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What is Subaru STI? Here’s everything you need to know about the Subaru tuning brand from its history to its future.
Subaru Tecnica International: Subie’s Tuning Division
STI or Subaru Tecnica International is the tuning arm of Subaru. It’s akin to Chevrolet’s Performance division, BMW’s M division, or any of the other motorsport and tuning arms of various brands. Over the decades, STI has had a large role to play in how Subaru moves forward as a brand, how it communicates intent, and how sharp its cars can really be. Here’s a deeper dive into what exactly Subaru STI really is.
The Beginning Of STI
Subaru itself began as a company named Fuji Heavy Industries in 1953. It wasn’t until some two decades later that motorsport began to play a role in its history though. In 1972, it entered a Leone in Australia’s Southern Cross Rally. It didn’t finish but it set the stage for bigger things to come.
For the next decade or so, Subaru focused heavily on improving its quality and brand image. It even became the vehicle sponsor for the 1978 U.S. Olympic team.
A slogan from 1981 leaned into the value proposition over any sort of performance dreams. “Inexpensive. And built to stay that way,” it said. Having successfully achieved those two main goals in the 1980s, Subaru turned its attention to racing in 1988 when STI took over as the motorsports and tuning arm of the brand. It would oversee all operations in those veins of the company and it didn’t take long to find a few wins.
STI’s Most Famous Cars
Just under a year after its creation, STI introduced its first full-fledged creation, the Legacy RS RA. It packed 220 hp and set an FIA endurance record that year by going 62,000 miles in just 20 days at an average speed of 138 mph. Do the math and you’ll find that the car was driving almost the entire time for those 20 days. More success was on the way quickly though.
In 1993, one of the most legendary partnerships in motorsport, that of Subaru STI and driver Colin McRae began. The Scot picked up the team’s first win ever at the World Rally Championship at the New Zealand Rally that year.
In 1994, STI took home second place at the end of the WRC season. Beginning in 1995, it dominated the sport winning three straight championships.
Race On Sunday And Sell On Monday
While STI had its focus on winning races, Subaru itself wanted to get some of that racing technology into its road cars. As such, it introduced the Subaru Legacy STI, the Subaru WRX STI, and the WRX Type RS STI during the same period in the mid-90s. In 1998, the legendary Subaru WRX 22B STI made its debut in super-limited numbers and sold out in record time.
Of course, these models were only sold in Japan. Americans would have to wait for the early 2000s before the everyday WRX would make its way to our shores. Even then, it wasn’t until 2004 that Subaru saw fit to introduce the STI version of the WRX to the US. It came with a very potent 2.5-liter flat four engine and 300 hp on tap.
It was an immediate smash hit and sparked off an all-too-short horsepower war with Mitsubishi. The WRX STI saw time as a hero car in four different Fast and Furious movies. Even the tamer WRX got some silver screen time as the main car in the movie Baby Driver.
Over the years though, the WRX has stagnated. Nearly two decades after that first WRX STI was introduced, the brand no longer makes the STI version. The last WRX sold in America was the 2021 model year and it made 310 hp. Not exactly a leap or bound in terms of power is it?
Interior quality and everyday comfort in the WRX is certainly better in later models but that’s not really what a hardcore motorsport variant needs to be. Perhaps that’s why Subaru killed it off. It says that another WRX STI could come with an electrified generation in the future but that’s not happening anytime soon.
What’s The Difference Between A WRX and an STI?
The distinction between a WRX and an STI can be hard to grasp as it’s somewhat akin to whisky and Scotch. All Scotch is whisky but not all whisky is Scotch. In this case, all US-spec STIs are also WRXs but not all WRXs are STIs.
Subaru has never used its STI tuning arm to modify a vehicle that became a production model for the US market. As such, the only time you’ll see a genuine STI badge on a Subaru it’ll be on a WRX.
It’s worth noting that STI has had its hand in other models from around the globe that aren’t sold here. In 2004, it built a Forester STI that’s still lauded and lusted after today. It also lent a hand in building a handful of Legacy models in Japan. In fact, the Legacy STI debuted before the WRX STI.
Where STI Stands Today
STI isn’t the hardcore enthusiast-focused brand it was in the past, at least not here in the USA. Nevertheless, some of its older creations are still highly desirable, especially to hardcore Subaru fans.
“Unless the car is comfortable to drive by anyone, it will not be possible to compete in long races that span 24 hours,” it says. Regarding its controllability, STI goes on to say “Without a car that can be freely manipulated by anyone, it is impossible to win a race where multiple drivers take over.” Those statements likely have some room for debate but we get the idea.
STI may not have a hand in the current US-spec version of the WRX but that hasn’t stopped it from continuing to push limits where it can. According to its homepage, the mission of STI right now is “Delivering the joy of infinite control and endless comfort.” That might sound odd coming from a performance-focused motorsports division but the logic STI uses to get there does a little explaining for us.
