TR special first went on sale in 2006
Will Subaru do a pared-down budget Rex?
Subaru is getting ready to launch a WRX tuner special once again. The new car will launch on October 7th at Subiefest Florida.
It’s called the 2024 Subaru WRX TR, and the company is calling it “sharper and more enthusiast focused.” Travis Pastrana and Buck Lasek will be along for the reveal at the massive Subaru show at Daytona International Speedway.
What’s a TR? Subaru first launched the WRX TR in 2006. It stood for “Tuner Ready” and it meant less. Subaru dropped the automatic climate control, fog lights, and CD changer, plus it had black trim instead of paint, no wing, a plastic wheel instead of leather, and seats from a lower-spec Impreza.
The point was to make a car that was cheaper. Subaru skimped on the bits that buyers would probably change anyway and so everyone got a better deal.
Will this be the same thing? It doesn’t look like it, at least from the teaser. Subaru’s photo shows off Brembo front calipers and some fancy wheels. Neither of which yells “cheaper.” We can’t tell the size, but those sidewalls suggest a pretty low-profile tire, too, which means a big-diameter wheel.
So the 2024 WRX TR might not be a tuner special, but it could be the one that drivers want. Will the 2024 WRX also bring EyeSight to manual-box cars the way that Subaru added its driver assists to the BRZ stick this year? Find out on October 7th.
