Subaru’s WRX and WRX STI models offer the kind of driver-focused, free-wheeling driving experience that few other sedans in the market can offer. Sure, the WRX and WRX STI have aged in some respects, but the two models, specifically the STI, have established a lot of equity with their fan base. That’s good to know because Subaru’s giving the people what they want by offering the 2019 WRX STI with more power for its fans to play with.

OK, before anybody gets a little too excited about having more power for the 2019 Subaru WRX STI to play with, I’d advise those to temper those expectations a bit. The new model is only getting an extra five horsepower. That’s what a 2019 model year VIN decoder document sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration by North American showed. According to the document, dated April 11, the 2.5-liter, turbocharged, boxer-four of the WRX STI will have 310 horsepower, five horsepower more than the previous model. The 2019 Subaru WRX, on the other hand, will still get 268 horsepower. Bummer.

Fans of the Subaru WRX STI will probably be familiar with the 310-horsepower output of the 2019 model. It’s familiar for a reason because it’s the same output of the limited edition STI Type RA. The quicker and more nimble version of the STI was unveiled last year as a special edition model that was limited to just 500 units in the U.S. In addition to having 310 horsepower and 290 pound-feet of torque, the STI Type RA also came with a number of exclusive components. It had a carbon fiber roof, Bilstein shocks, a high-flow exhaust, larger intakes, a retuned engine control unit, and a modified multi-mode vehicle dynamics control system. Altogether, the STI Type RA was launched specifically for STI fanboys, a lot of whom, I can imagine, are probably just excited to know that the 2019 Subaru WRX STI is getting the same power output as the Type RA.

Granted, it’s not getting the same standard goodies that the Type RA received. But that shouldn’t be an issue because the performance sedan, by its nature, is highly customizable. Whatever components that the 2019 STI doesn’t have, future owners could get through a number of aftermarket channels. What’s important is that Subaru is now giving these same fanboys the power upgrade that it offered last year in limited numbers.

Take what you will from the five-horsepower bump that the 2019 Subaru WRX STI is reportedly getting. It may not look like much, but if you’ve ever been behind the wheel of a WRX STI, you’ll know that any increase in power, however minuscule, can go a long way in improving the breathless driving experience of the legendary performance sedan.

References

Read our full review on the 2018 Subaru WRX STI.

Read our full review on the 2018 Subaru WRX.

Read our full review on the 2018 Subaru WRX STI Type RA.

Read more Subaru news.