2005 Subaru Impreza Wrx Wagon 4-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2015 Subaru WRX: July/August 2014

Literally minutes after snapping the photo you see above, I was soaked - hit by the third round of storms that brought absolutely insane rainfall to Detroit this week. Amateur mistake, right there; if it looks like rain's a-comin', it's a-comin'. So if you're going to take pictures of the car, do it before it's too late.
But the thing is, I was having way too much fun driving around the suddenly empty streets of Detroit to worry about handling my photo shoot in a timely manner. Folks had been cautioned to stay off the roads ever since the rain first hit. Floods had shut down several of our major freeways, not to mention many surface streets. The threat of more severe weather had put caution in the air, forcing folks to batten down the hatches and settle in for even more horrendously wet weather.
The long-term 2015 Subaru WRX, however, eats this stuff up with a passion. Inclement weather? The turbocharged, all-wheel-drive, endlessly grippy Subaru just wants to play. And after getting to know our WR Blue WRX since its delivery in June and solidifying my belief that it's a total riot, even around town, I was not about to ignore Rex's desires to go play in the rain and make mischief on the deserted streets. Empty on-ramp antics were great fun, and tossing the car around corners in the wet showed no signs of slip. Ever. Wet hair and a damp t-shirt? Worth it.

2015 Subaru Outback priced at $24,895*

Just a few weeks after announcing the pricing for the 2015 Legacy sedan, Subaru is getting ready to roll out the all-new 2015 Outback with a base price $24,895, plus an $850 destination charge. Like its platform-mate, the styling could be described as an evolution of the previous generation, but the company claims big changes underneath to improve comfort. It's scheduled to starting hitting dealers this summer.
The Outback continues to share most of its mechanical bits with the Legacy, including its engines. The 2.5-liter boxer-four-cylinder gets a touch more potent with 175 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque, and better fuel economy at 25 miles per gallon city, 33 highway and 28 combined. The 3.6-liter flat-six-engine has 256 hp and 247 lb-ft and also sees a marginal economy improvement at 20/27/22. All models now come standard with a CVT, and Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive gets some improvements with standard Hill Descent Control, Hill Start Assist, Active Torque Vectoring and X-Mode, a system to increase traction when needed.
The base 2.5i trim goes for $25,745 (all prices after destination), up $425 from last year's CVT base model. It comes standard with a 6.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system with a USB port and AUX input. The 2.5i Premium trim retails at $27,845, but the upgrade nets buyers dual climate zones, a 10-way power driver's seat, leather-wrapped steering wheel, all-weather package and a 7-inch infotainment system. The 2.5i Limited costs $30,845 and includes leather upholstery, 18-inch wheels, a 12-speaker stereo, heated rear seats, lane change assist, rear cross traffic alert and a power tailgate. The top The 3.6R Limited trim is $33,845 and in addition to the bigger engine features HID low-beam headlights and stainless steel dual exhaust tips.

2015 Subaru WRX

Every time I drive a Subaru WRX, I wish one of my parents had taken some weird, top-secret spy job that would have forced us to relocate to Finland when I was a kid. I could have learned the art of rally-style car control as a young lad, and in my adult life, sought out a dangerous/rewarding/awesome career as a professional WRC driver.
Never was that more clear than on the launch program for the new 2015 WRX, where Subaru pointed us down a long, somewhat treacherous stretch of road in the tree-lined mountains of northern California. Quick elevation changes were met with blind turns and washed-out shoulders, not to mention rogue bits of snow, ice and gravel that lined the apexes of nearly every turn. Here, I couldn't stop grinning, my co-driver and I switching between second and third gears, with precise steering inputs and judicious braking keeping us safely on the road and not plummeting nose-first into the trees. And the WRX simply devoured each inch of pavement with a ferocious poise that made me remember why I have loved this car so darn much.
But this sort of 100 Acre Wood perfection isn't the only way to experience Subaru's darling WRX. After a long stint of driving back down the California coast on Highway 1, I realized that Subaru's line about this being the best-driving WRX yet wasn't just a bunch of PR mumbo-jumbo. Of course, it isn't without a few compromises...