Tested: The Subaru WRX TR Is a Bit of a Head-Scratcher

Subaru and sport compact fans (though these cars have grown to a size that makes the term “compact” rather relative) have had to learn to accept that the Japanese automaker doesn’t plan to build a full-on STI variant of the fifth-generation WRX, which first appeared as a 2022 model. On the bright side, at least the company now offers buyers a couple choices beyond the standard WRX, with the recent announcement of the STI-tuned 2025 WRX tS model coming on the heels of the car we just tested, the Subaru WRX TR.  

What It Is 

The Subaru WRX TR—those initials stand for “Tuner Ready” and harks back to the Impreza TR of 2006–2007—raises the run-of-the-mill WRX’s game on paper, but if you hoped for more power, well, talk to the Subaru hand. The WRX TR retains the 2.4-liter turbocharged flat-four engine with peak outputs of 271 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, sent to the road through the same symmetrical all-wheel-drive system.  

What the TR package does provide are stiffer springs, revised shocks, a retuned steering rack “for better road feel,” and a Brembo brake setup that includes a larger master cylinder, larger pads and rotors, and six-piston front calipers and two-piston rears. You also get a larger, TR-exclusive 19-inch wheel design standard—other trims come with 18s—wrapped in supposedly grippier Bridgestone Potenza S007 tires and the sportier, more supportive Recaro seats also found in the top-trim WRX GT.  

See All 12 Photos12

Meanwhile, Subaru deletes the power moonroof to save a bit of heft. Our scales returned a 3,418-pound curb weight, which is still 27 pounds heavier than our long-term WRX Limited’s 3,391 pounds, but Subaru says it’s 139 pounds lighter than the range-topping WRX GT model. Likely contributing to that weight, every TR also comes packed with Subaru’s tech hardware package (plus wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a welcome addition) in support of the brand’s EyeSight active driver assistance not previously offered on manual-gearbox Subarus. And yes, the TR is available only with a six-speed manual and no option to tick the box for Subaru’s eight-speed paddle-shifted automatic (which is actually a CVT). 

In other words, the 2024 Subaru WRX TR should be a mild performance-bettering package with more onboard tech that slots into the lineup ahead of the Base, Premium, and Limited models but below the GT and the eventual tS. Priced at $42,775, it undercuts the GT by $2,560 while carrying an $8,920 premium over the base WRX. 

Play Ball—or Not 

Enough about what the equipment is and more about what it does, you say? Touché. Here’s the bad news: In our 0–60-mph acceleration test, the 2024 Subaru WRX TR’s time of 6.0 seconds unsurprisingly effectively matched but in fact trailed our long-term WRX Limited’s 5.9 result. The gap was likewise gum-wrapper thin in the quarter mile, the TR recording a run of 14.4 seconds at 98.1 mph versus the Limited’s 14.2 at 98.2. That said, we once again found the experience of launching the car to be a miserable affair. The all-wheel-drive traction logically doesn’t like you to just dump the clutch—but it also doesn’t appreciate you riding it, either. Regardless of what rpm we employed and how we engaged the left pedal off the line, the car bogged repeatedly. Low marks in the fun category here, then.  

See All 12 Photos12

Just Stop It 

In contrast, stopping the WRX TR is a whole ’nother story. The brake upgrades are palpable in terms of feel, and several of our drivers said they didn’t remember WRX brakes in general ever feeling this good. The pedal provides a short amount of travel with good, progressive action, which allows you to control the car well when bleeding off speed. But our best effort measured a 60–0-mph stopping distance of 111 feet, bettering the Limited by a mere foot. Still, these are solid stopping distances; by way of one comparison, a 2024 Mazda Miata MX-5 RF Club we tested recently weighed only 2,454 pounds and halted from 60 in an identical 111 feet.  

Gripping Up 

In terms of handling, the WRX TR average 0.96 g around our skidpad and lapped our figure-eight layout in 25.0 seconds at an average of 0.74 g. Its skidpad number is identical to the WRX Limited’s, but this new-trim WRX trailed the Limited in the figure-eight evaluation, the latter lapping the course in a marginally quicker 24.8 seconds at a slightly better g average of 0.75. The TR suffered significantly around the regular 360-degree skidpad less because of handling deficiencies and more because the throttle response was rather poor and the engine’s turbo lag in that scenario is a real issue, regardless of whatever trim you choose. On the flipside, because it’s not a particularly powerful car and has all-wheel drive, we could apply full throttle almost halfway around the cornering portion of the figure-eight, long before the exit.  

While we thought the WRX TR’s tire and suspension changes might yield slightly better handling performance than the Limited (though the latter’s Dunlop SP Sport Maxx rubber is no slouch), any test results matched this closely can easily swing either way depending on the day’s weather, track conditions, and our test drivers’ own personal performance behind the wheel. But the bottom line is, WRX enthusiasts no doubt hoped the TR would represent a meaningful performance jump. While our closed-course results unfortunately don’t support that notion, a tangible improvement remains: From a pure “feel” standpoint, this is one of the best, most cohesive WRXs we’ve ever driven. From the steering to the braking to the chassis’ responses, it makes for a fun time overall even if other cars costing similar money have eroded the Subaru’s image as the king of affordable performance.  

See All 12 Photos12

For instance, the TR is commendably good on the brakes with ample information fed back to the driver prior to ABS intervention; not once did we trigger the antilock while lapping the figure-eight track. That’s exactly what we want when we’re dancing a car through our test, and this one also performs notably well when trail braking into corners, making the front end obedient to turning in at speed. Score one here for the overall experience.   

Our Verdict 

The 2024 Subaru WRX TR doesn’t deliver the empirical performance enhancements we hoped it might, but it feels better to drive than any other new WRX on sale today. With that consideration along with its upgraded EyeSight safety and additional convenient infotainment features, we find it worth the extra $2,640 over the Limited model we tested for a year in 2023. 

But if you’re not a diehard Subaru four-door or WRX devotee or if you aren’t hell-bent on having all-wheel drive, there are other cars in this category we recommend enthusiasts look at first, such as the Hyundai Elantra N and Honda Civic Si to name two. Not that we’ll blame or shame anyone for buying a WRX TR (or any other WRX), but it remains in need of some of those aftermarket tuner parts its name suggests—even though Subaru itself upgraded the thing straight from the factory. (Of course, given its performance, its name is a bit of a head scratcher, but that’s another story). We now cautiously, optimistically, turn our heads toward next year’s WRX tS and once again hope for significantly more.