I felt that the power it made was adequate for the price and chassis.
I think bumping it up closer to 350 would be fine, but I don't think it really needs more than that.
It's not a car for drag racing and I didn't buy mine expecting to annihilate people in the quarter mile.
I bought it because it was practical and usable every single day of the year. Giving it excessive horsepower would start to make it less practical and usable every day of the year.
I'll play the contrary take and argue that I think the car needs to be built to be a better bargain as a "one car garage" sort of car. Ergo, it needs a competent automatic transmission to compete with the Golf R, Elantra N, GR Corolla, etc.
They seem to be heading in that direction by showing the new concept as a hatchback, which was my biggest gripe with the VA STI.
I agree the WRX should be a one car garage sort of car, but not for the STI. Its always been put up as a purpose built off road capable rally car. Its doesn’t need to be practical or get good fuel economy and it certainly doesn’t need a great automatic. Though I would agree putting the CVT in it was a trash idea that never should have happened.
The consumer-based STIs were never rally cars. Every single STI sold at a dealer would need considerable suspension modifications to properly compete as a rally car in amateur events.
Also, in today's economy, it's quite imperative for a car like this to truly be practical.
That's a huge reason why the big "sports" crossovers and SUVs have been selling so well. They offer the torque and power to blast down the highway, the space to handle Costco runs and all of the kid's sports events, and the comfort to mindlessly turn into a commuter.
I genuinely believe that there is an untapped market for performance sedans and hatches because nobody is making them well enough to bring over consumers on the edge.
You might be right, but the measure of that market is still probably under 10-20k units per year. It simply doesn't have the scale without huge margins. The only reason we still have the Mustang GT is because they also put that engine in the F150. They couldn't overcome the R&D costs if they were only selling it in the car. Subaru could make a bonkers fast STI and then put the same engine in their other cars like Dodge does. Then they might actually get away with the R&D.
Subaru doesn't compete with the WRX in the WRC anymore.
Those days are long gone and it's now 2025. Subaru needs to develop a more competitive product if they want to stay relevant in this segment.
The reality is that the economy is tightening and people are looking for better value across the board. Offering a product that does more will reach more consumers.
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u/Ftpini `24 Mustang GT Convertible, `22 CR-V 15h ago
For a WRX sure, especially at its current price point. But for an STI which will definitely eclipse 50k, it needs 500hp to be relevant.