Japan’s New Manual Subaru WRX Has Something Americans Don’t Get

The Grass Isn’t Always Greener

Over the decades, Japan has kept some of the best stuff for itself. Whether it’s high-performance wagons, special editions of rally homologations, or even its clever kei cars and minivans, there’s a lot of forbidden fruit over there that the rest of the world wants. That said, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

Take the Subaru WRX, for instance. It’s been around a couple of years now, and it may surprise some folks that the current generation in its home market isn’t even offered with a manual. Suddenly, that base WRX with a stick sitting on the dealer lot right now has become a wee bit more desirable.

Finally, a Manual

It took a while, but Subaru finally offered three pedals in the JDM WRX as a special edition model. The car was labeled an STI Sport# (sharp, not hashtag), and it was essentially a WRX with a manual and STI goodies. Reception was strong, mainly because it was something Japanese customers hadn’t had in a long time.

The STI Sport# was a limited-edition model, with production capped at just 500 units. To get one, you had to enter a lottery and hope you were lucky enough to be chosen. It sold out quickly, proving that a sport sedan with a stick shift will appeal to anyone, no matter the language.

Another New Model

With all 500 STI Sport# cars spoken for, it was back to the CVT-only model for most Japanese customers. But perhaps spurned by the success of the limited-run model, Subaru has announced it will sell regular WRX models with a manual in Japan.

Sales of the manual WRX in Japan will begin sometime in November, and Creative 311 has reported that it might be called the WRX STI Sport R. You can bet people will line up for one, especially those who missed out on the STI Sport#. In Subaru’s words, it will be a ‘mass-produced manual transmission model,’ so it will be a regular fixture in the brand’s home-market lineup. No more lottery system, and no more production caps in the hundreds.

What’s the Big Deal?

But there’s one detail that will set the JDM WRX apart from the rest of the world. No, it’s not more power, as the 2.4-liter boxer turbo will still make 271 hp and 258 lb-ft. Instead, it will use a different transmission. The WRX’s six-speed manual is called the TY75, but the Japanese version will come with the TY85. For those familiar with Subarus, it’s pretty special; for the rest of us, it means the JDM WRX will have the old STI transmission built to withstand higher outputs.

Subaru actually restarted production of the TY85 transmission for this specific WRX version. Not even the limited-run STI Sport# came with that transmission, as it was equipped with the TY75 instead. That should help tuners in Japan pump out bigger numbers from the engine with less worry that the transmission won’t be able to handle it. The more robust transmission should help unlock a greater tuning potential that was limited by the CVT.

With that, we’re glad that the Japanese market can finally get its hands on a manual WRX. The folks over there deserve it, especially since the only choice for nearly five years was a CVT. It’s not only back in its home market, but it also has the stronger, more robust transmission. That said, we’re curious whether it will eventually be fitted to models worldwide, but there’s no news on that yet.