Alongside the launch of the WRX S4, Subaru has also made available its high-performance flagship sedan: the WRX STI. It carries one big difference from the global market model: the engine. For years, the global market WRX STI (including ours) has been using the turbocharged 2.5-liter EJ257, while the JDM model has been using the 2.0-liter EJ20.

While it would have been great to see the new FA20DIT engine in the 2015 JDM WRX STI’s engine bay, contrary to what other news outlets have reported, the 2015 JDM WRX STI carries on the EJ20 turbo (seems the Japanese market is not so different from the global markets). However, thanks to a new ECU tuning, it’s been reworked to produce 308 horsepower and 422 Nm of torque. More importantly though, the redline has been slightly raised (7,100 rpm). Like the global model, the JDM WRX STI gets a sole transmission: a 6-speed manual which has been reworked for a better feel and response.

What makes the JDM engine special is that the EJ20 has been the source of Subaru’s motorsports efforts such as Super GT (with the BRZ) and the Nurburgring 24-Hour Challenge. Thus, you can definitively say that the JDM WRX STI does have close motorsports roots.