.

Indeed, the brand says all three cars will "incorporate the technology and knowledge cultivated through our motorsports activities", which should raise eyebrows for fans of Subaru's old STI-badged performance hatch.

The most interesting car teased is a hatchback that Subaru bluntly labels as "a production version" of the Performance-B STI concept revealed at last year's Tokyo motor show: an Impreza-based, WRX-engined performance hatch that it now races in Japan's Super Taikyu series.

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The Performance-B STI concept featured large wheel-arch extensions, a vented bonnet with Subaru's characteristic scoop, and an enormous rear wing. There are also 18-inch alloy wheels, large ventilated brake discs, and silver STI-branded brake calipers.

No drivetrain specifications were confirmed, but the Super Taikyu race version is powered by the WRX's 'FA24' 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder 'boxer' engine, albeit retuned to optimise the balance between power and emissions.

Subaru has otherwise been tight-lipped on the new five-door hatch, though it plans "to create a model with a new personality that is different from the WRX and BRZ." It may not even be badged as an Impreza or WRX at all.

On that note, the remaining two cars in Subaru's teaser are confirmed to be manual-equipped versions of the current WRX and BRZ. The WRX is the more interesting of the two, as it's set to receive the legendary 'TY85' six-speed manual transmission featured in the most recent WRX STI.

Renowned for its durability and reliability, the TY85 was unique to the 'VA' WRX STI that was produced between 2014 and 2021. It has not been used since the WRX entered its current 'VB' generation, nor has it been paired with the FA24 boxer engine.

It's unlikely it'll come with the STI's characteristic centre-differential controller, but the brand says it "aims to revive Subaru's WRX", even if it isn't a full-fat STI. It will join the range as a "catalog model".

The BRZ, meanwhile, will be based on last year's limited-run STI Sport Type RA. Subaru has yet to announce specific changes to the already-manual model, but it says it "will make the highly acclaimed driving experience even lighter and more enjoyable to drive at will".

The caveat to all three cars is that they're likely to be Japan-only. That's supported by the BRZ STI Sport Type RA's domestic-market-only status, as well as other Japan-only reveals, such as the manual-equipped WRX STI Sport#.

That said, the 'VB' WRX has been available in Australia with a manual gearbox since its launch in 2022, though that hasn't been an STI-derived transmission. Similarly, a six-speed gearbox is a mainstay in the current-generation BRZ.

In any case, these new manual models appear to be a sign of Subaru's intent. There hasn't been any new STI equivalent since the 'VA' WRX exited production, and it's been even longer since the Japanese brand offered a performance hatch.

In Australia, 2013 was the most recent year in which Subaru sold such a vehicle. The third-generation Impreza WRX STI was sold as both a hatch and a sedan, though the hatch was axed when the 'VA' WRX launched.

The announcement of these manual cars comes as part of Subaru's ongoing model onslaught. It still plans to launch a full fleet of fully electric cars by 2028, with the Trailseeker, Uncharted, and Getaway all revealed within the past 16 months.