If there is one thing that seems to be the case lately, saying that a soon to be released car will be on an entirely new platform really gets the rumor-mill running.


So grab your World Rally Blue Tin-Foil hats, and securely fasten the belts on your desk chair, this is a wild one.

Toyota Subaru Team up for the STI


Japan's Best Car magazine has published an article going over all of the joint projects that Toyota and Subaru are currently working on. Two of them aren't really a surprise at all. Those are the next-gen BRZ/GT86, and an all-electric small SUV.


But the last one is the next STI. Yes, the one that is supposed to be available in 2021 on an all new platform, and with a direct injection engine. And the guess is that the 2021 STI could be smaller than the current STI, a couple, and possibly on something like the Yaris platform instead of the Subaru Global Platform? And that might open the door for a return to the WRC for Subaru?


There is also talk of a smaller "Super AWD" car that would be added to Subaru's line-up, and that seems more likely for the Yaris platform car I'd say. If true, this could be the JuSTI that we have wanted for years now.


To step back a bit, it is exciting that Subaru is completely re-designing the 2021 STI, and now that it has been confirmed that the engine will be all new (for the Japanese market, it has been confirmed that the STI will get a 2.0 liter version of the FA20DIT making 315 hp, no official word on the US model yet). The STI has been in need of a clean-slate re-working, and this seems like it could be exactly that opportunity.


The two biggest things that the STI needs is a bit more power, say 350 to 400 hp from the factory, and at least the option of a dual clutch transmission. There is no mention of the dual clutch, but the Best Car article does say that the STI will keep the current 6-speed transmission. That is a good thing to be sure, but as common an option as Dual Clutch transmissions are becoming, Subaru really needs to be looking to add that to the STI in the very near future.


Toyota has just brought back the Supra, and they have generally been more open to and supportive of the sports car market than Subaru. The hope would be that Toyota will get Subaru to lean a bit more in that direction and maybe take a bit more risk in terms of design, power, and performance than they have on their own. And if that gives us at least one, if not two new fun turbo-charged cars to play with, we all win.


And I have to say that if it is true that they are looking at a smaller All-Wheel Drive car the size of a Yaris/Justy, that could be really cool. In fact, that might be more exciting than an STI coming back as a Coupe?


All of this is speculation of course, but Best Car has had some good scoops about the STI lately, so I don't think that we can discount anything here entirely. But nothing is remotely certain until at least a concept or final version of the car is revealed, and if this is really all coming in 2021, you'd have to figure that we will be seeing something here soon. So far, the Toyota and Subaru partnership has developed a great car, and let's hope that is just the first of many more to come!

- Jon Cooley

Best Car Article

The Drive article on Toyota Subaru Team-Up on new STI