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2016 Subaru WRX and STI updates revealed

The 2016 Subaru WRX and 2016 Subaru WRX STI have been revealed with a range of changes for the Japanese brand's iconic performance models.

Matt Campbell

12:2624 April 2015

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The updates come less than a year after the new, fourth-generation Subaru WRX and WRX STI models launched in Australia, and the changes aren't minimal in their scope.

The chief difference is a new media screen, which has also been rolled out on the Subaru Outback, Liberty and recently-revealed Impreza models. The system is set to be offered in two sizes.

The entry version is 6.2-inch screen, seen in the WRX, which will offer Bluetooth phone and audio, as well as smartphone app connectivity, and will also act as a display screen for the standard reverse-view camera.

The WRX Premium and STI models are set to adopt a 7.0-inch version of the screen with satellite navigation, dual USB inputs, text message readout and reply functionality, and touch gesture controls. A harman/kardon amplifier and 9-speaker premium sound system is set to be offered, too.

Further changes include standard 18-inch alloy wheels (8.5-inch wide) for the WRX Premium, which is expected to flow on to the local model sold here, which currently has 17s as standard. In the US there will be a WRX Limited model that adds niceties such as an eight-way power driver's seat, leather trim, and LED low-beam headlights with welcome lighting - which is what the Premium model sold here already has.

In the US, the STI model can now also be ordered with a low-profile rear spoiler, taking the place of the love-or-hate whale tail of the range-topping model.

While no WRX and WRX STI models sold here have the brand's EyeSight driver assist technology, this update has included a Lane Keep Assist function, while blind-spot detection, lane change assistance and rear cross-traffic alert is also available on some variants in other markets. Don't expect them to be specified on any models here.

Subaru Australia national corporate affairs manager David Rowley told CarAdvice that the brand's local arm doesn't have any detail on the MY16 WRX or MY16 WRX STI, suggesting the updated versions are several months away from arriving locally.