10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Subaru WRX Works Its Way Up, Toyota Land Cruiser Lands

If you’re in the market for a non-luxury performance sedan that’s a sensible commuter — but also one with all-wheel drive and a manual transmission that you can throw into the curves for some thrills — you’re definitely a type. And as a “cheap-speed” enthusiast, you have a handful of appealing options to choose from in this notably niche market. As you consider competing cars from fellow Japanese automakers like Honda and Toyota, be sure not to overlook Subaru’s WRX tS, the top-performing variant of the compact four-door’s 2025 lineup to date.

Related: 10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: Ford Ranger Picks Up Pace, Chrysler Pacifica Jumps the Line

In one of our most popular news articles of the past week — Cars.com reviewer Conner Golden’s comprehensive critique of the WRX tS — we break down why the Subaru sedan is worthy of strong consideration despite bringing a little less to the table than chief rivals in terms of performance. Despite having the very same 271-horsepower, turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine as the base WRX, the tS ups the excitement ante with track-night-friendly tires, sport wheels and brakes, configurable drive modes and electronically adjustable shocks tuned by Subaru’s STI racing division. Of his track time with the tS at California’s Sonoma Raceway, Golden summarized, “Outside of some wholly expected understeer in Sonoma’s tightest low-speed hairpins, the WRX tS was a commendably capable and predictable on-track car that carried speed well and offered no surprises or tricks that significantly separate it from the rest of the current WRX lineup.”

For our full take on the 2025 Subaru WRX tS — including pricing predictions and an idea of whether would-be buyers should wait and save their money for a truly rally-ready WRX STI variant — follow the link below to the No. 4 article on this week’s countdown of most-read stories.

In another enthusiast area, we tested the rugged, off-road-capable 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser to see if the two-row mid-size SUV could hold up in terrain, environs and driving conditions when pushed beyond its purpose-built rock-crawling and hill-climbing capabilities … like, say, hitting the interstate with your family on a weekend road trip. In civilian duty, the Land Cruiser mostly performed admirably, offering competitive cargo space, a comfortable and quiet ride at moderate speeds on paved surfaces, cushy and supportively contoured seats, and impressive electric-boosted acceleration. Despite some drawbacks — like a too-high cargo load floor, backseat space constraints, doors that don’t open wide enough for family-friendly versatility, the need for pricey premium gas despite relatively respectable fuel economy and a hefty $60,000 as-tested pricetag — Cars.com reviewer Joe Bruzek concluded that you “really could live with this everyday as your daily driver.”

For the full details of our on-road test of the off-road-inclined 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser, follow the link below to the No. 5 news story of the week and watch Bruzek’s video review.

Beyond all that, we’ve got headlines on the Toyota Sienna and RAV4 and much more — so don’t stop reading till the digits double. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:

1. How Do I Find Out if a Car Is Still Under Warranty? 

2. Which Electric Cars Are Still Eligible for the $7,500 Federal Tax Credit? 

3. Here Are the 11 Cheapest Electric Vehicles You Can Buy 

4. 2025 Subaru WRX tS Review: Top of the Food Chain 

5. 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser Video: How Livable Is the Land Cruiser in Daily Driving? 

6. What Are the Most Fuel-Efficient Cars? 

7. Is the 2024 Toyota Sienna a Good Minivan? 5 Pros, 2 Cons 

8. Breaking Barriers: 2025 Toyota RAV4 Starts (Barely) Above $30,000

9. Electric Cars With the Longest Range

10. Which SUVs, Minivans and Sedans Have the Most Cargo Space?

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