Review: 2025 Subaru WRX tS - Not Competitive

I spend a week with the 2025 Subaru WRX tS to see how the addition of adaptive dampers improves the WRX and whether or not it's worth getting. With a starting price of nearly $47k, it's hard to justify either way, being the same price as some much more impressive performance cars. Whether the WRX fans think it's worth it will come down to how much they love the VB WRX. What do you think about the WRX tS? Thanks to Subaru for providing this vehicle to review!

Time stamps:
0:00 Exterior
2:07 Interior
10:48 Initial impressions
13:35 Acceleration
16:40 Handling
21:47 Highway driving and safety tech
24:51 Fuel economy
25:58 Pricing and competitor comparisons
30:46 Final thoughts

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[KoncealedCinema]

You should introduce yourself as Subaruwrxfan in your WRX reviews as a little easter egg

[MelasMaidsAuto]

Thank you for being so honest and telling us straight up that this trim is just not punching as hard as it should for the price

[Reginald_Harrison]

We want the STi back!

Subaru: Best we can do is give you a red WRX badge.

[SBBOI]

That center console reminds me of a android phone from 2011

[yay]

I've never seen Matt this angry before lmaooo. But it's completely justified, especially given his former Youtube channel name 😂

[drumhopttv]

I paid $33k for my 2024 Premium a few months ago. Glad I didn't wait for the 2025s now

[leanit]

Comparing a AWD to any non-AWD seems silly to me. It is like comparing a sedan to a pickup truck - two completely different vehicles / experiences.

[taelee]

$47K USD for WRX with Brembos and suspension... no thanks.
And for those who say STI back in 2004 inflation adjusted would now cost 50K+...yes but back then STI was very competitive performance-wise, so the price was justified.

[dtw]

Please keep calling out automakers on their insane pricing. This is getting out of control.

[XmvwX]

Part of the challenge of the WRX is it's getting quite expensive. A base model is $36k, and this is $10k over that. $10k might be cool...if it was a full on STI with the full drivetrain. That used to be an $8k adder over a standard WRX. They're asking more than that for a standard WRX with a few upgrades. If this was a $3k to $4k adder, yeah, makes sense. $10k? How is that justified? Worse, a standard Impreza, is a $25k car. So just going to the WRX at all is already an $11k bump up. So you're up $21k from an Impreza to this, nearly double the price of nearly the whole car you're already getting, just for an engine change, suspension, brakes, and seats. Is the manual even different between the cars? (maybe, haven't checked).

Now premium cars at premium prices is not uncommon. You can buy a Wrangler Rubicon for astronomical pricing, and on a relative scale, you kind of have to determine if the price is wild. The problem with Subaru is they've never been a premium brand. They've always played in the budget realm. It doesn't help you can buy a low mile, nearly new STI for $35k to $40k today. It's not competing with just other new cars. It's still competing with used ones, used WRXs, and even used STIs.

[SOTOALEX]

Remember 10 years ago the Sti was 35k at most
The prices these days for an inferior car are insane

[CHICOZTACOS]

It’s not all about acceleration and speed. I mean, at what point is it too much? This car seems to have the right balance in many of the things people that can actually afford it care about. As one of them, I’d prefer they fix their horrible infotainment screen before increasing hp.

[daltonnko]

I trust subaruwrxfan's op on subarus

[venussavage]

Nice to have you bag on cars that deserve it. Thanks for thoughtful and informative reviews of attainable cars.

[akediord]

Oooof, Matt. You were done with this review barely 20 secs in. It's hard to watch an icon fall so far and soooo hard, ain't it? As a seven-time Subaru owner, I continue to watch the VB out of nothing more than morbid curiosity.

Subaru is the little kid that doesn't want to go to the barber, cuts his own bangs, ruins his hair, and proudly exclaims, "See, mommy! I did it myself!"

Subaru Corp and SOA, you suck. Your CVTs are garbage, your U.S. dealerships are full of clowns, and you've massacred a once great champion of automotive enthusiasm. You're Mitsu 2.0, only taking 15 years longer to get there.

[keiserious]

Subaruwrxfan not sugar coating it…the new pricing is just ridiculous, agree with FF and AWD alternatives 👍

[paulfairchild]

Great review. Subaru is crazy asking this price for so little. I own a 2015 WRX and was looking to upgrade. Looks like I won't be getting another Subaru. I also think the black exterior cladding makes the latest gen car's basically look cheap, terrible design choice.

[Umeir]

I have not seen Matt this disappointed with a wrx/sti

[lilrockstarrs]

These have been out for awhile now and I think they have aged like milk. The older WRXs looked so much better I think.

[TCxfan]

What a letdown.. I wouldn't even pay 30k for this. Solid and honest review as always though!