Subaru Reveals the New WRX S4 in Japan

Months ago, Subaru teased us with an S4 version of its WRX sedan. With that teaser came the typical flurry of rumors, speculation and hope. Now Subaru has officially revealed its Japan-spec WRX S4, and it is an impressive upgrade from the base WRX, but nothing nearly as good as all of the speculation that was going around the industry.

This new sedan is basically a gap filler between the 268-horsepower WRX and the 305-horsepower, rally-ready WRX STI. The biggest update lies under the hood, which is where Suby added in a new, 2.0-liter, direct-injected, boxer engine that produces 296  horsepower and 400 Nm (295 pound-feet) of torque. This accounts for a 28-horsepower and a 37-pound-feet gain over the base WRX. Despite this bump in power, fuel economy jumps to 13.2 km per liter (31.05 mpg) combined, which a respectable 1.6-km-per-liter (3.76-mpg) bump over a similarly equipped WRX. Unlike the base WRX, the S4 comes standard with the Sport Lineartronic transmission.

Other changes to the S4 include standard EyeSight for added safety, a revised suspension system for a “flat” ride that is both comfortable and sporty, a retuned electric power-steering system for better feel, an electric parking brake, additional high-strength steel for added strength without extra weight, and a D-shaped steering wheel.

Along with the additional features and specs, Subaru also revealed what the “S4” in the name standards for: sports performance, safety performance, smart driving and sophisticated feel. Though this unveiling it a bit of a buzzkill, I have to admit that the power bump is nice, and the added fuel economy is a surprise.

There are no details on Subaru’s plans to release this model in the U.S. yet.