The 2024 Subaru WRX TR might not replace an STi in the hearts and minds of Subie fanatics. However, it certainly bridges the gap between everyone’s favorite razor-sharp Subaru and the inevitable return of the STi badge. What’s more, the TR still manages to serve as a tuner-ready ride, albeit not as much as its predecessor. 

The 2024 Subaru WRX TR might not be the same beckoning canvas it used to be, but it has potential

The TR isn’t the first of its kind. Far from it. See, Subaru produced a WRX TR in 2007 with a “please build me” appeal. TR, or “Tuner Ready,” represented the nameplate’s canvas model. Subaru intended for modders to take the TR home and get to work.

Today, despite the range-topping posture and factory performance kit on the new TR, the original flavor persists. Sure, Subaru gave the TR bite-happy Brembo front and rear brakes, Bridgestone Potenza S007 rubber, and Recaro seats. I can feel Subie fans pounding their fists in derision. “It’s not a tuner car anymore!” Well, that’s not entirely true.

The 2024 Subaru WRX TR is the AWD Subie that graduated, got the respectable job, and pays its taxes on time. However, the TR’s coworkers at Subaru and Associates don’t see what the sports sedan does when it’s time to clock out. At its core, the WRX TR is still a 271-horsepower Subie with a six-speed manual transmission option instead of limiting operators to a soulless slush-matic. 

Paired with the TR’s grippy 245/35R-19 Bridgestones and larger brakes, the TR should take the WRX’s corner competency to another level. That’s the whole point of a car like the TR: AWD commuter on Friday, hairy good-time machine on a Saturday track day. While some tuner tasks aren’t the same for the latest model as for its blank-slate predecessor, the TR still has plenty of potential. After all, there’s no shortage of tuning houses with the sole purpose of turning a WRX into a weapon, per Car and Driver. 

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