Subaru has heard American fans’ calls to bring a
track-ready WRX STI Stateside and it looks like that will happen with the
upcoming S209. For now, all we have to support that hunch is a video teaser Subaru
of America has just released. Titled “From Japan with Love,” the footage shows
a camouflaged WRX STI doing what it knows best on the Virginia International
Raceway. A strong clue in the favor of the S209 is the fact that the car is
fully wrapped, i.e. it packs plenty of new stuff.
Subaru offers another strong clue in the video
description that reads “something special from Subaru Tecnica International is
coming to America for the first time ever. 1/14/19 at the North American
International Auto Show.”
Since STI never offered the high-performance S207
and S208 models in the United States the S209 looks like a strong candidate.
Our final clue comes in the form of a recent report that discovered a Subaru
U.S. trademark filing for the “S209” name.
We can see the hardcore WRX STI
features a massive rear wing and a similar body kit to the Type RA special. The
front end looks more menacing, though, thanks to the dive planes on both sides
of the bumper. It does seem to have bigger round tailpipes as well, hinting at
a more powerful engine.
While the WRX STI Type RA makes 310 hp from a
turbocharged 2.5-liter flat-four engine, Japan’s S208 offers 325 hp from a
2.0-liter unit. Regardless of which engine the S209 will get, it should offer
at least 325 horsepower.
