All-Wheel-Drive Sport Sedan Heritage Lives On with 2024 Subaru WRX TR

• Subaru may have lost its famous WRX STI nameplate, but the company remains invested in producing a genuine AWD sport sedan.

• The VB generation WRX made a number of modern powertrain improvements, but Subaru is now unveiling a further refined version.

• With revised suspension tuning, bigger and stronger brakes, plus a host of weight-reduction features, the 2024 Subaru WRX TR carries on the modernization of the WRX line.

When the Subaru WRX STI died off in 2021, grief and mourning ensued, but the outgoing model wasn't exactly fresh either. With a tired EJ257 2.5-liter turbocharged flat-four engine and a six-year-old chassis, the STI was hanging on by its nameplate rally legacy.

That all changed when the new VB-generation WRX was introduced in 2022. With an updated chassis and an all-new 2.4-liter twin-scroll turbocharged, electronically wastegate-controlling, direct injection flat-four engine, the 2022 Subaru WRX was an improvement almost all around, depending on how you view its plastic look.

And it might get even better, as Subaru is adding an ultra-high performance version to its 2024 model lineup. Known as the 2024 Subaru WRX TR, Subaru is pushing the performance envelope of the newer WRX platform, but not in the name of extra power, notably. Carrying over from the standard WRX are 271 hp and a broad torque curve peaking at 258 lb-ft.

Rather, the focus of the WRX TR comes from its on-track and backroad performance parts. Specifically, the WRX TR's claim to improved driving experience lies primarily in its upgraded braking system and suspension improvements.