Subaru bets on a stick shift again: the TY85 is back, and a new hatchback is on the way

Subaru confirms the heavy-duty TY85 gearbox returns to WRX and BRZ by 2027, alongside a new affordable sporty hatchback echoing the Performance-B STI Concept.

Subaru is once again giving us a reason to talk not about crossovers, but about cars built for enthusiasts. The company has confirmed it is developing an affordable sporty hatchback by 2027 and bringing back the heavy-duty TY85 manual gearbox for the WRX and BRZ.

WRX STI fans know the TY85 well. This transmission was fitted to the STI from the GD generation through the VA, and it handled abuse better than the TY75 used in the current WRX or the Aisin TL70 in the BRZ. It is larger, tougher and built for high torque, track sessions and hard use. For the buyer, this isn’t just “a manual on the spec sheet” — it’s a chance to own a car you won’t regret driving hard a couple of weekends in a row.

The big question is whether a proper STI returns alongside the TY85. The old WRX STI’s gearbox worked together with the DCCD: a driver-controlled centre differential, a front helical limited-slip diff and a mechanical rear diff. The current WRX uses a simpler setup with a viscous coupling and brake-based torque vectoring. If Subaru is putting the TY85 back in, it’s reasonable to expect a more serious all-wheel-drive system too.

Separately, the company also showed a mysterious hatchback. Its shape recalls the Performance-B STI Concept, but Subaru describes it as an “affordable base car” — a point CTO Tetsuo Fujinuki has also made. So this is probably not a direct successor to the WRX STI Hatchback, but rather a more practical sporty hatch with WRX DNA.

Prices and specs are still under wraps. But the fact itself matters: Subaru has realised that a manual gearbox and a compact body still sell an emotion that no high-speed CVT can replace.