I was goofing around on the Subaru build and price site checking out lease rates on the Outback and just for fun (and because it's convenient on the site), I rattled through the model lineup to compare lease rates on Subarus in the $35-40k SRP range. It turns out that the WRX and STI are available at very favourable monthly payments, which surprised me. Perhaps I overlooked something, but I don't think so.
All else being equal, I suspect that STI monthly lease payments would be considerably less than than a Golf R for example (although I didn't actually price out an R).
Leasing is not for everyone but since it's frequently my approach, I find this interesting.