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Subaru unveils catchily named WRX STI tS Type RA in Japan

We feel safe in saying it's time for Subaru to step away from the keyboard for a spell. The company just unveiled this new WRX STI tS Type RA in Japan, and while the car features all sorts of tricks to help it stand out from the rest of the WRX rabble, it also boasts a name that looks like the product of a good old fashioned QWERTY Hulk smash. Nomenclature aside, this WRX STI features a revised suspension with tweaked springs and dampers as well as a faster steering ratio, Brembo brakes and a front strut tower brace.
JDM buyers can pick between the ever-sexy (if loud) Tangerine Orange Pearl paint seen here, Satin White Pearl or Blue Mica. There's also available NBR Challenge Package, complete with a set of Recaro front seats, a few carbon fiber aero bits and 18-inch BBS forged wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza RE070 rubber. How's that for delicious?
Subaru is only planning to crank out 300 WRX STI tS Type RA units, two-thirds of which will carry the NBR goodies.

Subaru confirms 2015 WRX STI to grace Detroit show stand

Now that we've seen and driven the 2015 Subaru WRX, it's time to set our sights on the car's more powerful and traditionally massively winged counterpart: the STI. And while a few rumors about the new STI have already leaked, Subaru today confirmed that we'll be seeing the hotter 'Rex at the Detroit Auto Show later this month. Hot diggity.
Last we heard, the new STI will still use a turbocharged, 2.5-liter boxer-four (remember, the standard WRX uses a version of the 2.0-liter engine found in the Forester) producing something like 300 horsepower and 290 pound-feet of torque. What's more, don't expect the STI to hatch a five-door variant - Subaru recently told us that there are no plans to offer anything beyond a sedan bodystyle for both versions of the WRX. Sad trombone, we know.
That said, if our time with the 2015 WRX sedan is anything to go by, this new STI should be pretty rad. The new WRX is significantly sharper than the outgoing model (in terms of driving dynamics, anyway - it's still a pretty ugly little thing), and we fully expect the STI to be a bulgier, harsher, more powerful and aggressive version of the already awesome street-legal rally car. We're just hoping it will be offered with WRC-correct gold wheels, too.

Subaru WRX and STI meet at the dyno with interesting results

Road and Track recently put the 2015 Subaru WRX and the 2015 WRX STI through a battery of dyno tests to find out not only how much difference there is between their two engines, but what kind of differences there are. The WRX gets the company's new FA20 2.0-liter boxer four-cylinder engine with features like a twin-scroll turbocharger, direct injection and variable valve timing on its two cams. The WRX STI stands pat with the older EJ-Series motor, meaning a 2.5-liter boxer four-cylinder with port fuel injection and carryover turbo lag. Subaru pegs the $26,295 WRX at 268 horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque and an "extremely conservative" 0-60 mile per hour time of 5.4 seconds. The $34,495 STI clocks in at 305 hp and 290 lb-ft with a 0-60 mph time of 5.1 seconds. Ok, fight.
R&T's dyno runs sussed power numbers at the wheel of 223 hp and 245 lb-ft for the WRX, 247 hp and 243 lb-ft for the STI, then went on to demonstrate in numbers what everyone knew: that the WRX consistently puts out more of its torque earlier than the STI and achieves full boost almost three seconds quicker. On the other hand, on the track, the STI was also shown to have a conservative official 0-60 mph time, stopping the timer at 4.8 seconds compared to the WRX's 5.2 seconds.
The mag says it has comprehensive results coming from its "complete battery of tests," but for now, you can scrutinize their dyno charts and let the battle continue about which one you'd rather put your money down for.