2024 Subaru WRX TR PVOTY Review: Minimized Thrills for Everyday Competency

In the absence of a true STI model, WRX fans will have to make do with the 2024 Subaru WRX TR (and soon the WRX tS). It's comfier, more sophisticated, and better screwed together than any WRX that’s come before it, making today’s WRX more luxurious than ever—albeit at the cost of some of its soul. Call it “thrills minimized in favor of everyday competency,” as associate editor Billy Rehbock put it. 

The good news is the WRX TR will take a thrashing with a grin on its face. That torquey, relatively low-revving turbo engine is quite enjoyable in the mid-powerband when the boost finally comes on. It’s like the car “finds a second wind,” features editor Christian Seabaugh said, though it is not quite as exciting as the rear-drive Subaru BRZ tS, and it’s rather gutless within the context of everything else at our PVOTY event. 

Grip is the standout feature here. The car’s all-wheel drive and frankly absurd tire combination keep everything in line around Chuckwalla’s various twists and turns; you can even induce a bit of drift if you want. Because it’s underpowered but has a nice and compliant chassis, you can huck it into corners and there’s grip for days. Abuse it, make the tires scream. It’s all Gucci. In fact, we thought it a more rewarding track car than street car overall. 

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Unfortunately, everything else can be painted with broad strokes from the “meh” brush. The shift action isn’t particularly inspiring and feels rather doughy. The clutch is spongy. The brakes just work. The steering is quick but vague, doing its job unremarkably.  

In particular, MotorTrend director of editorial operations Mike Floyd hit on what we all feel is missing from the WRX TR. “As a Subaru WRX owner, I want to love this car,” he said. “I want to get in it and think this is one of the best cars for the money on a track and one of the best cars here, but quite honestly it just isn’t that. What everyone loved about this car when it first came out was that raw, super fun, rally-racer-for-the-street edge. Of course, it’s almost impossible to keep the same vibe the WRX enjoyed more than 20 years ago. It’s matured, it’s that star aging athlete Father Time is catching up to. Subaru has just softened it to the point that it no longer feels at home on a track. And that’s a shame.” 

Then there’s the issue of price. “TR” stands for “Tuner Ready”—a Subaru moniker that in its past use on the WRX denoted stripped-down cars from the factory that buyers would take home and immediately tune. But today, to see a starting price of nearly $43,000 (and a not particularly stripped-down setup) before any potential mods are accounted for seems like a hard pill to swallow. Aside from WRX diehards, we think most buyers would rather shop for something more finished from the factory. There’s more evidence to support this: WRX sales overall are down almost 40 percent this year. 

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With good visibility and Subaru’s suite of current technology, WRX TR is an agreeable daily and an over-tired track car. Ultimately, however, it fails to make it as a finalist because we don't find it pushed any of our PVOTY criteria’s buttons, neither advancing the WRX’s design nor doing enough to nix the sense that this WRX is bereft of character.