- Subaru says STI is alive and working on new models.
- Electric Performance-E STI looks closer to production.
- Trailseeker is the brand’s fastest production car ever.
The last proper Subaru WRX STI bowed out in 2021, and it left a crater in the brand’s performance lineup. Since then, Subaru Tecnica International loyalists have been clinging to hope for something new. According to company officials, that hope is not misplaced. The high-performance division is “not dead,” and there is apparently plenty going on behind closed doors.
Over the past few years, Japanese buyers have had to settle for STI Sport editions of the WRX, Levorg, and Forester. Nice cars, certainly. But the real headline-grabbers were the two STI concepts unveiled at the 2025 Tokyo Motor Show.
More: Subaru Showed Four New STI Models, And Not Even One’s A Real STI
Scott Lawrence, General Manager of Subaru Australia, spoke to Drive.com.au about those concepts and the broader direction of the STI sub-brand:
“There has been a significant volume of feedback,” he said. “The tempo of news and activity out of STI publicly is picking up. It has the most vocal followers of the Subaru camp, put it that way. As those concepts proved, lots of work in that space – STI isn’t dead.”
Testing The Waters
Subaru is using its latest STI concepts to measure enthusiast appetite and, more importantly, to justify the next halo car. The fully electric Performance-E STI looks like nothing else in the current lineup. At the same time, the gasoline-powered Performance-B STI is essentially a heavily reworked Impreza hatchback with a serious gym habit.
More: Subaru Made Two STIs And Now It’s Asking You To Choose
Initially, Subaru implied that fans would help decide which concept makes it to production. That democratic spirit now appears to have limits. The EV seems to have the inside track. According to the report, Subaru has confirmed the Performance-B will remain a concept, while staying carefully noncommittal about the Performance-E’s future.
The Fastest Current Subaru Isn’t An STI
While we wait for a proper STI to reappear, the Trailseeker, Subaru’s electric alternative to the Outback, has become the quickest thing in the showroom. Not exactly the plot twist purists were hoping for. Its dual-motor setup delivers a combined 375 hp (280 kW), good for a 0-60 mph sprint in 4.4 seconds, although in our testing the crossover wagon managed to dip even lower.
Review: The 2026 Subaru Trailseeker Is An Insanely Fast Wagon That Just Happens To Be Electric
If you still prefer your performance with a sedan shape, the coolest kids on the block are the limited production S210 from last year, and the current STI Sport#, both based on the WRX. The latter debuted earlier this year with a six-speed manual gearbox, STI-tuned electronically controlled dampers by ZF, Brembo brakes with gold calipers, and 271 hp (202 kW) from the standard 2.4-liter boxer engine.
Subaru is clearly feeling its way toward whatever comes next for the STI sub-brand. Hybrid, fully electric, or something in between is still undecided. What seems less negotiable is the badge itself. It is sticking around, even if the boxer engine eventually is not.
