Is the Subaru WRX TR a Good Car? 5 Pros, 3 Cons

With its standard all-wheel drive, rally-ready persona and requisite helping of Subaru quirkiness, the WRX has long stood out from other small performance cars. A new TR trim joined the lineup for the 2024 model year, bringing sharper reflexes, improved handling and other tweaks — for better and for worse.

Related: 2024 Subaru WRX TR Review: STI Lite

Launched with a mission to address widespread criticism (including ours) that a 2022 redesign had cost the WRX some of its responsiveness in the interest of comfort and refinement, the TR intended to help make up for the loss of the top-performing STI trim. “TR” unofficially stands for “track-ready” and brought stickier tires, upgrades to the steering and suspension, and a standard six-speed manual transmission. A one-year-only trim level, the TR was replaced with the WRX tS, which has three-mode adaptive dampers in place of the sport-tuned suspension, for 2025.

Cars.com Senior Research Editor Damon Bell racked up 1,000 miles of varied driving in a WRX TR and found that the upgrades bring back at least some of that classic WRX feel. However, the increased capability in the twisties also comes at a cost in both comfort and to your wallet. Tap the link above for Bell’s expert review; for a quicker rundown, read on for five things we like about the 2024 Subaru WRX TR and three things we don’t.

What Do We Like About the 2024 Subaru WRX TR?

1. Hardware Upgrades

Like the discontinued STI, the TR got suspension and brake upgrades for increased performance. These include larger 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels fitted with Bridgestone Potenza S007 summer performance tires, a steering rack tuned for better response, larger Brembo disc brakes with six-piston front calipers and two-piston rear calipers, stiffer springs and revised dampers.

2. Improved Reflexes

The TR’s upgrades paid off with a sharper and more agile feel than we’ve seen since the WRX’s 2022 redesign, as it has quick and accurate steering. Aided by standard AWD, the performance tires provide a lot more grip than the standard all-season rubber. Still, the WRX TR can’t match the tossability and fun of other sporty compacts, such as the Honda Civic Si and Hyundai Elantra N.

3. Gritty Soundtrack

Unlike the discontinued WRX STI, the TR didn’t get any power upgrades. Rather than the 310-horsepower four-cylinder engine used in the last STI, the TR gets by with the same 271-hp, turbocharged 1.4-liter flat-four used in the base trim. It does, however, seem to provide a more aggressive soundtrack, with a menacing sound appropriate for a performance model.

4. Cabin Upgrades

The TR got cosmetic and functional interior upgrades, as well, including contrast red stitching and highly bolstered sport seats with grippy synthetic suede inserts up front. The seats are comfortable and do a good job of keeping occupants in place even if they make getting in and out a bit trickier. Overall fit and finish are good, and the interior is a pleasant place to be.

5. Safer Performance

Subaru has made the EyeSight suite of safety features standard on every WRX rather than limiting availability to just variants equipped with an automatic transmission. That means drivers who choose to shift for themselves now have access to features including forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, precollision throttle management, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and lane-centering steering.

Read More About the Subaru WRX:

• 2025 Subaru WRX Drops Base Trim, Now Priced From $36,920
• 2024 Subaru WRX TR: A More Focused Rex
• Which New Cars Have Manual Transmissions?
• 2025 Subaru WRX tS Review: Top of the Food Chain
• Research the Subaru WRX

What Do We Dislike About the 2024 Subaru WRX TR?

1. Road Noise

The Bridgestone summer tires get the job done and provide a lot more grip than the all-season tires on the 2022 WRX we drove. That grip comes at a cost in both tire noise and ride comfort, however, particularly on rough or broken pavement. A wide footprint combined with a low sidewall makes for a lot of road noise in the cabin and abrupt impacts over bumps, which can become tiresome on long drives.

2. Power Play

The summer tires and upgrades to the suspension and steering made the TR a lot more fun to drive than the standard WRX, and the available six-speed manual transmission added to the fun even without the last STI’s added power. But as the old saying goes, there’s still no substitute for horsepower.

3. Price

Not a stripped-down performance model, the TR landed as the second most expensive trim level in the 2024 WRX lineup: Its added capability came at a price that amounted to $42,775 (including destination) in the case of our test car — about a $9,000 premium over the base trim. With the poor-selling base trim dropped for 2025, the gap in starting prices from the new base Premium trim to the tS is even larger at nearly $10,000.

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